Well, good evening, church. Open with me in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 25. And we're going to start right there in verse number one and just kind of work our way through the chapter tonight. And I want to preach on this thought. I've titled my sermon tonight, Path of the Peacemaker. At the onset of this sermon, I want to make this statement. Peacemakers are problem solvers. A peacemaker does not start problems. A peacemaker does not escalate problems. A peacemaker is one who solves the problem. So as we begin, let me ask you this question, and let this question really work on your heart as we go through these verses. When somebody hurts you, do you hurt them back? Do you repay evil with evil, or do you humble yourself and repay evil with good? We've got a story from scripture tonight in 1 Samuel chapter 25 where the characters all have that exact same problem and we're going to see how each one of them responds. So there's really three main characters in our story tonight. There's David, there's this guy named Nabal, and then there's Nabal's wife Abigail. We're going to get into our story, but remember the question, do you repay evil with evil or do you repay evil with good? Or how can you be a peacemaker in your life tonight? So 1 Samuel chapter 25, verse number one, it sets the stage for us and it tells us that And Samuel died, and all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran." Now, David and his men are running away from King Saul, and they flee to the wilderness of Paran. King Saul wants David dead, and so he and his men are kind of on the flee. Paran is basically a desert. There's not a whole lot of food in the deserts, and this is a problem because David and his men need to eat. Luckily for David, though, there's a man in the area who is very wealthy, and he has lots of food. First Samuel 25, 2, it tells us, and there was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. There's a very wealthy man named Nabil. And Nabil is so rich that he lives in the city of Mayon, but he also owns property in Carmel, which is where he has come in our story for his business of shearing sheep. He owns 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. The sheep shearing season was a time of festivities and celebration in Israel. But it was also a time of a lot of work, especially if your boss owns 3,000 sheep that all need sheared. So Nabal would have his sheep sheared and then sell the wool. And as a way to show thanks to God for their increase and success, people who owned sheep would invite the whole town over and throw these huge feasts and these huge parties with lots of food. With all these large feasts going on, it would sound like David and his hungry warriors would be in luck. But unfortunately, that's not all the Bible says about Nabal. Let's look at verse number three. It says, Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance. But the man was churlish and evil in his doings, and he was of the house of Caleb. Churlish means rude, impolite, ill-mannered, and mean-spirited. So Nabal is a mean guy who the Bible calls evil in his doings. So our characters so far, we've got David. He's in charge of a hungry army. We've got Nabel. He's got plenty of food, plenty of money, lots of land. The guy is living in luxury, but he is very rude and selfish. And our last character is Abigail, who thankfully is the exact opposite of her husband. Let's look at verse three one last time to see how God's word describes Abigail. It says, and the name of his wife, Abigail, and she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance. So Abigail is a woman of good understanding, meaning that she is wise and intelligent. Abigail pays attention and she understands the things going on in her life so that she can always respond in a way that is classy and tasteful. Abigail is also a very beautiful woman. Now, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with being a peacemaker and a problem solver. Well, in our story, David does something very kind for Nabal. David and his warriors run into Nabal's shepherds who are shearing those 3,000 sheep in the wilderness. And David's soldiers protect Nabal's sheep and his shepherds while they work. First Samuel 25, five through eight tells us, And David sent out ten young men. And David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now have I heard that thou hast shears. Now thy shepherds which were with us, we heard them not, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will show thee. Wherefore, let the young men find favor in thine eyes, for we come in a good day, or in a feast day. Give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants and to thy son David. So David protected Nabal shepherds, and now David and his men would like some food in return. David did good for Nabal, and so far there's no problem between them. But the story is about to get interesting. Each of my points tonight kind of have two titles. So if you're taking notes, you can either write them both down or pick whichever one you want. But I've titled point number one, Peacemakers Do Not Start Problems, Don't Repay Good With Evil. David sends 10 of his men to Nabal, and he tells them basically, look, tell Nabal this. We protected your shepherds in the wilderness, and we heard you have a lot of workers. That means you're probably one of these guys who throw the parties and have the big feasts this time of the year. We were basically bodyguards for your workers, so can we please have some food? We have come on a feast day. Those ten men go to Nabal and give him David's message, but here is Nabal's response in 1 Samuel 25 10. Remember, Nabal is rude and selfish and mean-spirited. 