The Divine Diagnosis: Interpreting Life’s Events | 1 Samuel 25:36-44

Was it a divine event or only natural? Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller. In yesterday's devotional, we saw that Abigail's appeal to David works. But now she has to return home to the celebration and tell her husband what she did. Let's see how this plays out in 1 Samuel 25:36-44: I think it is essential to see the comparison between Saul and Nabal today. They are comparable men—wealthy, entitled, and benefiting from David's protection equally. Both had their lives spared by David, both had females who married David, both women confided in David to help him avoid inevitable disasters, and both men died under God's judgment. The comparison is remarkable. But the result is Nabal dies. In contemporary medical terms, it sounds like Nabal had an initial stroke and then fell into a coma and died of starvation. However, we cannot avoid David's divine diagnosis. When David hears about Nabal, he perceives a double divine blessing in this event. First, a blessing of vengeance by God for Nabal's insult. Second, Abigail's blessing of protection for holding him back from doing wrongful harm to Nabal. This is intriguing because we often wonder about God's use of natural means to bring justice and blessing. God often uses natural events as instruments of justice. For example, in Genesis 6-9, He brought justice to a corrupt world through the flood. Also, in Exodus 7-12, God sent plagues involving natural elements—frogs, hail, and darkness—to confront Pharaoh's defiance. In the same way, God also uses natural events to grant blessings. For example, in Exodus 16, he provided manna to sustain his people in the wilderness. Then, in Deuteronomy 11, God promised rain for crops as a reward for obedience, using natural weather to nurture provisions for his people. So, the question remains: Should we interpret Nabal's death as natural or divine? Did God do this? Or was this merely a natural circumstance? And the answer to this question is "Yes!" Like Nabal, we will all die. Death is God's judgment for all creation. What bothers us is the connection of death with God's divine providence. Are they connected? Should we see them as one and the same? David's answer is "Yes!" Those of you who believe in Jesus see the connection here. This is because a spiritual reality is more real than the natural. Your redeemed mind sees the divine work in the natural, and there is great hope for you. While you face physical death, you escape eternal death to live forever with God. When you die, you will be raised into eternal life! This is because those who call on the Lord receive the promise of eternal life in heaven, thanks to Jesus Christ's victory over sin and death. And for those who do not know this, you can enjoy this blessing right now by acknowledging Jesus as your Savior and Lord and choosing to live under his grace and blessings. I invite you today to trust in Jesus and choose life. We all will die as God has determined. But you can live now and forever with God. Surrender your life to Jesus right now. Acknowledge your sins, call on his mercy, and accept his gift of salvation—live now and into eternity with Jesus. Don't be foolish like Nabal, living and dying only to yourself, thus dying here and spending eternity in Hell. Death comes to us all. Choose life in Jesus and receive his blessings. If you're ready to make this decision, you can acknowledge Jesus right now. Take this step by saying out loud, "I choose Jesus." And if you just declared that, pray this short prayer with me: "Lord, I choose life. I recognize my need for You. I surrender my life to Your will, trusting in Jesus as my Savior. I want to live under Your grace and blessings. Amen." If you made this decision today, write "I choose Jesus" below, and we will reach out to you with free resources to help you on your journey with Christ.