Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matt 5:9).  Abigail was such a one, destined to become an integral part of the Lord Jesus' lineage.  Abigail means Joy of the Father, and this was certainly indicative of how Yahweh viewed her.  She knew about David's reputation and his destiny (vs.28-30).  If she knew that, it would not be a stretch to think that her husband Nabal also knew. 

But, Nabal (Nabal means Fool), in his surly arrogance, chose to ignore this fact.  His foolishness in rejecting David was tantamount to rejecting Yahweh.  He paid the price for that rejection (vs.37,38).   

And thus, were the incidents at Carmel and Maon played out.  Just to set the geography: Carmel was located seven miles south of Hebron while Maon was eight miles south of Hebron.  (This is not the same Carmel where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal (1Kin 18:19).  That Carmel is located in the north near present-day Haifa).

As we have seen, it is dangerous to reject Yahweh.  But, rejecting the Lord Jesus is also a rejection of Yahweh (Psa 2:12; Luke 10:16).

25:1     David’s spiritual mentor dies! Consider how lonely David would now feel.  He is separated from his family, his wife and his best fried. Now his spiritual guide falls asleep. What a loss. However David had built up relationships with other faithful men of God – Gad the seer 1Sam 22:5, Ahimelech the priest 1Sam 22:11 – a lesson for us. We should not place all our confidence in one man.

25:3  So Nabal was not of the same calibre as his ancestor Caleb.

V.1 It is supposed that Samuel was about 98 years old when he died.

V.2 David had been in this region, for it was in the wilderness of Maon that David hid from Saul (1Sam 23:24). The Hebrew word for wilderness is midbar which can mean an open field or pasture, as well as a desert place.  It is the same word that is used in v.4.  And so, this wilderness near Carmel was pasture land.  However, the wilderness of En-Gedi , where David also hid, was a desert place (1Sam 24:1).

V.3 Nabal was nothing like his ancestor Caleb who was brave and resolute for Yahweh (Num 13:20; 14:6; Josh 14:10,11).

V.7 David had shown kindness to Nabal’s men, and now asked for some help in return.

V.10  Nabal’s reply to David’s request was a surly refusal, even after knowing how David and his men treated his men.  Nabal did not practice mercy according to the Law (Deut 15:7).

V.17 Nabal’s men knew that he was a wicked man.  This realization was echoed by Abigail (v.25).

V.33 Abigail’s discrete and thoughtful intervention averted David’s anger: A gift in secret pacifieth anger (Prov 21:14). 

25:7-8 Whilst David and his men were fleeing from Saul they did not simply hide away but made themselves useful in protecting the Jewish inhabitants of the land. Thus David, even in his fugitive years, was behaving as the king should have behaved.

1Sam 25:42-44 - The bridgroom "beloved" and the bride(s) perhaps echos the marriage of Christ to those believers who are in him -  "Abigail" (26) means "my father is joy" or "father of joy"; the number "5" is thought by many to mean "grace" or "mercy" and perhaps echos the grace and mercy for true believers who are married to Christ; David's (human) "messengers" [ Heb. "malak" (4397) means "angels, messengers"] perhaps echos that "The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them" (Psa 34:7); "Ahinoam" (293) means "my brother is delight" or "brother of pleasantness" and our fellow brother Lord and master Christ is (and will be) the delight of his brethren; "Jezreel" (3157) means "God will sow" or "God sows" [similar to "God gives the increase" (1Cor 3:6;) and "many are called but few are chosen"  (Matt 22:14)]; "Michal" (4324) means "who is like God"; "Phalti" (6406) means "delivered" or "my deliverance"; "Laish" (3919) means "lion" and perhaps echos Christ as the lion of Judah; "Gallim" (1554) means "springs" and perhaps echos that "spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14).

Yahweh presents a challenge and poses a pertinent question in vs.10,11.  No nation surrounding Israel ever abandoned its gods.  History and archaeology bear that out.  But, Israel had forgotten Yahweh and His manifestations of power and love (v.6).  Now, the priests were asking: Where is the LORD? (v.8). 

Ezekiel encountered the same attitude (Eze 9:9).  While Israel was the recipient of Yahweh's obvious outpouring grace (usually in times of need), it was full of awe, gratitude, and faith.  Otherwise, its unseen God slipped from cognizance.  Israel walked by sight and not by faith.  It was easy to rationalize that Yahweh had abandoned the nation, and, therefore, it was o.k. to turn to other gods.  It was a case of: out of faith, out of mind.  

Do we feel abandoned by Yahweh, sometimes, because we feel that He is not active in our lives?  Do we do questionable things and say to ourselves (even subconsciously) He does not see!  If we do, let us re-focus and remember that Yahweh does see (Job 34:21); that He truly cares for us (Psa 103:13,14); and is waiting for our prayers (Psa 65:2; Rom 12:12; 1Pet 4:7).  Thus, let us continue in faith (2Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1) to receive the reward of the faithful (Eph 2:7,8).

