Wickedness in a 6-gallon bucket

I was reading through Zechariah the other day and I found an interesting visionary incident. It is puzzling, and there is no large view interpretation for it in the scriptures, so it invites the faithful to ponder and extract important principles.

5 ¶ Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.

7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. (Zechariah 5:5-11)

First, some clarifications of terms.

An ephah is a dry measurement for grain, with a size of about 6-7 gallons.

A talent of lead would be a round disk of metal weighing about 113-125 pounds.

Shinar is another name for Babylon.

Now, let’s get straight what Zechariah saw. He saw an ephah container with a talent weight used as a cover. The angel lifted the weighty cover to show Zechariah there was a woman (symbolizing wickedness) in the ephah, then pushed her back down in and put the cover back on. After that, two other winged women picked up the ephah container, and the wind blew them to Shinar (Babylon), where, the angel said, they would build the ephah a house and a special spot, like a shrine.

Some interesting things I notice as I think about this imagery are the following:

1)    The ephah is like a 6-gallon bucket, and to fit a woman in there would be really confining. Like squished.

2)    The weight of the talent of lead on the mouth of the ephah container makes it so the woman can’t get out. She’s trapped.

3)    The woman has no control over where she is carried.

4)    The woman in the ephah container is taken to Babylon, where she is given a place and established in what looks like pleasant conditions, but she’s still confined in the ephah container.

There are a lot of commentators that say this talks about the wicked Jews being exiled to Babylon, but I think there is more to learn from it that can warn us today.  I think it is meant to convey the long-term spiritual consequences of wickedness.

Just like a woman squished in an ephah container (or a 6-gallon bucket), God is trying to show that wickedness is confining, rather than liberating. Just like the talent of lead on the mouth of the ephah prevented the woman from escaping, to those steeped in wickedness it often seems as if it is too hard to repent and escape their sins. It seems like they’ve gone too far or the costs of escape seem too great to pay. (Satan loves to use this lie, by the way.)

Then, these two women with wings come and carry off the ephah container to Shinar (Babylon) with the woman still in it, and the woman has no choice in the matter. The wings often symbolize powers, and winds can represent societal forces or worldly doctrines that blow here or there. It shows us that if someone doesn’t repent, they will be carried about by the world’s doctrines concerning the particular sins they indulge in. They’ve already given away their choice in the matter, so they don’t have control at this point.

Where does it all lead? Where is the ephah container carried to? Babylon. All sins lead to Babylon, no matter what they are. It’s like a one-way road to a dead end.

Then it looks like things get better for the woman in the ephah. A house is built for her, and there’s a nice secure base for the ephah to be placed. Some people interpret “house” as meaning a temple is made for the ephah where it is worshipped. And in Babylon all kinds of sins are glorified and given places. That makes me think that all the sins Israel must get rid of are the very things Babylon and the world loves, worships, and establishes. It’s as though Babylon is a junk yard dressing up as an amusement park, or a cesspit trying to masquerade as a temple.  But ultimately, don’t let the appearance fool you—the woman is still stuck in the ephah.

Also, I think this vision shows how instead of liberating, sin takes away freedom and options until one is so confined they lose their agency. Satan tries to make us think the wicked are strong individuals who forge their own path in life, but here we are shown that the wicked are carried away from the church and apostatize, then swept along by outside forces no matter how they try to fight it. Even if outside the church they are hailed as great heroes, accepted, respected, and given a place, they are still confined by their sins. They are not really free, and the respect of Babylon is not worth having, since they love all the wrong things.

All if this is so we know the long-term consequences of sin and what it leads to without having to actually experience it ourselves. No doubt Zechariah (and the Lord who gave the vision) hoped that people would see the truth and choose to repent and be free.

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The Fall of the Great and Abominable Church

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13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.

14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it. (1 Nephi 22:13-14)

These aren’t the only verses that speak of the consequences of fighting against Zion. Verses 15-16, 18, 22-23 say more, so they are worth examining as well. But I’m going to look at the above verses today.

First, I notice the entities that are referred to by the different names who will be punished—the great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, every nation which shall war against thee O house of Israel, all that fight against Zion, that great whore, that great and abominable church. There’s a chiasmus there in the order they are mentioned.

the great and abominable church,

the whore of all the earth,

every nation which shall war against thee O house of Israel,

all that fight against Zion,

that great whore,

that great and abominable church

The entities that are victimized in these verses are the house of Israel, the people of the Lord, and Zion. 

How are these good entities attacked? What is done to them that must be stopped, according to Nephi?

--The house of Israel is warred against.

--The people of the Lord are being ensnared with pits dug for them.

