Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Samuel 25:2-11

"And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was 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. And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. And David sent 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 unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David. And when David`s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. And Nabal answered David`s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?" — 1 Samuel 25:2-11 (ASV)

We should not have heard of Nabal if nothing had passed between him and David. Observe his name, Nabal, which means "a fool." Riches make men look great in the eyes of the world; but to one who has a proper perspective, Nabal looked very mean. He had no honor or honesty; he was churlish, cross, and ill-humored; evil in his actions, hard and oppressive; a man who did not care what fraud and violence he used in getting and saving.

What little reason have we to value the wealth of this world, when such a rude and mean-spirited person as Nabal has so much, while so good a man as David is in need! David cited the kindness Nabal's shepherds had received. Considering that David's men were in distress, in debt, and discontented, and the scarcity of provisions, it was by good management that they were kept from plundering. Nabal flew into a rage, as covetous people are prone to do when asked for anything, thus thinking to cover one sin with another and, by abusing the poor, to excuse themselves from relieving them.

But God will not thus be mocked. Let this help us to bear reproaches and misrepresentations with patience and cheerfulness, and remain at peace when facing them; this has often been the lot of the excellent ones of the earth. Nabal greatly emphasizes his ownership of the provisions from his table. May he not do what he will with his own?

We are mistaken if we think we are absolute lords of what we have and may do as we please with it. No; we are only stewards and must use it as we are directed, remembering it is not our own but His who entrusted us with it.