1 Samuel 25 10 it says, And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There'd be many servants nowadays who break away every man from his master. So Nabal responds to these 10 messengers by snarking, who in the world is David? Now, side note, I actually believe that Nabal knew perfectly well who David was. David killed Goliath and then became a famous warrior in all of Israel. Also in verse 10, Nabal asks, who is the son of Jesse? How did Nabal know that Jesse was David's father? And to top it all off, I believe that Nabal must know something about David because he directly insults and disrespects him when he says, David used to serve King Saul, but King Saul became so deranged with jealousy that he started trying to kill David, which is why David is on the run in this chapter. Nabal is basically insulting David and calling him a runaway slave. I believe this lets us know that Nabal is a supporter of King Saul. Nabal does not acknowledge David as the rightful king of Israel. You know what Nabal is doing here? He's treating someone poorly because they have a different political party than he does. He's refusing to be courteous to someone because they are not for his candidate. Nabel is basically saying, if the party of King Saul doesn't like you, then I don't like you or want anything to do with you. Can I say, Church, that if you treat people poorly because they have different politics than you do, that's not being a peacemaker, that's just starting a problem. Also, while we're on this note, if you treat another Christian poorly because they're a different denomination than you, that's just causing division as well. Now I want to say that I love our church and I agree with our doctrinal statement, but if you think Baptists are going to be the only people in heaven, you are mistaken. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God, that He died to pay for your sins, was buried and then rose again, alone, is what gets somebody to heaven. We need peacemakers today urgently. Everyone is so divided with seething hatred. Someone is not your enemy just because they disagree with you on something. And if you want to try to convince them of something or show them the truth, that's great, but you need to be a peacemaker and be loving. Insulting and mocking people will not convince them of anything. David protected Nabal's sheep and Nabal's shepherds out of the kindness of his heart. David did not have to do that for Nabal, but he did. David was good to Nabal, and now David needs Nabal to help him out. David has 600 hungry warriors, but they never stole any of Nabal's sheep. They never harassed Nabal's workers. David protected the sheep and the workers. David did something good for Nabal, but Nabal is choosing to repay good with evil. When you repay good with evil, that's when you start a problem. When someone has been good to you, when someone has helped you, when someone has come alongside of you to be a blessing, or even if they've just been neutral and living peacefully beside you, and you repay them with insults and disrespect, and you act like you're better than they are, you are unwisely starting a problem and making enemies for yourself. Romans 12, 18 instructs Christians, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. So extremely wealthy Nabal was already throwing big feasts and big parties because of the sheep shearing season. He easily could have given some of his food to David, but read how selfish Nabal is in verse 11. First Samuel 25, 11, this is Nabal talking to the men that David sent. He says, shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shears and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be? Even though Nabal could easily help David out, Nabal basically tells those 10 young men to get lost because he doesn't care what David did for him. Proverbs 3, 27 through 30, it tells us this. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, go and come again, and tomorrow I will give, when thou hast it by thee. Devise not evil against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. Basically, the Bible is saying when you can help someone, you should help someone, especially if they have been good to you. Nabal can help David. Nabal has more than enough, and yet he does not help David. If you have enough of something that someone needs that you can share with them, then you should share with them. That person might need help, wisdom, encouragement. Maybe they need help accomplishing something physically. Or maybe you see that they just need a friend. They just need someone to be there for them when no one else is. If God has blessed you enough so that you can help, then you should help and be a peacemaker, no matter who they are, but especially if they have already been good to you. If good is owed to someone, then do not withhold it. Help as soon as you can. You should repay good with good, and there won't be a problem. But Nabal repays good with evil, and he starts a problem. Nabel strives against David without a cause, even though David had done Nabel no harm. Now Nabel has foolishly started a problem and made a very powerful enemy, which takes me to point number two. Peacemakers do not escalate problems, don't repay evil with evil. Let's look at David's response when he hears that Nabal has foolishly disrespected him for no reason and has repaid his good with evil. 1 Samuel 25, 13, it tells us, And David said unto his men, gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And there went up after him about four hundred men, and two hundred abode by the stuff. David tells his six hundred warriors, Two hundred of you stay and guard our things, the other four hundred get your swords and come with me. David is so mad that Nabal did him wrong. David is so hurt because Nabal disrespected him and did not treat him right that David wants