Buzzfeed and the Bible

Oh my, Buzzfeed.  If you are on Facebook and happen to be stuck in the midst of this winter that won’t die, chances are you or someone in your News Feed have discovered Buzzfeed quizzes.  And Zimbio quizzes.  This winter, a large number of my friends have taken all of these and so have I.  We’re that far into avoidance at this point (as I type, we are being blown over by Winter Storm Vulcan – enough said).

I tried to resist this.  I really did.  But then it got the better of me.  Since then, I’ve learned:

And that’s just in the past month! Embarrassingly, that’s not all of them…

I also took a quiz to determine which biblical heroine I am most like.  According to Buzzfeed, I am most like Abigail.  After reading the description on the quiz, my husband agreed with the result.

I didn’t know much about Abigail, so I did a little research about her.  It’s very interesting; depending on the writer’s perspective, Abigail is: wealthy, wise & strong-willed, or submissive & humble, wise & a model wife, or incredibly crafty & possibly a betrayer of her first husband Nabal.

Short story:
Abigail was married to Nabal; David was chosen to be the next king of Israel, but was on the run from Saul, who was not on board with this plan.  These things happen.
David requests provisions from Nabal, as a courtesy for David & his men protecting Nabal’s shepherds in the fields – a simple quid pro quo.  Nabal laughs at David’s men & sends them back empty handed; David & his men get ready to lay siege on Nabal & his house (and everyone in it).
Oblivious to David’s plan, Nabal gets drunk & throws himself quite the feast; meanwhile, word gets back to Abigail that Nabal had shot down the wrong request & was soon getting them all killed, or maimed at best.
Abigail directs Nabal’s men to gather the requested supplies and rides out to David herself to apologize, make amends & abase herself, in an effort to keep the people in her household alive.  David reconsiders, credits Abigail for her wisdom & action to save lives, thanks her, and promises to remember her wisdom & discretion.
Nabal is drunk when Abigail returns, so she waits until morning to tell him how badly he had almost messed up & how she averted the crisis.  Nabal wasn’t the wisest man, but he wasn’t an idiot either.  The realization of what almost happened to those under his protection got to him & ‘his courage failed him’ (I Samuel 25:37).  He died a little over a week later (scared to death, most likely).
When David hears that Abigail is a widow, he sends a proposal & Abigail accepts.  Proverbs 31 is said to be written about Abigail, who was regarded as David’s most virtuous wife.
(Before you start thinking that David hit on every widow in town, this predates the whole Bathsheba incident.)

Whew.  That’s something to live up to, right?

I had a lot of reactions to this story, which I wasn’t familiar with previous to taking this perhaps-not-so-ridiculous quiz.

Abigail is a gutsy chic.  I think I would have liked her.  She wasn’t afraid to take action for the greater good, even if she alone faced the consequences of those actions.  I respect that.

Abigail knew about the virtue of timing – both when she approached David & when she told Nabal what she had done.  Abigail also knew that approaching David had to be done with the right spirit & when she revealed this to Nabal, he needed to realize the situation she had averted.  Abigail knew about the when AND the how.  It makes sense that she was revered for her wisdom.

Then I came around to David, our remaining survivor in this story.  Every time I learn something new about David, I can’t help but remember that David was a man after God’s own heart (I Samuel 13:14).    I have always found great comfort in the fact that a man as virtuous as David could mess things up so very badly and God still saw him as a man after his own heart.  This reminds me that God knows we were bound to screw things up, make mistakes, feel things we shouldn’t – in short, be human.  This passage is also a reminder that God can use anyone to accomplish great things, even if that person is flawed.  We all have heard about David’s flaws.

David had passion.  It’s one of the strongest personality strengths, and weaknesses, we see in him.  We wouldn’t have the strengths without the weaknesses – so I should embrace the positives & work to minimize the negatives when dealing with my own passionate tendencies.

David was flexible when God gave him an alternate route.  When Abigail presented a solution to the situation that prevented deaths in Nabal’s house, as well as less likelihood that his own men would be injured, David changed his mind.  We’re allowed to do that.  I’ve come to believe some paths are meant to be followed for only a time. Just because God wanted that path for us in the past doesn’t mean we are meant to stick to that same path, without variation or redirection, for the rest of time.  When we feel God is nudging, pushing or pulling us (kicking & screaming) in another direction, we should change our course.

David was doing what God wanted him to do – but it still didn’t keep him from being exiled.  Sometimes the path God has for us isn’t easy.  I don’t believe that God wants us to go through hardship, but sometimes human free will (ours’ & others’) interferes with God’s plan.  That’s when the going gets tough. When a path gets difficult, pray & seek guidance, but don’t doubt that God never wanted you on that path.  Pray that He will remove obstacles, turn others’ hearts, or forge a new path for you, according to His will.

David saw a blessing & accepted it when he proposed to Abigail.  We need to learn to cling to the blessings we have, be open to new ones, and also continue to be mindful of the way God has blessed us in the past.  If we seize a blessing on Thursday, we shouldn’t be forgetful of that in a week or two. David certainly didn’t value Abigail’s counsel once or twice – the Bible tells us that she was the wisest of all his wives, which to me says that he sought her counsel frequently.  David didn’t forget what God had already given him when new situations or new gifts came to light.

I’ll close with the proverb about Abigail – I’m sure it’s not new to most of us, but it’s a good one none the less (from Bible Gateway – NIV).  Abigail must have been a spinner as well – there are numerous references to spinning wool & fibers, as well as spinning tools. And there is a vineyard reference in there, too, which mean she probably enjoyed a fine wine.  I think Buzzfeed got this one right on the money…

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character