There are a number of parallels to consider in the story of Abigail and David. Many of our favorite biblical characters appear to lead parallel lives to their ancestors.
Have you ever noticed this? Often the same events from different stories of the bible occur in the same manner and order as a previous story about a different person in a different time.
At times, even the same words are used in both sets of stories. Below are some examples of these parallels:
PARALLELS OF DAVID TO JOSEPH
- Both stories start out with the character being a young boy, a shepherd, and handsome to the eyes.
- Each young man had a sign that they were destined to rule over their brothers. Joseph had his dream. David had the anointing from Samuel.
- Both young men started the ladder to success working under a popular ruler. Joseph worked in Potiphar’s house and later Pharaoh’s courts. David worked in King Saul’s courts.
- Each of these men found quick success when they were young. Each of them attributed their success to God.
- Both young men are sent to check on their brothers.
- Each of these characters had a way of irritating their elder siblings.
- Neither of these young men return home to their fathers after checking on their brothers. David is held in Saul’s service. Joseph is sold into slavery.
- Joseph’s brothers strip him of the beautiful robe his father gave him. Jonathan takes off his royal armor and gives it to David to use. (This parallel is also a reversal.)
- Both men face constant struggles and estrangements for their loyalty to God. God helps both of them to persevere and succeed.
- David and Joseph both make a return trip to see their fathers and their brothers.
PARALLELS OF DAVID TO JACOB
- Both men were involved with an evil and scheming Father-In-Law in order to obtain the bride of their choice. David is offered Marab by Saul in exchange for service in war. Saul doesn’t fulfil that bargain, he gives Marab to another man. Next Saul offers Michal (his younger daughter) in exchange for 100 Philistine foreskins. David brings Saul 200 foreskins (double his original bargain) and marries Michal. Now compare how Laban negotiated with Jacob for Rachel. Jacob agrees to work for Laban for seven years to obtain Rachel’s hand. After seven years Laban tricks Jacob and gives him Leah on his wedding night. Jacob winds up working seven more years to finally have the right to marry Rachel (double the original bargain.) In the final summary of the marriages, Jacob met his match in Laban. (The trickster is tricked.) However, David remains innocent and does no wrong to Saul.
- A time comes when both men decide to flee their father-in-laws. Each recruit the help of their wives. Both men have a wife hiding idols without their knowledge. Each of these women deceive the father-in-law regarding his household gods. Both are asked the same question; “Why did you deceive me?”
- Both men encounter their estranged father-in-law at a later time. Each promise not to harm their father-in-law’s descendants.
Also in our current story, we see that the similarities between David’s, Nabal’s and Abigail’s experiences in life often parallel those of the ancient patriarch Jacob.
PARALLELS TO THE STORIES OF JESUS
The passage where Abigail asks David to remember her for good when he comes into his kingdom is exactly the spirit of the thief on the cross.
There are so many comparisons between David and Jesus that it would take all day to list them here. I’ll leave that up to the reader for now. Just note that though David has human flaws, David was definitely “a man after God’s own heart.”
In all of the above comparisons, David’s character seems to be more righteous than Jacobs. Is God showing us that David was a more righteous man than Jacob, therefore capable and suited to rule and reign over Jacob’s ancestors? I wonder.
So many times we are told David was “a man after God’s own heart.” The scriptures tell us that God loved Jacob. Does it seem now that God saw more good in David than Jacob? Did God love David’s character so much that he was given the right to reign over Jacob? Was this move so that Jacob could learn how to live righteously?
All of these attributes of David have been revealed in the beginning of his stories. Will there come a point in time when David will fall, the same as all other men have done? Perhaps God loved David so much because He knew David would prove the need for a Messiah. It appears that David may be more capable of proving this point than any other righteous man who lived before him.
PARALLELS FOUND IN THE STORY OF DAVID AND ABIGAIL
- Jacob sent 400 men with gifts ahead of his family when he was returning to meet with Esau. Abigail found Nabal’s foolish faults out when David’s 400 men confronted Nabal and Nabal refused to give them supplies. Abigail sent servants ahead with gifts of food and supplies.
