By Ezekiel Kimosop
I came across a post attributed to a charismatic teacher which claimed that 1 Samuel 25:10-25 taught that God has made believers stewards of riches.
While this statement is partly true, it is often used by prosperity teachers to purport that our covenant relationship with God is a ticket to Earthly riches. This statement speaks volumes about the growing popularity of the prosperity gospel among in Kenya today.
My view is that 1 Samuel 25:10-25 does not support this statement. This passage is dedicated to the story of Nabal, the wealthy but wicked sheep owner who was a descendant of Caleb. He lived in Carmel, a territory that was under David's men during his fugitive life under Saul.
When David sent ten young men to Nabal, the man arrogantly mistreated them. These men had gone to collect the traditional protection fee paid to those who protect shepherds from marauding bandits within a given section of the wilderness under their control. The timing of the request shows that David merely sought for food supplies for his men.
This was a modest support requested from a tycoon of Nabal's stature (see 1 Samuel 25:8, 18). Notice that David's request was not motivated by greed or extortion. No price was set for the service rendered by David's men that is described in 1 Samuel 25:15-16). Others would have perhaps demanded much more.
Nabal acted wickedly towards David but his wife Abigail saved the day by acting swiftly to avert bloodshed. She quickly put together a package of gifts and headed to the wilderness to meet David who was on his way to avenge himself. She also spoke with great wisdom and David's wrath subsided.
Her plea to David in 1 Samuel 25:24-31 was of prophetic proportions. With a careful choice of words, Abigail managed to cooled down David's anger and sought mercy for her family. She feared that David may revisit the matter against her family when he takes the throne.
David graciously accepted he plea and her gifts and withdrew his men.
David later married Abigail after God snuffed out the life of her wicked husband.
This passage does not even remotely support the prosperity gospel! It teaches about justice and fairness in giving honor to those to whom such honor is due.
The passage does not teach that God has appointed us (believers) as stewards of earthly riches or wealth. I am aware that this teaching is at the heart of dominion theology. This is not to suggest that God does not require accountability from us in the management of resources at our disposal. He does. However, our utmost obligation is to proclaim Christ crucified.
1 Cor 4:1 says that we ministers (and by extension all believers) are stewards of the mysteries of God, which in this case is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I consider Abigail as a type of Christ. She raised a ransom and stood in the way of righteous anger that was deservingly due to the wicked offender. By this mediatory act, Abigail saved lives. That's perfectly what Jesus did for us at Calvary. He shielded us from God's righteous wrath in Adam.
We learn from this passage that it is a godly thing to honor our pledges and obligations. We also learn that pride and arrogance associated with riches and privilege often comes with consequences.
Nabal's pride can easily be compared with that of the Rich Fool described Luke 12:13-21. Notice its similarity in the ungodly merriment mentioned in1 Samuel 25:36-38.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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