A Word to Mother

By Reverend Michael Farias

As I was thinking about Mother’s Day and how to honor mothers with a few written words about the Word, I began to think of Abigail of 1 Samuel, the wife of Nabal.

I’ll give you some back story.  There was a very real threat to Abigail and her husband.  There was the probability that they were going to be wiped out due to the stupidity and foolishness of her husband, and this was not okay with Abigail.  

There is something instinctive about mothers and their ability and willingness to save their loved ones.  There are at least three specific characteristics that are motherly in this episode.  Let’s pick up the story in 1 Samuel 25:18.

Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

First, we see that Abigail acted quickly.  I have seen, and I’m sure you have too, how swiftly a mother will spring into action when her loved ones are threatened.  A mother can become as ferocious as a bear and strike as fast as a rattlesnake in order to protect those she loves.  Don’t get in her way, because there is no stopping her momentum.

Second, we see the wisdom of Abigail, a wisdom I believe all mothers possess.  You have heard it said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  Abigail seemed to know this.  She knew she could soothe the situation with food.  Look again at the verse above and you’ll see that she was armed with a lot of food.  I have fond memories of motherly provisions of food; these blessings have come from my grandmother, my mom, my wife, and my daughter. They’re even starting to roll in from my granddaughters, but the oldest is only eight and I have to be cautious about consuming their offerings. There is a calming effect brought by food served from a motherly heart, even in extreme situations.

Third, we see the intercession of Abigail.

1 Samuel 25:23  Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.

Abigail stops and drops before David (the king).  She pleads her case, not on her behalf, or because she did something stupid and needed grace, but because of what her loved one did.  It is so often that the testimony of a believer identifies someone who was praying on his behalf, or someone who shared the Bible with him, or someone who watched over him and provided Godly counsel.  More often than not the person was motherly; in this case it was Abigail.  It is a motherly influence that changes the direction of a fool.

I am thankful that there have been Abigails in my life.

Thank you to all the mothers out there who spring into action at a moment’s notice when your loved ones are in danger.  Thank you for bringing wisdom and a calming presence to any situation with just the right recipe and ingredients. And thank you for dropping on your knees before our King to plead our case on our behalf.

Have a Greater Than Gold Day