revenge. David is going to take 400 of his very skilled warriors. And basically, if you read it, the Bible will tell you that David is going to march up to Nabal's house and kill Nabal and any other man who is there, whether he works for Nabal or whether he is there for the feast. David wants to repay evil with evil. And just like how repaying good with evil will senselessly start a problem, repaying evil with evil is what escalates a problem. Remember, to David's credit, he did do something good for Nabal. But when David receives an evil gift in return, he wants to pay it back with even more evil and just slaughter every man at Nabal's house. Imagine all the powerful people that may potentially be at Nabal's house for the feast. If David goes through with this, it may greatly affect his rise to the throne or his popularity once he is the king. But David is no longer focused on making a wise decision or being a peacemaker. David wants revenge. You know, Church, somebody may have done us wrong, but can I tell you guys tonight that we need to forgive them, and instead of doing evil back, instead of hurting them back, we should bless them with good and pray for them. 1 Peter 3, 9 through 12, it tells us, not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrary wise blessing, knowing that ye are thereunto called that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good, let him seek peace and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." You may want to pay back their evil with evil, but here the Bible tells us we should eschew evil, meaning we should deliberately avoid it and abstain from it. Eschew evil, but seek peace and ensue it, meaning pursue peace. If you want to inherit a blessing, then be a peacemaker and repay evil with a blessing. That does not mean reward or praise someone for being evil, but it means you keep acting Christ-like even when other people don't. If you want to love life and see good days, deliberately abstain from evil and avoid it. When we partake in evil, just because evil has been done to us, the face of the Lord is against us. But if we will repent and humble ourselves and righteously be a peacemaker, then we can expect blessing and for God's ears to be very open to our prayers. We need to be peacemakers if we want to be blessed. So remember, we had three characters. We had Nabal, but Nabal foolishly repaid good with evil and started a problem. We have David, but David wants to go repay evil with evil and escalate the problem by getting revenge. Thankfully, David has not reached Nabal's house yet because we have another character in our story tonight. We have Abigail, and Abigail is a great example of a peacemaker. Point number three, I've titled, Peacemakers Are Problem Solvers, Repay Evil With Good. So one of Nabal's servants knows that Nabal sent David's men away and refused to help. So this servant goes to Abigail. First Samuel 25, verses 14 through 17. They tell us, But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master, and he railed on them. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, for as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields, They were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household, for he is such a man of belial that a man cannot speak to him. The servant goes to Abigail and tells her how good David treated them in the wilderness and how bad Nabal rewarded David's men. The servant goes to Abigail because he knows that Nabal isn't even worth trying to talk to. The name Nabal actually means fool, futile, and good for nothing. And when they call Nabal a son of Belial, that basically means he is worthless. Now, you would have to be a pretty foolish person to have a net worth like Nabel, to have the monetary worth of Nabel, and still be given the nickname worthless. Nabal was a foolish, prideful scorner. The servant tells us that he railed on David's men. So not only did he insult David and refuse to help him, but he must have let those young men know in a pretty mean and scornful way. And this servant knows that there's no use trying to talk to Nabal. Proverbs 15, 12, it tells us, A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him, neither will he go unto the wise. If you're mean to people, if you're short-tempered and mean-spirited like Nabal, then people will start to see you as so foolish that they can't even talk to you. And they certainly don't want to talk to you because they know you won't listen. If you don't think that you can ever be corrected, then all that is is pride. And if you're so prideful that nobody can tell you anything, then soon nobody will tell you anything because no one is going to want to talk to you. Nabel was so prideful that his workers and his own wife, who was a woman of good understanding, have nicknamed him fool and worthless. Abigail knows it's pointless to even talk to Nabel because he's so selfish that he will just make himself out to be the victim instead of taking accountability. But Abigail is a peacemaker and she knows that she has to act quickly because 400 warriors are on their way and they are hungry and angry. So as a peacemaker, you don't withhold good when it is in your power to give it. Let's look at how Abigail reacts in 1 Samuel 25 verses 18 and 19. The Word of God says, Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me, behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she wrote on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill. And behold, David and his men came down against her, and she met them. So if you were listening, Abigail made a lot of food so that she can bring it down to someone who intends to harm her household. Now remember, we're talking about being a peacemaker and repaying evil with good to solve a problem. I want us to read Romans 12, verses 20 through 21, because Abigail is embodying these verses in the most literal sense. Think about what Abigail is doing here, and let's look at these verses. They say, Therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him, If he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." As we read everything about to happen next, it's important to remember that Abigail is described in God's Word as being a woman of good understanding because she handles this whole exchange very wisely as a true peacemaker. 