--Zion is being fought against.

--As a bonus, “the right ways of the Lord” are also being perverted, so apparently the gospel path suffers too from being disrupted, obscured, diverted, neglected, avoided, slandered, etc.

These verses also describe how judgments catch up with the great and abominable church, the whore, and nations that fight against Zion. It comes in different forms:

--They fight among themselves (unity among the wicked can’t continue. They will offend each other and turn against each other)

--They are drunken with their own blood (apparently they will get so obsessed with the fight against each other that it clouds their judgment)

--They shall fall into the pit they digged to ensnare others in (they are found guilty of the very accusations they bring against the people of the Lord. Hypocrisy is exposed, since they project their own sins onto others.)

--They will be destroyed (their own violent and destructive tendencies will be turned against them)

--They will “tumble to the dust” with a great fall (Evidently all their previous ascendency and status will be lost)

I think we are told this so that we know the consequences and judgment for fighting against Zion and the Lord are real, and so we will recognize it when it happens. (Apparently it comes in at least five forms.) We will pass through narrow times because of the great and abominable church, the whore, and nations and all who fight against Zion. We’ll wonder if there will be an end to it. Here we are told there will be.

Lessons from the Lord’s curse upon Satan in the Garden of Eden

And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14)

I was thinking about this recently and I started to wonder, “If Satan was already cursed because of being cast out of heaven, why curse him again?” and “How does it help us to know this curse?”

If we think this is just about a serpent, it seems like the curse is obvious. It’s implied that the serpent used to have legs and here has them taken away. It’s also implied that it used to eat something better, but is now relegated to only eating dust.  Our view of snakes today is perfectly in line with the seemingly physical conditions God describes.  Serpents have to slither everywhere. And they’re always sticking their tongues out, so it looks like they are licking the ground. (Of course, today we know that the tongue action is the way snakes sense things.)

As I thought about it, I wondered if maybe the Lord was making a statement about the curses that come to those who tempt like Satan does.  Satan is already cursed, but it is us who must be warned from becoming his servants and tempting others.  Eve briefly became Satan’s servant when tempting Adam to eat the fruit, so the warning is appropriate.

“upon thy belly shalt thou go” – This curse is about how faster travel has been somehow taken away. I think the larger theme is about progression.  It teaches that those who tempt others will have their own spiritual progress substantially slowed to the point that everyone goes much faster.  Not a pleasant prospect.  Not only that, but any movement would happen on the belly instead of on legs.  That may refer to how a tempter’s core motivation for acting would become satisfying their appetites.  One might even say that a tempter would be enslaved by their appetites.

“dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life” –  This curse seems to be about what a tempter finds nourishing.  A tempter feeds not on something sweet, but on gross stuff. If they want to eat dirt all their life instead of something that tastes better, their taste has become corrupted.  They call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Who wants to eat dirt?  Not me.  I’d rather eat tasty fruit from the tree of life than dirt.

So, I think this bit of knowledge can help us when we are being tempted. It helps us discern the consequences.  We don’t want our progression slowed, we don’t want our appetites to be our motivation, and we don’t want to be have our moral and aesthetic tastes corrupted.  

It can also help us think about what we have to offer others when we are trying to persuade them to try something.  Will it stop their progression, enslave them to an appetite or corrupt them in some way?  If so, then we shouldn’t try to pull them in, and we shouldn’t be in it either!

Various Curses

18 And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed.

19 And if the Lord shall say—Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever. (Helaman 12:18-19)

When I started thinking more carefully about this, I thought, Huh, it seems kind of silly to curse riches. Riches aren’t alive and can’t feel anything. But then I realized that the curse is related to the people who own them or want them.

To a person who is wicked, riches would be a curse because the riches 1) increase their ability to do more iniquity, thus adding to their sins, and 2) insulate them from the temporal need that usually humbles people and brings them to seek the Lord.

Further, riches can be a curse whether they are accessible or not, as the above verses show. Inaccessible riches can be a curse because of all the effort and time diverted to trying to access them.  As an example, all you need is a rumor of buried treasure somewhere, and greed crawls out of the woodwork.  I’m sure you can think of other instances when riches seem just out of reach and people go to extraordinary lengths (honest and otherwise) to obtain them.

Then there are curses that come upon man.

20 And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man—Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed forever—it shall be done.

21 And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so.

22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.  (Helaman 12:20-22)

At first read, these seem like two ways of saying the same thing, but I think they actually describe two different kinds of people. In v20 is someone who never knew the Lord and refused to ever repent.  They love darkness rather than light and prefer their iniquities.  Without repentance, they really are cursed forever.   In v21 is someone who once knew the Lord, but fell into sin and would not repent.  They are cut off from the Lord’s presence.  (They had to be in the Lord’s presence in the first place to be cut off.)    Both of those sound pretty awful. 