2:21 That Israel had been planted as a vine in the land develops Exodus 15:17 and Psa 80:8,15

When we read that God's people preferred to worship the gods of the other nations roundabout, we needn't be surprised. Neither need we laugh at the stupidity of those people, or point the finger. Yes, bowing down to a rock or a tree trunk sounds ridiculous (v26-28) but it really wasn't as ridiculous as we might imagine.

The worship of deities in the nations seems largely to have started with the elevation of men and women of fame to mythical status. These men and women were fighters or athletes who grew to fame through there physical prowess, or beauty in the case of women, and through time their adoration grew to worship. These gods had characteristics the people could aspire to.

The conquering nations always knew what power these readily accessible deities had over the people, and used them to great effect in their conquests. In Dan 1:4 we see how a conquered nation was assimilated into the culture of the empire by taking its leading class and re-educating it. This of course meant education in the worship of ancient gods and ancient rituals, and the young princes of the people were chosen since they were most susceptible to taking this on. They were also sure to pass it on to the rest of their nation. Again, in Num 25:1-3 we see how Moab used the highly pleasant rituals of their idol worship to befriend and subdue Israel without needing to raise arms. These nations readily understood that celebrity deities were a powerful force in uniting people from vastly different cultures. Some empires took this further and declared their rulers as living incarnations of the gods.

It is no wonder, then, that the people of Israel were attracted to this form of worship. These gods were far more visible and easily accessible than their invisible God. These gods allowed, nay encouraged, behaviour which appealed to all the basic pleasures, as well as providing them with a more human focal point for their respect and adoration. Even more than this, these deities promoted personal pleasure above self sacrifice. And so we come to our day and age. Is it all that different? Take a look at this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_gallery_02.shtml.
It shows the history of the Olympic games as a festival where the worship of human prowess combined with the worship of these deities. Whether all the people in those stadiums believed in the gods and goddesses of the Greeks is doubtful, but is that really the issue? What really matters is that they were gathering together with likeminded individuals into a glorious assembly where the God of Israel had no place whatsoever. You will recognise the name of the god shown in the picture being worshipped at the games. It is Nike.

2:18 Judah was seeking support from Assyria even though, in the recent past, Assyria had taken the northern kingdom captive and even more recently Judah had seen the army of Assyria destroyed on the mountains of Israel in the days of Hezekiah. Thus we see that the people did not learn from the way that God had worked in the past. So God’s chastening was ‘in vain’ – Jer 2:30. How do we fare in the matter of God’s chastening hand? Are we learning from the way that God is working in our lives?

2:3 Israel being ‘holiness to the Lord’ meant that their lives were dedicated to God just as the Nazarite had committed himself or herself to the vow that they made – Num 6:6

2:5 Notice the way that God challenges Israel. Rather than simply saying that they had sinned He asks them what fault they found in Him that they would turn away from Him. We might ask ourselves the same question when we seek to please ourselves rather than God.

V.8 Yahweh upbraids Israel’s leadership for its irresponsibility.  Leaders of ecclesias will face harsh judgment if they do not do a responsible job (James 3:1).

V.10 Chittim is Cyprus; and Kedar occupies the northwest portion of Arabia.

V.13 The two evils: 1) Forsaking Yahweh, the source of all life; 2) Attaching themselves to idols that have no power.

V.15 Lions is a reference to Assyria whose emblem was a lion.  Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 721 BC, via the hand of Sargon.

V.16 Noph (Memphis) and Tahapanes (Tahpanhes) were two important cities in Egypt. They are a reference to Pharaoh-necho who killed Josiah, the crown of thy (Judah’s) head (2Kin 23:29).

V.17 Josiah did not consult Yahweh before he set out to confront Pharaoh-necho.

V.18 Judah has accepted idolatry from the territory that spans from the Nile to the Euphrates.

V.21 Yahweh’s people were once worth singing about (Isa 5:1).

V.23 The valley is a reference to The Valley of Hinnom on the side of Jerusalem.  It is here that Judah’s children were sacrificed to Moloch (Jer 19:2,6,13,14; 32:35).

V.25 Being unshod implies engagement in (idolatrous) worship; the throat would incur thirst when it became hoarse from constant vigorous chanting, which was part of idolatrous worship.

V.34 This is reference to Manasseh (2Kin 21:16).

Judah's day in court

We see the reforms of Josiah in a possitive light. Yet here Jeremiah shows what God thinks, and it is not possitive. In v9-13 He brings His charges against the people: 1) they had swapped their God. 2) Changed His glory for other glory. And 3) replaced it with something that couldn't even save them. These refer to 2Chron 33:2-8 where Manasseh replaced the LORD with idols, and even borrowed God's glory, the temple, to display them in. But this idolatry wasn't just their king's. All the people took part willingly (2Chron 33:9-10). And when Manasseh repented and commanded them to serve the LORD God, they just changed in name alone, using the pagan high places to worship what they called God.