1 Samuel 25, 23 tells us, And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off the ass and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground. It would have been very uncommon for a wealthy woman of status like Abigail to jump off of her donkey to bow down to someone who was poor and hungry in the wilderness, especially in such a humble fashion. But Abigail is not listening to her ego or her pride. Abigail is very wisely being a peacemaker. Our ego will tell us, don't humble yourself, that will make us look bad. Don't help your enemies, we're better than them. Don't serve others, they need to serve us. Nabal listened to all these lies that his ego told him because his ego said being prideful will make him look better. But let me ask, who looks better in this story? Prideful, selfish Nabal or Abigail who humbled herself to solve a problem? Your ego lies to you, church. When you think you're making yourself look good, you're actually making yourself look selfish and foolish. The same behavior your ego tells you will make you look good will actually make you look horrible, and you will cringe every time you look back on the situation. When you act with humility, however, you may feel red in the face and lowly for that moment, but everyone else sees you as being classy and having elegance. When you humble yourself and solve the problem, everyone else sees a peacemaker who handled the situation tastefully with style and grace. And even though you had to swallow your pride in that moment, whenever you look back on it, you'll see a desirable peacemaker as well. Peacemakers are problem solvers. We all think highly of Abigail by this point, and we've all associated Nabal and his ego with the type of people who we really want nothing to do with. So Abigail intercepts David and his warriors on their way up the hill because she is praying that she will be able to turn away David's wrath David is directing his wrath right at Abigail's house and all of her loved ones in it. And Abigail's goal is to turn away that wrath. What Abigail is about to say perfectly acts out Proverbs 15, 1. This verse tells us, a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. If you want to be more eloquent and well-spoken and dismantle someone's wrath when it is aimed at you with rage and anger, you need to give them a soft answer. Soft answers are what turn away wrath. Nabel tried it his way with a grievous answer, but all he did was foolishly start a problem, make enemies, and stir up anger. Abigail solves the problem not with grievous words, but with gracious words. I want us to actually read what Abigail says to David because I think this is important. So 1 Samuel 25 starting in verse 24. It says, and fell at his feet and said, upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be. And let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not, my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal. For as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, thine handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, my Lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my Lord, be as nable. And now this blessing, which thine handmaid hath brought unto my Lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my Lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid, for the Lord will certainly make my Lord a sure house, because my Lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Now please look and pay attention to what Abigail is about to say to David in verse 29. First Samuel 25, 29, please don't miss this. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee and to seek thy soul. But the soul of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God. And the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out as out of the middle part of a sling. Abigail says, and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out as out of the middle part of a sling. In order to relate to David, the guy who killed Goliath, she uses an analogy of something being slung out of a sling. If you're trying to connect with someone who you're pleading with, What better analogy to use than a sling with someone and something being slung out of that sling in the middle part than with the guy who took down Goliath using a sling and a stone. Proverbs 25 11 says, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. So that sling analogy, fitly spoken to David, the guy who killed Goliath, along with the first part about a man pursuing David, which would be King Saul, really confirms for me that Nabal knew exactly who David was, And Nabal was disrespecting him for political reasons to align himself with Saul. Because it very much seems like Abigail knows who David is here by what she is saying. And the last thing that Abigail says in verses 30 and 31, It says, And it shall come to pass when the Lord shall have done to my Lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel, that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offense of heart unto my Lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my Lord hath avenged himself. But when the Lord shall have dealt well with my Lord, then remember thine handmaid. Abigail was persuasive not by being brass, not by being arrogant, not by