Happily, Mormon goes on to say that repentance is declared to try to save people from being accursed like this.

Curses and being accursed is kind of a negative thing to think about, but if we think about it as the opposite of a blessing, that might make it a little less weird.   I think it can help us if we look at our own lives and try to see if we can discern where there might be a consistent pattern where we just can’t seem to catch a break or make any progress, or where we might be regressing.  That might indicate a place where our iniquities are bringing a curse upon us.  There might be a principle we are neglecting or a commandment we are deliberately breaking, and the way it plays out through our life and relationships brings a curse on us.   Those kinds of sins are often very deep-seated and require a lot of work to repent of.  But they have to be addressed.

Some points about the loss of the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation

These verses come at the beginning of instructions on what Joseph Smith was to do about finishing the translation of the Book of Mormon after repentance for the loss of the 116 pages:

1 Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them.

2 And you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened. (D&C 10:1-2)

Joseph Smith could have blamed Martin Harris or his wife or whoever it was who took the translated page, but the thing we learn here is that Joseph’s share of it was that he had delivered up the 116 pages to Martin in the first place. That was the part he was responsible for, and it was the gateway act. If he hadn’t given them the pages, then he wouldn’t have had any fault and there wouldn’t have been any opportunity for anyone else to lose them.

I think this teaches us that we need to think carefully about what we are really in control of. We don’t have control of what others do, but we have control of ourselves. Joseph had control of what he did with the translation and whether he kept the Lord’s commandments concerning it, but once he gave it away, he no longer had control. But by delivering it up to Martin Harris, he was complicit in the loss.

Another thing I notice is that it says that at the same time he delivered up the pages to Martin Harris, he lost his gift and his mind was darkened. This teaches the principle that the spiritual consequences for his part in the loss of the pages was immediate. There was no delay until hearing Martin lost them.

This is also true for us today. The spiritual consequences of our acts of rebellion and sin are immediate, even if it takes time for negative outcomes to manifest. Often we only notice we have sinned when we experience a negative outcome, but the spiritual consequences are immediate. We may not be sensitive to those consequences, but they are there.  We lose spiritual gifts because the Holy Ghost can’t be with us constantly, and our minds are darkened.

The more sensitive we can become to the spiritual consequences, the more we will learn to repent quickly, whether we have a negative outcome or not.

Why do the heathen rage?

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.  (Psalm 2:1-3)

One of the things I learn from these verses is that it is not a new thing for peoples and even rulers of the earth to get impatient with God’s commandments and think of them as restraining bonds that hold them captive.  It is not a new thing for them to plot how to free themselves from the rules and principles and commandments of God so they can do whatever they want.   This has been happening all throughout world history. 

Whoever wrote this Psalm knew the heathen were (would be) offended and rage against the commandments of God and Christ which opposes the carnality of man. 

They think they can easily cast away these cords, but it is not so easy as that.  Commandments and principles are linked together, so rejecting one requires eventually rejecting all the others too.   And soon they are blundering around in uncertainty and darkness, acting so strangely that they seem almost drunk.

Who are the heathen?  Resorting to the dictionary…. :

Heathen: a person who does not belong to a widely held religion (esp. one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim) as regarded by those who do

Also, “a follower of a polytheistic religion; a pagan.”

Also, “(the heathen) heathen people collectively, esp. (in biblical use) those who did not worship the God of Israel.” (emphasis added)

Also, informally, “an unenlightened person; a person regarded as lacking culture or moral principles.”

The problem with resisting the rule of Christ is that the alternative is to have one’s lusts and sins rule one.  That’s how Satan establishes his rule.  And he is really out to enslave, unlike Christ, who wants to purify and exalt humankind.   

What’s neat is that the psalm also states what the Lord will do about this state of things when the heathen refuse His authority.

 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2: 4-12)

You can detect stages of the Lord’s attempt to reach the heathen.

--He allows them to be laughed at and derided to see if they will respond to shame. (v4)

--He speaks to them in His wrath. (v5) (Notice, He’s still speaking to them. This is the second warning.)

--He vexes them in his sore displeasure.  (v5)(He gives them trials and tribulations, hoping it will stir them up to remember the Lord and repent.)

--But when they will not hear, he will break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces. (v9)

This is a predictable pattern. It will happen. It’s as sure as sure.

Ultimately, the psalmist urges the heathen judges and kings and peoples to do the smart thing so they don’t have to go through the pain of chastisement and destruction.  He advises them to submit to the Son (v12) and serve Him (v11).

