Don’t be a foolish man

By Tope Banso.
“I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests” (1 Samuel 25:25a New Living Translation).
In life, sometimes a ‘good’ person, for whatever reasons, end up in a marriage with someone who makes life miserable for him or her.
In the Bible, we find the example of Abigail, who was married to a wrong man! The Bible says of the couple, “This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings” (1 Samuel 25:3 New Living Translation).
How could a descendant of Caleb have become a crude and mean man? Unfortunately, such a thing happens. Caleb, a contemporary of Joshua, was a man of faith, and walked with God wholly.
In contrast, Nabal was a foolish man. He refused to give provisions to David and his men, and insulted him. He paid back the good they had done him earlier with evil. The Bible calls him a scoundrel (1 Samuel 25:17, 25 New King James Version). That is, a son of Belial – a worthless, wicked or good-for-nothing person.
In 1Samuel 25:13, David was ready, with 400 men of war with swords, to destroy Nabal and his household. However, Abigail, averted the evil. She brought provisions to David, fell at his feet, accepted all the blame and begged him to listen to her. She said, “I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests’” (1 Samuel 25:25a New Living Translation). She said she never saw the young men David sent and pleaded with him not to shed the blood of the innocent.
David never knew that Nabal would soon die. About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, and he died (verse 38). David married Abigail thereafter.
The Bible doesn’t tell us why Abigail, a sensible and beautiful woman, married Nabal, a wicked and ill-tempered foolish man. However, he was very rich!
Don’t marry a foolish man. Proverbs 14:7 says, you should go from the presence of a foolish man when you don’t perceive in him the lips of knowledge. A foolish man despises his mother! (Proverbs 15:20a) Beware!
Just as the foolish woman pulls down her house with her own hands (Proverbs 14:1b), the foolish man builds his house – life, family, business, etc. on the sand, by not obeying the Word of God. Surely, it will collapse (Matthew 7:24-27).
Don’t be a foolish man. Build your house on the rock, not on the sand – obey the Word of God. Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God” (Psalms 14:1). Acknowledge and worship God. Job 5:2a says wrath kills a foolish man. Avoid anger. Don’t be wasteful. A foolish man squanders his resources (Proverbs 21:20). Don’t be a drunkard like Nabal (1 Samuel 25:36; Ephesians 5:18).
Show your faith by your works. “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20 New King James Version)
Don’t live like fools; live wisely (Ephesians 5:15).
PRAYER POINT: Father, I receive wisdom from You to live wisely, not like fools.
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing. Please share.
(For more inspiring messages, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
▪Pastor Banso, an Abuja-based minister, can be reached Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria
cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com
Tel No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947