- Jacob reconciled with Esau. Esau let go of his anger toward Jacob. David reconciled his anger against Nabal because of Abigail’s good actions. Human forgiveness is shown in both stories. Both angry men let mercy and compassion rule over their anger. In each case, the women moved ahead of the men. They were quicker to face the situations and move beyond them. Yet; the men did the same in the end.
Thus, we see how the story of Abigail and David parallel many of the stories of the reunion between Jacob and Esau. Just as between them, rivalry was put away between David and Nabal. Violence and death was turned to peace and safety. Again, the role of David seems to be higher, in that he forgave Nabal without Nabal even asking or knowing.
MORE PARALLELS TO COME IN LATER STORIES
When we begin to study 2 Samuel, we are going to see even more parallels and comparisons between David and Jacob. It may be that things are not as good for David later, but we don’t want to jump too far ahead of our story.
I’ll just say that these comparisons between David and Jacob help to reinforce the positive portrayal of David in the eyes of God and those who knew him. They highlight David’s innocence. These stories also reinforce the fact that Saul was an unjust King as well as a murderer.
Jacob was the father of all the tribes of Israel. These stories show a deep connection of tribal unity, with David being the good ancestor of Jacob. It is obvious to those following all of these stories that David should be slated as the leader of the Northern and Southern tribes of Israel.
Though Jacob had been morally compromised in his leadership at times, he had made the proper corrections before God. David, to this point of our story, had not let his troubles lead him to temptation. In all of this, we are reminded that David is being elevated by God for greater things. He is being lifted up in order that he can become the next King of Israel.
FINAL SUMMARY OF OUR STORIES TO THIS POINT
The comparisons between David and Jacob help to bolster the positive portrayal of David. In this case, however, the comparison is between a morally compromised and complicated character (Jacob) and a righteous character (David), thus highlighting David’s innocence and Saul’s unjustified murderousness.
Also, the use of narrative analogy in this part of the story reinforces the themes of the upward trajectory of David and the downward trajectory of Saul.
The connection between David and Jacob, the father of all the tribes, serves to emphasize the theme of tribal unity and again depicts David as the legitimate leader of the Northern and Southern tribes. Allusions to the Jacob story naturally evoke the theme of sibling rivalry, but references to the scene of reconciliation between Jacob and Esau remind us that conflict need not lead to violence.
LEARNING FROM THE PATTERNS OF BIBLICAL CHARACTERS
Hence, it would seem that God leads true characters in living out patterns from which He is constantly teaching everyone down through time. Isn’t that why we are reading scriptures anyway? We want to learn more about how God’s Kingdom operates. After all, we are to be the subjects and servants of this Kingdom.
Knowing Kingdom principles can help us to better understand God’s ways, conform to Him in obedience and move us even closer to God. What better way to learn than from these real-life examples? We all learn from their repeated successes or failures. Those same principles can be applied to our own journey, because God never changes.
Therefore, for the astute student of the scriptures who reads the bible and sees that certain patterns are constantly repeated, there is all the more reason to focus upon the messages of these patterns. Maybe, from this style of writing, the true stories of God’s people were designed by God and relayed to the author’s thinking in order to inspire us to grasp the deep concepts and theologies of following of God at all times.
REASONS FOR PONDERING THESE PARALLELS
Reasons for this logic are endless and as deep as the ocean. Today though, we are simply following the path that leads us to the establishment of The Throne of David.
However, the repeated patterns do help us to notice godly patterns for living our own lives in righteousness. These emphasized patterns cause us to dig deeper into the stories that show repetitions. They employ us to recognize certain unfailing standards which God has set into the universe. The words are unspoken, but the messages are hidden there inside each repeated story.
The message that no one in Israel seems to have pondered very long is about to be revealed. David is on his way to becoming a great and righteous King. His Kingship carries a great promise from God.
God promised David that his kingdom would be established forever. It was even said that one of David’s sons would build God a house among men. This promise was unconditional, unless David’s son committed iniquity. The promise is said to have a duel fulfillment in the context that David’s coming son would build the temple, but ultimately God’s Son Jesus Christ would arrive to fulfill the Davidic Covenant.
We are traveling way too far from today’s story. For now, just consider these many parallels. What are the chances of all of them happening without God being in control of the universe?