I couldn’t resist adding here the song “Let us break their bonds asunder” from Handel’s Messiah.

It is fascinating to me how Handel rendered the text into music in his oratorio. It is as if the singers are trying to break out of the confines of the melody and the timing set for them, starting in random places and random times.  You can also hear their anxiousness to get rid of it all in the strenuous emphasis of their words.  

But there is also a lesson to be learned about the consequences of rebellion.  Even though the singers seem to be trying to break the rules of the song, they end up acting in a different pattern, one that is predictable.  Likewise, those who break the commandments may think they are setting their own course and deciding their own fate, but they are merely acting according to a different pattern, one with predictable consequences and which will end with them acting more and more foolishly and getting stuck in misery and sorrow.

Warning Principles about Boasting

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The Doctrine & Covenants has a really good warning about boasting and what eventually happens because of it. It’s so good, it gives us a pattern for discernment in ourselves:

For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him. (D&C 3:4)

I think this is so important because it shows us that having revelation and great power is no defense when someone starts to boast.  Anyone, no matter how great, who boasts in their strength and wisdom will then disregard the counsels of God and they will eventually fall and incur the vengeance of God.  The vengeance of God is merited because of sin committed when setting aside God’s counsels and following one’s own will and carnal desires.

There’s a great case study in the Book of Mormon of a particular person who made the mistake of boasting--Corianton.  Alma describes what happened:

2 For thou didst not give so much heed unto my words as did thy brother, among the people of the Zoramites. Now this is what I have against thee; thou didst go on unto boasting in thy strength and thy wisdom.

3 And this is not all, my son. Thou didst do that which was grievous unto me; for thou didst forsake the ministry, and did go over into the land of Siron among the borders of the Lamanites, after the harlot Isabel.  (Alma 39: 2-3)

After learning those principles from D&C 3:4, it is perfectly obvious that Corianton followed that negative pattern.  Because Corianton boasted in his strength and wisdom, he ignored counsel from Alma his father, set the counsels (and commandments) of God at naught, followed his own carnal desires for the harlot Isabel, and promptly fell to temptation.

See? Textbook case. And if any of us make the mistake of boasting, we will similarly get into trouble. 

I’ve boasted in my journal to keep from boasting out loud, but evidently it is just as proud. I’ve boasted sometimes in bearing testimony of what I’ve learned and then found that later I am weak again and fall into disobedience. It didn’t feel like boasting at the time, but the effect afterwards is the same as boasting, so it must have been that.

Unfortunately, it is only too true that boasting comes too easily to all of us.

Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths! (Helaman 12:5, emphasis added)

This is a great reminder. Simply because we are human and mortal and don’t know everything, we have this ridiculous tendency to turn quickly to boasting and iniquity, but we’re slow to remember the Lord.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! (James 3:5)

The tongue says, “I will go to a party,” but by itself it can’t go anywhere without the legs.  Likewise we boast things we are not even able to do without lots of help that we don’t even realize. 

Boasting also eventually leads to hurting others.

But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions; (3 Ne. 6:10, emphasis added)

Note that pride and boasting in riches led directly to persecuting others greatly.  When we think we’re all that because of our success, we frequently look with scorn on others and eventually tell them more and more forcefully how pathetic they are.  Because if they would just get a grip and do what we do, they would not be such losers!  Right?  Right!

Hmm. I noticed myself wanting to do that in a particular respect a few days ago.  Not good…

Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities. (Hel. 13:22 emphasis added) 

The Nephites’ boasting of their riches without gratitude to God led to worse sins.  And now we know why because of D&C 3:4.  After boasting, they disregarded the counsel of God and followed their carnal desires, so they fell to temptation.

Blind leading the blind

I found myself drawn to this verse recently:

And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? (Luke 6:39)

It is a very simple saying, yet I found myself wondering about how it was called a parable.  It has no explanation; it is as if we are meant to understand it immediately.

I asked myself the question, “What am I to do because of this parable?”

In order to decide that, I could see I would have to locate myself in it.  Am I the blind person leading, or am I the blind person being led?

No one likes to think of themselves as blind, and I am no exception, but I can’t deny that I look to leaders when I don’t know what to do, so of course those are times when I am blind.  But there are also times when I have to lead, and some of those times I don’t know what to do, so I am like a blind person leading blind people. (Or maybe my followers see and they are just bearing with me..)

