1 Samuel 25:14-17

1 Samuel 25:14-17

[14] But one  of the young men  told  Abigail,  Nabal's  wife,  saying,  Behold, David  sent  messengers  out of the wilderness  to salute  our master;  and he railed  on them. [15] But the men  were very  good  unto us, and we were not hurt,  neither missed  we any thing,  as long as  we were conversant  with them, when we were in the fields:  [16] They were a wall  unto us both by night  and day,  all the while  we were with them keeping  the sheep.  [17] Now therefore know  and consider  what thou wilt do;  for evil  is determined  against our master,  and against all his household:  for he is such a son  of Belial,  that a man cannot speak 

What does 1 Samuel 25:14-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Nabal"s servant appealed to Abigail to reverse Nabal"s orders. He testified that God had blessed Nabal"s shepherds greatly through David. David"s soldiers had been a wall of protection for them ( 1 Samuel 25:16). One of the characteristics of a fool is that he or she does not listen to other people ( 1 Samuel 25:17). Nabal was such a fool that he did not even listen to God. If he had, he would have known that David was the Lord"s anointed servant (cf. 1 Samuel 25:30).
The Hebrew words for "good" and "evil" each occur seven times in chapter25 ( 1 Samuel 25:3; 1 Samuel 25:8; 1 Samuel 25:15; 1 Samuel 25:21; 1 Samuel 25:30-31; 1 Samuel 25:36; 1 Samuel 25:3; 1 Samuel 25:17; 1 Samuel 25:21; 1 Samuel 25:26; 1 Samuel 25:34; 1 Samuel 25:39 [1]). [2]
"Together they underscore one of the major themes of the story: Good brings its own reward, while evil recoils on the head of the wicked." [3]