What Is In A Name?

Day 85

Reading: 1 Sam. 25:1 - 1 Sam. 27:12

Life will always have curves and twists. The ups and downs of life should not define us instead they are to be chapters of God's marvellous works in us. The happenings, challenges, situations are simply part of the story and not the main story of life. The main story is how God brought you through each situation and brought about victory in your life. When the focus is on God, everything else pales in comparison to who He is and helps us maintain focus on our walk with Him.

Whilst in the hiding place David and his men protected shepherds who were looking after the livestock of a very rich man called Nabal. Shortly after that, the sheep are being sheared and David seeks for something small for his men as a token of good gesture and goodwill for the services rendered. No discussion had taken place between David and the owner of the livestock, they just protected them. However, Nabal was not ready to play ball. He was not willing to return a good gesture with kindness. Instead, he spoke roughly and was very rude. Nabal was not only a rich man but also a rough and evil man even his servants knew it. 

Thank God for Abigail the wife of Nabal. Thank God for wise spouses who help avert danger against families. David on hearing the report of how Nabal responded to his request immediately gets annoyed and decides to take vengeance against this unscrupulous ungrateful character who didn't care to respond in kindness and generosity. However, a servant of Nabal tells his wife and in wisdom, she immediately goes to avert the impending crisis. She knew David would definitely kill the man. She knew who David was unlike Nabal who didn't seem to care of know who David was. As far as he was concerned David was an unknown entity. She knew that David would be king.

David had every reason to feel slighted by Nabal's response, however, his actions would have brought consequences against him. David was out for revenge against his own fellow Israelite. Nabal was a descendant of Caleb. David was about to spill the blood of his own people which is not what God had ordained him for. Abigail on approaching David gives the small token as a peace offering and asks that he leave her husband alone. She calls her husband a scoundrel and continues to tell David that Nabal acted foolishly just like his name. Nabal means a fool. Abigail reminded David of the destiny in him and that God will make him great because He fights the battles of the Lord and evil is not in him. Abigail was telling David that this fight with Nabal wouldn't have been the battle of the Lord and was evil. She was telling him to let God deal with the man and let God avenge the misdeeds and not take it upon himself. May we as children of God not fight our brethren when they wrong us but let God take vengeance. Don't help God fight for you by fighting your own. Let God avenge on your behalf.

Abigail on returning from David tells her husband the following day when he is sober of the how she averted his death because of his folly. The man on hearing what he had done and whom he had annoyed, fear set and in 10 days was dead.  David quickly married Abigail for he understood the power of having a wife who gives good counsel. 

David again encounters Saul and again has an opportunity to kill him. Firstly, the same people that told Saul on David's whereabouts were the same people again who gave up his location. Why the Ziphites did this we are not told fully. However, they do teach us a lesson in life. Be careful of trusting that person that sold you to the enemy. They can do it again. He again reminds everyone that he will not kill Saul harm him for he is the Lord's anointed. Just because God had left Saul and anointed David didn't mean that he should take the throne by force. God was all this time building character in David. A valley is a place of character development. Every test will develop our character. It will point out the weak areas showing us areas we need to build up to fortify ourselves against failure. 

David understood that God was a God of mercy. In his conversation with Saul, he asks Saul why he was seeking to kill him. David understood that if it was God who ordained Saul to hunt him then he could seek mercy from God, however, if it is men, David was aware that God would defend him for they had removed him from sitting on the table of God's inheritance. Saul knew that he would not respond to this wisdom for it exposed his shortcomings of not relying on God and in actual sense David made him realise that he was fighting God. 

David fled Israel to get away from Saul. He flees to the Philistines who by now know the troubles he is facing. Whilst there he fights against them though they didn't discover that David was actually raiding their towns and making himself rich. Don't reveal your plans to everyone. David asked to be given a town to dwell in together with their families. The name of that town is Ziklag. Ziklag means grief.  

As I read today's reading I began to ask what is in a name? I wondered why would the parents of Nabal have given him such a name? A name is a prophecy of your life. Every time Nabal was being called or his name was mentioned he was called a fool and unknown to everyone one day his foolishness would manifest and cost him his life. Nabal may have had wealth, however, everyone around him saw his folly and knew one day it would bring trouble. Ziklag and Nabal aren't names we may hear today. However, the location you are may have been named by men and they have invoked forces that empower the name of that location to be real. Words as we saw in the Genesis 1 carry power. They carry a creative force that enables what we say to become reality. Every time Nabal was called by his name folly was being set up within him and in his life. I urge today that you take time to look at every name people have called you by. Those pet names or nicknames may carry evil or hidden agendas that will negate your well being. I urge that you only use names that will be wholesome and godly. 

Memory Verse: 1 Sam. 25:29

Decree

Personalise this scripture

I decree that my life shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of my enemies God shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 1 Sam. 25:29b(italics mine, paraphrased)