I think one thing we can see is that the parable implies that blindness is an undesirable characteristic.  It is undesirable in leaders who want people to stay safe and want to help people return to God.  (If they can’t see the way themselves, how on earth can they help their followers be any better?  It is impossible.)  It is undesirable also in followers because even if they don’t have the vision to see the way themselves, they at least have to be able to see enough to tell whether they are following a good leader or not.

That’s when I realized that the verses coming after contain very helpful principles for people to use as they consider choosing the mortal leaders they will follow (because even as we desire to follow Christ, we also need mortal exemplars as well).  So I’m going to go through them in this post.

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. (Luke 6:40)

If you substitute “fully trained” in place of “perfect,” we can better see how this applies in our choices of people we choose to emulate.  We see that we can only become as good as those we follow, so if we choose low quality examples, we’re certainly not going to rise very high.  But if we choose good examples, then we rise higher.  And of course, if we commit to follow Christ, we will rise to His level someday.   

Or we can look at it in another way.  People may choose you as an example.  Think about how high someone might rise if they choose you.  How might your example limit someone’s development?  (It certainly suggests areas of improvement.)

Moving on..

41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. (Luke 6: 41-42)

Suddenly we can see this bit about the mote and the beam in the eyes as continuing Jesus’s discussion about the process of deciding who to follow.  Naturally, when we look for leaders to follow, we’ll see faults as well.  But they may also be flaws that we perceive in others’ perspective.   (Who hasn’t found themselves criticizing others for not seeing things the “right” way?)

In this case, the lesson may be that finding fault with a good leader’s perspective is a sign we have terrible faults of our own to deal with, ones that drastically distort our perspective, such that we can’t recognize that they are what we need.  I’ve seen it true in my life when my sins distort my perspective.   In the small areas I have doubts, those doubts make me see people who act in faith and plunge into the unknown as unrealistic fool-hardy risk-takers, but really the fault lies in me.  If I tried to fix them, I would make a worse mess.  In the areas where I am reluctant to take initiative, that makes me look at people who push on their own volition as workaholics enslaved by their own drive, when in actuality I need more of that quality in my life, if I only knew how to get it.  To help me, someone would have to have been where I am and then found how to overcome it.

Again, the message of the mote and the beam parable is that our faults may get in the way of us picking good leaders, so we almost have to use our perception of others as a key that actually points to our own faults.  (Just as an example, I ran into some teachers who seemed pretty overbearing and that annoyed the heck out of me until I realized that my irritation indicated I was overbearing myself.  I’m still trying to work on that, and I have no idea how I’m doing, but I do know that I’ve been more patient with others’ overbearing-ness since that realization.)

Jesus’s next words continue the theme of principles we can use to pick out good leaders to follow, and we’re familiar with them, but they are worth a review.

43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. (Luke 6:43-44)

Simply, judge by the fruits.  Good leaders should do good things, which lead to good fruits.  Good fruits are things like acting in faith, growing testimonies, repentance, growing and improving obedience, doing missionary work, diligence and industry, etc.  Corrupt fruits would be apathy, discouragement, doubt, fear, pride and complacency, rationalization and excuses, persecution, waning obedience, rebellion, hostility, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, pride, etc.

And finally,

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45)

The kinds of things people say also can also act as a indication of the kind of leader/example they’d make.  The principle is that the mouth speaks far less than the heart holds, so a person speaking good things has much more of good in their heart, perhaps more than they can express in words.  Likewise, someone speaking evil has a heart full of the same. 

(As an aside, I’m sure you’ve noticed there are people out there who say things that are evil, which they try to make sound good.  What does this indicate about what goes on in their hearts?)

Considering that all this comes in the same chapter as the oft-heard words “Judge not that ye be not judged,” we need to realize these principles are not to be used to condemn others, but merely to help us decide whether we should follow someone’s example or not. 

So, to sum up, we are to choose mortal exemplars carefully, realizing the quality of the example we choose will dictate how high we will rise, and also take as our main example Christ.   We are to be aware that our faults may skew our judgment of  real leader quality, and we are to be observant of the quality of the fruits of their acts and of the spiritual quality of their words, whether to edify or destroy, knowing that these are unfailing signals of true or false prophets.

I love that Jesus was so plain and clear about this.  You can see in His words that He knew we needed lesser leaders and examples in addition to His ultimate perfect example, and He wanted us to know how to pick good ones so that we could progress and also help each other.  He wanted us to not be blind followers, but discerning and wise followers.  He wanted us to know how good followers would be considering our leadership and the examples we set.

Nabal and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25

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The story of Nabal and Abigail is an interesting one that has all kinds of interesting indications of character.

