Gospel Reflections #1004: Even if our motives are pure

1 Samuel 25:40 ‘David’s men came to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, “David has sent us to you to ask for your hand in marriage.”’

This is the scene where David’s men visited Abigail, the widow of Nabal, to convey David’s proposal of marriage.

After the fool Nabal had died by God’s judgement, David immediately sent his men to Abigail.

This was not merely an act of kindness, but an expression of deep respect and trust for Abigail, who had saved him from a desperate situation with her wise counsel.

When David was about to take revenge (committing the sin of bloodshed) due to the rudeness of her husband Nabal, Abigail interceded at the risk of her own life and prevented it.

This proposal symbolises the moment when her faith and wisdom were recognised by God, and a new path in life (the path to becoming the wife of a future king) was opened up for her.

However, in pagan kingdoms, having many wives was regarded as a sign of honour and dignity, and David, too, believed that having multiple wives was a mark of the glory of the kingship.

Having multiple wives meant that several sons of roughly the same age would vie for the throne.

As we shall see later, the tragic consequences of this path were brought home to him through the unfortunate discord, conflict and jealousy that arose amongst his numerous wives and children.

Even if our motives are pure, we too may face tragic consequences if we choose the wrong means.

It is God’s providence that we are made to realise this only after we have failed, yet with every failure we are taught that human thinking is short-sighted and imperfect.

At such times, we must turn our hearts firmly towards God.

God allows us to turn back to Him as many times as we need.

God will not give up until we joyfully turn our hearts towards Him.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.