Becoming a Biblical Woman: 5 Takeaways from Abigail

I recently spent some time in 1 Samuel 25, where we meet Abigail, the wife of Nabal. This single chapter gives so much insight into what it means to be a biblical woman. I personally found 5 big things to focus on in this chapter as it relates to being a woman.

The Story of Abigail

Nabal is described with various words throughout the chapter; wicked, surly, and mean were a few of those words. His wife, Abigail, however, is described as beautiful and intelligent.

King David sends messengers to ask Nabal for whatever he can offer him and his men. For whatever reason, Nabal declined to share his food with David and his army. He was rude and insulting. When the messengers returned to David to inform him of what Nabal had said, the king was angry. He decided to take 400 of his men to go kill Nabal and every male in his family.

Abigail hears of King David’s plan and decides to take action. WIthout informing her husband, Abigail takes enough food to feed hundreds and goes to meet David prior to his arrival. When she intercepted him on the road, she bowed to him and offered the food Nabal would not. Abigail spoke to David, convincing him to spare the lives of Abigail’s family.

Not only did this stop King David from killing the males in her family, but he thanked Abigail for stopping his rash response to Nabal’s insults. When Abigail returned home to Nabal and informed him of what she had done, he fell ill. 10 days later, Nabal died.

Abigail then married King David.

Takeaways from Abigail as a Biblical Woman

As a woman, the first thing that I learned from Abigail was that she used her intelligence more so than her beauty. She is described as both, but the scripture lists her intelligence before her beauty. In today’s society, beauty so often trumps intelligence. However, the Bible placed Abigail’s brain over her looks. To me, that stood out.

That’s the first takeaway:

1. A woman’s intelligence is superior to her beauty.

Christian wives often talk about being subservient to their husbands. As a Christian and a wife, this is something that I truly struggle with. My husband and I have been married for almost 4 years. In those 4 years, I have prayed, studied, and thought deeply about what this means. Also, in those 4 years, I’ve never considered myself as subservient. I’m not advocating against subservient wives, I just believe that the Lord made me extra headstrong and this is my own battle.

Having said that, Abigail gives me hope. She was a biblical woman that is looked up to. She was not the perfect definition of what the modern world thinks of subservient, but she put herself in harm’s way to correct her husband’s mistake. Abigail reminds us that subservience is not blind submission.

2. A biblical woman does not submit to her husband’s every thought.

A biblical woman is fully capable of thinking for herself and making decisions on her own. When Nabal makes a big mistake and the life of his family is on the line, Abigail doesn’t hesitate to take action. Without Nabal’s knowledge, she fixes the problem that he was completely unaware of.

3. Biblical women are capable of taking action of their own accord.

Imagine the potential consequences of Abigal’s actions. Going directly to the angry king could have easily resulted in her death. If you could also imagine Nabal’s anger when he finds out, Abigail likely knew that she was in for a tough time. She wasn’t stupid – Abigal was brave. Her courage, strength, and bravery are clear throughout the chapter.

4. Strength, courage, and bravery are qualities of a biblical woman. 

Everyone has their own gifts. For Abigail, it was her courage and intelligence that saved the day. David said that she was sent by the Lord himself to stop him from making a grave mistake. Abigail was married to a not so nice man. She was likely stuck in an unhappy marriage. In one event, the Lord used her to save her family and escape her unhappy marriage.

5. The Lord will use people of all types for His purpose.

Every time I read this passage I learn something new – something else that God puts on my heart. Some of these takeaways weren’t even there until I sat down to write this post. The Lord speaks to us in a variety of ways. As women, as moms, and as human beings, we can relate to Abigal’s story. What wouldn’t we do to spare the lives of our children? How should a biblical woman behave as a wife? These questions are just a couple that 1 Samuel 25 provided an answer to.

What did you learn from Abigail? Has she influenced your behavior as a wife or mother? What about as a woman? Let’s talk about it in the comments!