Briefly speaking, the story is this: David asks Nabal for food because he and his men kept Nabal’s flocks safe.  Nabal refuses rudely.  David decides to kill Nabal and his household, but Abigail (Nabal’s wife) finds out what her husband did and goes out with a big present of food to apologize for Nabal.  She pacifies David.  After she tells Nabal what happened, Nabal dies and then David marries Abigail.

What kind of person is Nabal?  His name means fool and was probably a nickname.  He was very great and rich, having 3000 sheep and 1000 goats.  But he was “churlish and evil in his doings” (v3).  He was of the house of Caleb (v3), but didn’t have Caleb’s nobility of character.  By one of his servants he was described as “such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him” (v17), meaning his servants must have frequently tried to reason with him to prevent him from making mistakes and he wouldn’t listen.  Even his wife knew he was a fool (v25).  He held feasts in his house like feasts of a king (v36), so he had plenty of food, and he seemed to think nothing of feasting without his wife (v36).  He also got very drunk (v36).

What kind of person was Abigail?  Her name means “my father is joy.”  She is described as “of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance” (v3).  She has the confidence of the servants because she is informed of problems (v14-17).  She takes action quickly and is generous (v18), she is a peacemaker and tries to smooth things over for her husband and for the sake of her household.  Also, the things she says to David about how the Lord will make him a sure house and he will be appointed ruler over Israel indicate she is far-seeing and could be considered prophetic.  Her concern that David not ruin his excellent record so far or have any regrets shows she is a true friend who sees the spiritual importance of staying pure.  Even though she doesn’t tell her husband what she’s going to do, she tells him afterward, so she takes responsibility and keeps him in the loop (v36), though that must have been hard when it went so against his wishes.

One question that might naturally come at this point is “How did these two ever get married in the first place?”  How did such a good woman end up with such a jerk for a husband?  Did she make a bad choice?  I don’t know if we can assume that marriages were formed the same way back then as they are today.  They may have been paired by parents and she didn’t know enough about Nabal to refuse.  Also, it is likely that she had to develop that good understanding out of self-defense in her marriage to cope with him.

It is interesting that after Nabal insults David’s messengers that one of Nabal’s servants goes directly to Abigail and tells her what happened and Abigail acts immediately, preparing this big food gift and delivers it personally without telling her husband.  That is a lot of stuff going on behind Nabal’s back.  And I bet you this is not a one-time event.  I bet that Nabal has been rubbing people wrong for a very very long time, and his servants and his wife have had to learn how to cope and pacify and mollify everyone whose feathers he’s ruffled. 

In fact, I bet that Abigail had to take a lot of the management of Nabal’s concerns herself, managing from the shadows, so to speak.  We get a glimpse of this when in her apology to David she says, “I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send” (v25).  She implies that if they had come to her, the response would have been different, and she was the one who took care of business, not her husband.

Also note that Nabal has no clue that what he’s said to David’s messengers is going to have any consequences or that his refusal is bad.  But Nabal’s servant who informs Abigail, and Abigail herself are completely aware of what is about to happen if they don’t do something fast, and they are completely right.  There is a major mismatch here about awareness of consequences.  That suggests that Abigail has been smoothing things over for so long that Nabal hasn’t learned there are consequences for being a jerk and he’s gotten worse over time.  And this time he’s angered the wrong guy and if Abigail hadn’t stepped in, he and the other men of the household would have been dead.

Was Nabal like this only with servants and outsiders?  Odds are that Nabal treated Abigail badly too.  She probably suffered under his critical eye and he was dismissive of her abilities just as he was dismissive of David’s messengers and refused to believe David and his men had helped him.  Abigail probably had to pacify Nabal and submit to unreasonable demands a lot.  In fact, her powerful appeal to David was probably informed by a huge amount of practice with apologizing and humbling herself to Nabal.

This should bring us to ask ourselves whether we are like Nabal or like Abigail.  Are we the kind of person who has to be pacified and have messes smoothed over for, or are we the kind of person who does the peacemaking and apologizing?  Are we the kind of person that no one can reason with, or are we the kind of person that can be warned and will take immediate action?

We can see Abigail had a hard life married to Nabal, even if they were very wealthy.  She could have given up.  She could have become Nabal’s enemy.  She could have left him.  If she had been any less of a righteous woman, she could have chosen to do nothing and then David would have rid her of her obnoxious husband.  But instead she acted against her own personal interest and pled for Nabal to be spared.  That is Godlike love right there.  In fact, she becomes a type of Christ: “Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be” (1 Sam. 25:24).  She is willing to be punished for her husband’s sins to save him, jerk that he was.