So now God tells them "you can't just change your nature now that your King's making changes" (v20-23). God knew that their repentance was only skin deep. They would call on Him only when in great trouble, or when their king demanded it (v27-28). And so God felt they were still evil, whilst they thought they were clean (v35).

This is the trial, as it were, of the people of Judah. God is the plaintiff, bringing charges, He says "you still have to be punished for what your fathers did under Manasseh, and you continue to do" (v5, 9). Their defence is "look how much we've changed! we're washed clean!" (v22-23)

2:36 Israel were slow learners. Assyria had been found to be a ‘broken reed’ and now they seek support from Egypt against the Chaldeans. They seem to have forgotten the way in which Hezekiah had been delivered after he had stopped trying to buy the Assyrians off and started –2Kin 18:16 - to place full reliance in God.

So the point of the parable isn't to do with the heart, as I had always thought, but with the understanding. No wonder Solomon wrote "..in all your getting, get understanding!" (Sol 4v7). This brings out a very simple difference in the parable between the fruitful and the unfruitful seed. The fruitful did something about the knowledge they gained. They sought to understand it. Jesus is saying in this chapter that those who listen to his words must seek to understand them, or else they will be like those who had closed their eyes (v15). Jesus's refrain "he who has ears to hear, let him hear!" is a call to all of us to put effort in to opening our ears. Sometimes understanding is just a prayer away, because "whoever asks receives" (Matt 7v8).

V.51 Jesus, here gives the disciples the opportunity to ask for more information about the kingdom, in case there should still be matters that were not clear to them. There answer indicates that they felt they had a clear understanding. With this Jesus then tells them that they must become disciples of the Kingdom of Heaven.(V.52)

13:44The man who 'sold all that he had' becomes the basis on which the ruler (Matt 19:21) was expected to respond to the gospel.

13:44 ‘selleth all that he hath’ is the challenge of the gospel. Later – Matt 19:21 – the man was unable to do this when Jesus answered his question.

13:35 In quoting Psa 78:2 – a Psalm which recounts the history of Israel’s experience, we see that the events of our lives are ‘of God’ for our learning.

13:14-15 The use of parables was self selecting inasmuch as it ‘caught’ those who were in tune with the way that God thought. Parables were the way in which God taught Israel. A classic example is Psalm 78 which asserts that the experience of Israel in the wilderness was a ‘parable’ – not that the event did not happen but that the events were part of the teaching that God was using to instruct them. So rather than a list of commands there were experiences which were to be measured against Scripture.

V.11 The mysteries (KJV), secrets (ESV), not only meant the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ (The gospel of salvation), but also, the written prophecies which had not yet been fulfilled.

Vs.14,15 fulfil Isa 6:9,10.

V.25 Tares are actually darnel  (genus lolium) which is a grass that intertwines itself with the stalk of the good grain.  The darnel cannot be extricated without damaging the good-grain stalk. Also, if darnel seeds are crushed and added to flour, they will make the consumer experience dizziness, intoxication, or even paralysis.

And so, one can see how dangerous tares can be to the good grain.  Likewise, there will be members of ecclesias who are not walking faithfully.  These members can affect the atmosphere of the ecclesia in many ways.  

Nevertheless, the good grain (faithful members) can still bring forth fruit under such conditions by remaining strong and not being influenced by spiritual foolishness.  Jesus recommends not trying to remove the wayward members.  By the strong example of faithful members, there is always the potential for the wayward to turn to righteousness. Those who don’t will be judged harshly by Jesus when He returns. 

The members of the ecclesia at Sardis illustrate Jesus’ point (Rev 3:1-6).

13:29 There is a tendency when we see error amongst us to speedily endeavour to remove the offender. However in this parable Jesus teaches that it is inevitable that the group of believers will be made up of faithful and unfaithful. Further, it is inevitable that they will grow together. Now this is not counselling against dealing with error. However Paul gives an interesting perspective upon this – 1Cor 11:19 – in which he teaches that the situation of there being ‘tares’ helps the ‘good seed’. This is achieved by the ‘good seed’ exercising their minds to be able to identify the tares.

MUSTARD SEED

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matt 13:31-32)

If the man in the parable represents you or I, and the field represents our lives, then the growth of the mustard seed means that the kingdom of God and the acceptance of Jesus ruling in our lives is growing within us. It means that instead of us making our own decisions in our own selfish ways, we submit ourselves to Jesus as our king and give our lives over to him. This is a growing process. It firstly involves us taking the seed, the word of God, and planting it in our lives. In fertile ground it will grow and become a tree, big and strong enough that we ourselves are able to become a support, comfort, shelter and provider for others. In this way God's kingdom can now spread into the hearts of other people and the cycle can begin all over again.

So let us take the seed, plant it in our lives, nuture it, and allow Jesus to take over our lives. Then, following his example of love and compassion, pass on the seeds of the kingdom to others.