In 1 Samuel 25 we read the story of Abigail and Nabal. In this chapter we find one of the most inspirational characters of the Bible; a woman who was in a difficult circumstance yet still faithfully acted in the best interests of her husband. “The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved”.
Nabal claims not to know David, despite David being famous throughout Israel for the victory over Goliath. He had married the kings daughter. Nabal’s refusal to acknowledge David or provide food and water for David and his men demonstrates just how badly behaved Nabal was.
Abigail takes responsibility for her husband’s shortcomings, and pleads for David’s mercy. She takes large amounts of food and wine to David and his men, seeking forgiveness for Nabal, and taking responsibility for the way David’s men had been treated. She single-handedly prevented David and his men from slaughtering Nabal and his household.
As such, Abigail is a great example to us all of Paul’s advice in Galatians 6, “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. It wasn’t Abigail’s responsibility to solve this problem, but she recognised the need and did something about it. So we should assist each other in our walk towards the kingdom.