So, looking at this again, if Abigail is a type of Christ, Nabal typifies Adam and the rest of fallen mankind—deaf to good advice, thinking there is nothing wrong with us when we have offended many times over, shielded so many times from the immediate consequences that we don’t realize the doom that approaches, unwilling to acknowledge we’ve been helped by anyone if we can’t directly see it, returning railing and insult for justified requests for help or pay, feasting and enjoying ourselves while unaware of our danger.  If we, as Nabal, were informed of our true situation, our hearts would probably die within us too.

The truth is, we need a redeemer as badly as Nabal needed Abigail.  And Abigail’s determination and haste to plead for Nabal teaches us about Christ’s love and willingness to hurry and plead for us, even though we have made His suffering great.

Now, let’s look at this story even more granularly to see what more we can learn.

4 ¶And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

5 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:

6 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.

7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

9 And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. (1 Sam. 25:4-9)

David hears that Nabal is shearing his sheep and he sends ten messengers to ask Nabal if he can give anything from his feasting to help David, even though it would have been a temptation to just take what they needed.  Living off the land as David and his men were, any place they could build goodwill became a possible source of support, so he may have hoped that if he helped Nabal, Nabal would help him back.  He invited Nabal to confirm the claims of David’s messengers by asking his own servants. He didn’t even make a demand for a certain amount; he left it up to Nabal, trusting Nabal’s generosity.  (Sadly,  in this case, it was trust misplaced.) 

Here’s Nabal’s answer:

10 ¶And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? (1 Sam.25:10-11)

Nabal undoubtedly had many servants leave him because of his jerkiness, but he didn’t realize he was the problem.  He just knew he had troubles keeping workers, so he looked upon David and Saul’s situation from that perspective and judged David to be an ungrateful servant breaking away from Saul.  It is also possible that he was suspicious about the messengers themselves, wondering if they were just using David’s name to try to get in on the feast he prepared.

Concerning their claims that they didn’t hurt Nabal’s sheep or bother his shepherds, Nabal doubts they made any difference at all, and rather than inquire of his servants whether it is true whether David’s men were helpful or not, he makes a snap judgment that they don’t deserve it since he doesn’t know them.  (Clearly Nabal hadn’t been out with the shepherds.)  I think it is pretty bad how Nabal could have learned the truth if he had just asked them and he chose not to.

14 ¶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.

15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 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 son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him. (1 Sam. 25:14-17)

One of Nabal’s servants gives Abigail the benefit of the information that Nabal should have heard but didn’t.  And Abigail learns that not only did David’s men refrain from sheep-stealing, but they had been an extra protection for the flocks, keeping thieves away and keeping sheep from wandering.  In doing so, they really were like an army of shepherds.

I notice the servant doesn’t tell Abigail what to do to help the situation of Nabal’s rudeness; he only tells her to think about what she’s going to do and that “evil is determined against our master and against all his household” (v17).

So Abigail jumps into action and she gets all this food ready:

200 loaves of bread

2 bottles of wine

5 dressed sheep

5 measures of parched corn

200 raison clusters

200 fig cakes

I don’t think Abigail had to make all this right then.  I think it was already on hand in huge amounts for the kingly feast Nabal was about to have anyway (v36).  There was so much food already on hand that evidently what she took was never missed.

Notice that when Nabal talked to David’s servants about the food he’d have to give up he talks about bread, water, and flesh, and then look at the kinds of food Abigail prepared.  Nabal was downplaying the quality of food they had and trying to make it seem like he had only just enough for his own servants and nothing to spare.  He didn’t want to give anything.

Naturally when David finds out Nabal was so rude, he decides it is time to rid the world of a worthless, inhospitable person and household. 

As David gets ready to go kill Nabal and his household, he says so with an oath, but his oath is kind of funny:

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. (v22)

The usual oath is “God do so to me and more also if I don’t ________” and it essentially asks for God to punish you if you don’t do what you have decided to do.  But David’s oath is different.  “So and more also do God unto the enemies of David if ______”  He’s asking God to punish his enemies if he doesn’t do what he says he will do.  It’s kind of funny because no way would God punish someone else completely unrelated if David doesn’t do what he promised; that would be unjust.  But the main effect of saying that is David’s pretty sure he’s going to do it, but he’s leaving the door open in case something prevents him for a good reason.  And it’s a good thing he did because Abigail has some really good reasons why he shouldn’t kill Nabal and all his men.

David is an excellent contrast to Saul, who makes strong oaths all over the place, and then finds himself breaking them because extenuating circumstances arise, to the point that soon his oaths mean nothing.

So lets look at what Abigail says to David after she throws herself at his feet. 

23 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,

24 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.

25 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.

26 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 Nabal.

