Divine Vengence

Although Nabal had refused the needy company of David and his men, yet that very night he made an extravagant feast for himself and his riotous friends, and indulged in eating and drinking till he sank in drunken stupor.

Nabal thought nothing of spending an extravagant amount of his wealth to indulge and glorify himself; but it seemed too painful a sacrifice for him to make to bestow compensation which he never would have missed, upon those who had been like a wall to his flocks and herds. Nabal was like the rich man in the parable. He had only one thought,—to use God’s merciful gifts to gratify his selfish animal appetites. He had no thought of gratitude to the Giver. He was not rich toward God; for eternal treasure had no attraction for him. Present luxury, present gain, was the one absorbing thought of his life. This was his god.

Nabal was a coward at heart; and when he realized how near his folly had brought him to a sudden death, he seemed smitten with paralysis. Fearful that David would still pursue his purpose of revenge, he was filled with horror, and sank down in a condition of helpless insensibility. After ten days he died. The life that God had given him had been only a curse to the world. In the midst of his rejoicing and making merry, God had said to him, as He said to the rich man of the parable, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee” (Luke 12:20).

When David heard the tidings of the death of Nabal, he gave thanks that God had taken vengeance into His own hands. He had been restrained from evil, and the Lord had returned the wickedness of the wicked upon his own head. In this dealing of God with Nabal and David, men may be encouraged to put their cases into the hands of God; for in His own good time He will set matters right.
Conflict and Courage p. 170
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Lorna who has an orthopedic doctor’s appointment on Thursday. It has been almost a year since she broke her leg and she is still unable to walk without a walker. Also pray for Eileen as her recovery is progressing slowly and she is discouraged. Rose
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Dear Friends,

When I was ten, I went to live with my mother and her new husband. She had met Eddie at work. He appeared to be really nice and someone who would give us the kind of life she craved, but soon found he was an alcoholic and life became unbearable for both of us. He had promised her a good life and had even made her quit her good job. In return for her love, he gave her nothing but heartache and difficulty.
By the time I was nearly thirteen, he left in the middle of the night taking everything of value in the house except my mother’s guitar. When I awakened in the morning and found that he was gone, I was so happy. I had been planning on running away that very day. Now I would not have to leave home.
As soon as our landlord found out that we were alone, he demanded that my mother pay the next month’s rent or get out. She had no money, no job, nothing except a little food in the house and her guitar. My mother sat down and cried. She was not crying because she would miss him. No, that man had long before killed any love that she had had for him. The tears were flowing because she didn’t know what she would do or where she would go. Finally, she made her decision. She would pawn the only thing that she had left—her guitar. How she loved that guitar. Her art and her music were the only outlets she had in her unhappy life.
With the money she received from the guitar and amplifier, she was able to rent a small, furnished apartment above a music store downtown . Then she began hunting for a job.
Finally, she found a job doing piecework in a factory across town. The work was exhausting. The bus ride each day was long and tiring. There were times when there was nothing to eat in the house, as my mother always made sure that the bills were paid first. It took many years for things to get better, but slowly they did. By the time I was nineteen, she had enough saved to buy a used car. Oh, what freedom that gave us! Every weekend we drove around southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana. We feasted our eyes on the beauties of nature and would often stop at a lake and wade in the water or if we had our swimming suits along, we would go swimming. Life held some happiness at last.
Just like my mother was fooled by Eddie, who appeared to be something that he was not, so we are often fooled by the devil. By the things that we see, by the music that we listen to, by that which we put on or in our body, by the deceitfulness of riches, we find ourselves ensnared by the snare of the devil and soon realize that we have been taken captive by him at his will. How often we think that we can direct our own life and soon find ourselves in a terrible, tangled mess. How many times we think that we know it all, but soon find that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Jer 10:23, Prov 14:12
How much we need to be rescued from our own desires. How desperately we need a strong deliverer! Praise God! The Lord Jesus Christ is our Mighty Deliverer, Who will rescue us from the hand of the enemy! Indeed, our Loving Saviour, longs to help us. His Great Heart of Love breaks for us as He sees us wallowing in cares, heartaches, sins, and sorrows. He pleads, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die?” “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Eze 33:11, Matt 11:28-30

Let us come to our Dear Saviour, just as we are, all sin-sick and weary and allow Him, Who gave His life for us, to rescue us from the evil one and lead and guide us all the way to His Heavenly kingdom is my prayer.
Rose