March 13, 2019 SENATORS’ BIBLE STUDY • NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL WEEK 9 The 2019 Nebraska Senate Series: “Rulers After God’s Own Heart—The Life of David” Beauty and the Beast INSIDE A WOOL MERCHANT Nabal, the Rich Fool ........ 2 RICH PASTURE LANDS Carmel and Maon ......... 3 A BEAUTY FOR TWO BEASTS The Lovely Abigail ......... 4 NON-INTELLIGENCE? Foolish Atheism ............ 5 eauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes. 1 Samuel 25 is a story about a beauty and a beast. It is a passage about right and wrong. VERSE OF THE WEEK B The theme of good and evil is interwoven into its 44-verse-long fabric. Romans 12:19 ............... 6 Beauty? Different people have different tastes as we witnessed in last week’s joke ABOUT about the Englishwoman and the Frenchman. Likewise, opinions vary about Capitol Ministries® .......... 6 definitions of right and wrong and how to define good and evil. Who are you to judge is a phrase I have heard a lot in the Capitol the last 11 years. Who can judge? True good, as God defines it, is beautiful, but evil is a beast. It is vital that we let God define good and evil. Eve’s green-eyed, envious desire to eat from the only forbidden tree in Eden’s green garden became the free-will choice that ushered evil into Earth’s perfect paradise. Persuaded by the devil and persuading Adam to join her, this trio decided it was time they became like God and decided what good and evil were. I mean, who was God to judge? How dare He forbid anything? Yet God had warned them, and He has warned us that He is the absolute Standard of morality, and He Himself defines what is good and what is evil. He even pronounces woe on all who try to turn lies into truth, good into evil, and beauty into a beast. In Isaiah 5:20-21, God warns humanity that they’d better get it right. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! The Hebrew word “woe” means to wail at a funeral. Sin brings death. God warned Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the forbidden fruit they would surely die. Life and death. 1 Samuel 25 is bracketed by two deaths. Let us study and read about right and wrong, good and evil, a tale as old as time. Beauty and the Beast. Rev. Perry M. Gauthier, V.D.M. Weekly Bible Study During the 106th Legislature’s First Session th SENATORS: 6:45-8:00 a.m., Wednesdays, 13 Floor Sen. McDonnell Hot Breakfast Served STAFF: Noon, Wednesdays, Room 1022 Sen. Halloran Catered Lunch & B.Y.O.BrownBag Beauty and the Beast NABAL, THE RICH FOOL A. THE DEATH OF THE profits were reaped, not biennially, but biannually. Great and generous GODLY 1 Samuel 25:1 feasts were always provided for all. Then Samuel died; and all Israel Beautiful banquets were held. gathered together and mourned ....And David arose and went down Here we meet two main characters: to the wilderness of Paran. a mismatched married couple. Her name meant “joy of my father.” His The end of an era came with the end name probably originally meant of the life of that national hero and “noble” or “skilled” (but more on godly prophetic kingmaker. Even that later). Abigail is purposefully the best of men are men at best, and described with the rare Hebrew all must meet their Maker. Death is phrase “beautiful of outline” (yaw- a tale as old as time. The Bible says She shares .( ֶפָי ה רַאֹתּ = all death is the finale of every son of feh toe-are Adam who lives in this fallen world. that description with Queen Esther Samuel’s passing killed the chances and Rebekah, who were also known of any possible ceasefire from Saul for how their gifts of outward beauty played a key role in Biblical SHEEP SHEARING against David. Death is a real beast, but woes expressed at the national history. Did this beauty marry this funeral were in memory of a harsh, churlish tightwad because WOOL was harvested twice a year, first in the she was young and naïve? An Spring in early June when things begin to dry out beautiful life. Then David fled south into the Judean deserts, further arranged marriage? Maybe “he and the sheep were getting hot with all their thick changed” after he said, “I do.” wool on. It was also harvested in the Fall. from his mortally envious enemy. There he met a real beauty married The Romans used to pluck the wool by hand, but to a real beast of a man. DAVID SENDS HIS BLESSINGS the Jews actually sheared it off using bronze AND REQUESTS combs. The Philistines limited their access to and 1 Samuel 25:5-9 B. DAVID’S NEED; ABIGAIL’S So David sent ten young men; David use of iron initially. However, later on, iron shears BEAUTY; NABAL’S INSULT; were developed. said to the young men, “Go up to DAVID’S REFUSAL TO TURN Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name; 6and thus you shall say, NABAL is like “the rich fool” Jesus talked about— THE OTHER CHEEK. ‘Have a long life, peace be to you, the only man that Jesus called a fool. A BEAUTY AND A BEAST and peace be to your house, and 1 Samuel 25:2-4 peace be to all that you have. 7Now I Luke 12:16-21: And He told them a parable, Now there was a man in Maon have heard that you have shearers; saying, “The land of a rich man was very whose business was in Carmel; and now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, productive. And he began reasoning to himself, the man was very rich, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And it nor have they missed anything all saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to 8 came about while he was shearing the days they were in Carmel. Ask store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will his sheep in Carmel 3(now the man’s your young men and they will tell do: I will tear down my barns and build larger name was Nabal, and his wife’s you. Let my young men find favor in ones, and there I will store all my grain and my name was Abigail. The woman was your eyes, for we have come on a goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have intelligent and beautiful in festive day. Please give whatever many goods laid up for many years to come; take appearance but the man was harsh you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’” 9When your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said and evil in his dealings, and he was a 4 David’s young men came, they spoke to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is Calebite), that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing to Nabal according to all these required of you; and now who will own what you his sheep. words in David’s name, then waited. have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. From his years at Jesse & Sons LLC, Needing to feed his 600 men and David was well aware of the value of their families, David sent a ten-man protecting flocks from poaching delegation to deliver a blessing and bandits and marauding sheep request. He uses the word shalom . rustlers. His small army gave round- (English: peace) three times. Peace the-clock protection to Nabal’s huge is wished upon Nabal, his house, herds and expected payment by the and even all of his possessions. standards and customs of the day. Next, David asked (he did not Like our bellboys and food servers, demand) that Nabal see if anything such payment is surely expected but is handy with which he might pay never demanded. Shearing time back the troops of David for months was the wool harvest when great of faithful service and protection. [ 2 ] SENATORS’ BIBLE STUDY • NEBRASKA STATE CAPITOL AN EVIL, ARROGANT ANSWER Ü RICH PASTURE LANDS In Engedi’s cave our humble hero 1 Samuel 25:10-11 did “the Dave wave,” said goodbye Nabal answered David’s servants, to personal vengeance, and spared saying, “Who is David? Who is the his mortal enemy—the killer-King— son of Jesse? Many servants today are each breaking away from his Saul. Now, 401 swords are rattling master. 11Shall I then take my bread, simply because his pride was hurt my water, and my meat that I have by that stinging slap in front of his slaughtered for my shearers, and I 600 hungry soldiers. Big mistake! give it to men whose origin I do not know?” (emphasis mine) We should note the contrast. In chapter 24 David is the restrainer; Instead of an honest and economic he will not harm Saul himself or appreciation for David’s work and permit his men to do so. But in CARMEL AND MAON blessing, this greedy, thick-headed chapter 25 he must be restrained; he clod offered insults—public, major, is bent on spilling Nabal’s blood and There are two Carmels in the ugly, stinging slaps to David’s right that of his men because of Nabal’s Old Testament.