27 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.

28 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.

29 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 of a sling.

30 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;

31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence 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. (1 Sam. 25:23-31)

First, notice that it repeats three times that Abigail abased herself in some way.  Repeating three times is the superlative form, like of like “best” is for us.  It shows us that Abigail humbled herself to the greatest extent that she could.

When she pleads for Nabal to David, another thing to notice is how she refers to herself and how she refers to David.  She calls herself “thine handmaid” six times and calls David “my lord” 14 times.  She’s humbling herself and exalting him.  That she’s so quick to do this and does it so well speaks of the practice she’s had at it and that she’s realized it doesn’t hurt her in any way, even though she is the wife of a “great” man.

There’s also something else happening subtly in the background of everything she says.  She starts out requesting that Nabal’s iniquity be upon her, essentially a request to be punished in his place.  Then, midway, her request becomes “forgive the trespass of thine handmaid,” which means she asks not to be punished.  And then at the end, her request is “when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid,” which implies she’s doing him a favor that he can repay later.  I think she probably hopes that he’ll see that her persuasion to keep him from shedding blood in this case is an important spiritual service more important than the food she brings.  This suggests that maybe we should try to see warnings as great services as well.

There’s one thing Abigail says that seems kind of strange:

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 Nabal. (v26)

It seems to express the wish that all David’s enemies could be like Nabal is at this stage with the assumption that David will not kill him.  But Nabal is rich and a complete jerk.  Adding to this, to underline her words, she uses the strongest oath she can—“as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth.”  I can only conclude that Abigail understands Nabal’s true state and knows he’s in deep trouble, that it is only a matter of time before he is taken out of the world.  He is not to be envied even if he is rich.  He is not even to be feared.  (And we see that she is right.  Nabal was in his very last days, even if no one knew it.)

The upshot of Abigail’s appeal is that David listens and does not destroy Nabal and his household.

36 ¶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.

37 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.

38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. (1 Sam. 25:36-38)

Abigail goes back home and finds Nabal drunk and feasting.  Wisely she waits ‘til later to tell him what she did so his head will be clear.  If he’s a fool while sober, he’d be even worse while drunk, right?

When she tells him in the morning, it says, “his heart died within him, and he became as a stone” (v37).  I think this means his courage and confidence in himself died.  If he had a heart attack and his heart literally died right then he would have died that day, but he lived 10 days longer.

Consider all the many reasons a selfish conceited person like him would have to lose courage.

1. He made a huge mistake without realizing it when trying to protect his interests, and the consequences would have destroyed him and his household unawares.

2. Rather than him being the one who protected his whole household, his wife had. 

3. His wife couldn’t even tell him what she was going to do beforehand because he would’ve stopped her and that would’ve sealed the fate of him and his household.

4. He hadn’t listened to his servants who tried to tell him. 

If Nabal was in any way thoughtful, he would have thought about all the decisions he’d made throughout his life that brought him to that point.  He would have to realize he had been wrong so much of the time.  And that realization—“everything you’ve done to protect your interests has been offensive and wrong all along”—is incredibly painful.  The man wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

Ten days later, Nabal is dead from some sort of disease.

39 ¶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.

40 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. (1 Sam. 25:39-40)

When David heard Nabal was dead, he saw it as vindication from the Lord, and he admired Abigail enough to want her for his wife.  He had already seen her faithfulness to her husband Nabal, so he knew she would definitely be faithful to David.  She had seen how she advocated for Nabal, so he knows she will advocate for him too.  He needs good allies who will stick with him, and she is a good choice.  Also, her forward-thinking and anticipation of him eventually gaining the throne will encourage him through the hard times.  Annnnd, her generosity will make it much easier for him and his men to live on the run from Saul.

So he sends servants to her to tell her he wants to take her to wife.  What is her response?

41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42 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. (1 Sam.25:41-42)

She asks to serve David’s servants by washing their feet.  It is as if she doesn’t ask for or anticipate anything more than a life of service.  For a woman who has been head of a great household with many servants, this is incredible humility. 

It is also a very wise move.  She doesn’t know what kind of command structure David has in his army of followers or in his household.  She realizes that if she joins the household as a high-and-mighty woman she will stir up hostility and resentment and she knows from seeing Nabal at work how detrimental that can be.  So she’s willing to “start from the bottom” and be helpful to everyone as she figures out her place and demonstrates her worth.  She wants them to know she is not a threat and she won’t make trouble.

Abigail’s approach is a smart thing to do for anyone who joins an organization as a leader.  Learning the ropes and serving everyone makes more friends than lording it over everyone.

Is there anything else you learn from Abigail?