trying to trick David or impose herself over him, but by being sweet and by telling him the truth in love. Proverbs 16, 21 says, The wise in heart shall be called prudent, and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. This verse speaks to factual and emotional discernment. Being knowledgeable in something can give you a good reputation in that field, and people will see you as prudent, as this verse says. But it is not until you can teach that knowledge with sweetness and love that you will be persuasive enough to be influential. The sweetness of your speech will make what you're trying to share actually be accepted. If you think you can mock and ridicule someone into agreeing with you, you've got another thing coming. There may be times where someone needs corrected, but making fun of something that someone likes will not make them stop liking that thing. It will only make them stop liking you. Abigail's words reach David just in time to stop him from getting his own revenge. I'm sorry, I skipped over a part. So Proverbs 25, 15 tells us, by long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. So think about all the Bible verses Abigail has wisely acted out in the last few minutes. And we can do the same thing. The holy wisdom in God's Word can help you with your problems tonight, church. The lower you bring yourself in humility, the greater leverage you have, especially when dealing with authority, because now they can be moved to hear your cause instead of needing to defend the integrity of their office from foolish arguments or debates. Peacemakers solve problems with gentle and respectful speech. 1 Samuel 25, 32 through 33 gives us David's response. These verses tell us, and David said to Abigail, blessed be the Lord God of Israel. which sent thee this day to meet me. And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand." Abigail's soft answer turned away his wrath, and her sweet words persuaded David. Abigail reminded David of a very important truth. We should not try to get our own revenge, because God is the one who repays. Very quickly tonight, I have one last character and one last point that I want to look at. My last character is the real main character of every story, including yours and mine, and that's the Lord. Point number four I've titled, blessed are the peacemakers. God repays good with good. Unlike Nabal, when David was corrected, he was wise and actually repented. Proverbs 9, 8 tells us, Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee. Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Our story starts to wrap up in 1 Samuel 25, starting in verse 36. God's word says, And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken. Wherefore she told him nothing less or more until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him. and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after that the Lord smote Nabal, and he died." Romans 12, 19, it tells us, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place into wrath. For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Abigail's words reached David just in time to stop him from getting his own revenge. And I really pray that God will use this sermon just in time to stop someone in their tracks if they're on their way for revenge tonight. Let God repay you and avenge you, church. You should be a peacemaker. That's the role that God has given to us. God keeps a perfect set of books. He misses nothing. God gets David's revenge on Nabal for him, and he can do the same for you. But what about Abigail? Because she has helped others and been a peacemaker and repaid everyone with good this whole account. Now her wealthy husband is dead, and she doesn't really have a way to provide for herself. Well, God repays good, too. And when you sow good, you reap good. God takes care of Abigail and provides a new husband for her, a very blessed husband at that, the future king of Israel. 1 Samuel 25, starting in verse 39, tells us, And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil. For the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail to take her to him to wife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife. And she arose and bowed herself to the ground and said, behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of my Lord. And Abigail hasted and arose and rode upon an ass with five damsels of hers that went after her. And she went after the messengers of David and became his wife. When you're a peacemaker, you're not expecting your enemies to repay you. You're not expecting the poor to repay you. You're not expecting those who you did good to to repay you. You are expecting the all-powerful God of the universe to repay you. Imagine all the wonderful interest that the King of Kings can repay on your loan of kindness. Now before you think Abigail had to downgrade from a life of luxury to running around the wilderness with David, just remember our account tonight was from chapter 25. David gets a ruling position of authority over the city of Ziklag by the beginning of chapter 27. And then Saul, the man who's chasing David, his oppressor, the current king, dies by the end of chapter 31. And David is made king of Judah by 2 Samuel chapter 2. That makes Abigail the queen. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5, 9, Jesus says, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. God can bless his children better than anyone, far more than our own selfishness will bless us. Blessing is promised to the peacemaker regardless of if the world mocks you. And so let me ask you one last time tonight, church. Whatever situation the sermon finds you in, are you going to repay evil with evil or will you repay evil with good? How can you be a peacemaker in your life tonight? Let's pray.