Abigail : The Woman With Beauty and Brains

Scripture References—1 Samuel 25:1-42;2 Samuel 3:3

Name Meaning—Father of Joy, or Cause of Joy

Family Connections—Scripture gives us no clue as to Abigail’s parentage or genealogy. Ellicott suggests that the name given this famous Jewish beauty who became the good angel of Nabal’s household was likely given her by the villagers of her husband’s estate. Meaning “Whose father is joy,” Abigail was “expressive of her sunny, gladness-bringing presence.” Her religious witness and knowledge of Jewish history testify to an early training in a godly home, and acquaintance with the teachings of the prophets in Israel, Her plea before David also reveals her understanding of the events of her own world.

The three conspicuous characters in the story of one of the loveliest females in the Bible are Nabal, Abigail and David. Nabal is described as “the man churlish and evil in his doings” (1 Samuel 25:3), and his record proves him to be all that. Churlish means, a bear of man, harsh, rude and brutal. Destitute of the finer qualities his wife possessed, he was likewise avaricious and selfish. Rich and increased with goods and gold, he thought only of his possessions and could be classed among those of whom it has been written—

Don't Kick the Anthill

Lysa TerKeurst

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)

I stood at the dirt mound watching ants. They were busy. I was not.

The afternoon had been slow for me. Several of my friends had been invited to the community pool. Another friend was at camp for the week. Even my last resort, the pigtailed aggravation that lived in the apartment below, was busy. "She's napping," her mom had informed me.

I walked away thinking, She's six years old. Only two years younger than me and she still takes naps? That's the awfullest thing a mom could do to her child. And this is the awfullest afternoon ever.

Does Athiesm Require Faith?

"The fool has said in his heart that there is no God." - Psalm 14:1

One day, someone caught the comedian W.C. Fields reading the Bible and asked what he was doing. His reply was "just looking for loopholes."* There are a lot of people who read with the same intention of disregarding any evidence.

There are only three options to explain our existence, one is to believe in God, another is agnosticism which states there may be a God but I haven't found proof. The last is atheism where one will state they know God does not exist. Atheism is not just a non-belief in God but a willful denial of his existence. Agnosticism is where one admits that they do not know if God exists.

From Messes to Miracles

"A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." (Proverbs 18:7)
We have what we say. As believers, we know that's a vital biblical truth. We can see it in Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, James 3:2, and many other verses. Yet we often let it slip.

We allow ourselves to begin talking like the world instead of talking the Word. And eventually we get what we've been asking for--a big mess.

If that's happened to you, remember, whatever you have in your life is a product of what you've been saying. 

The Beginning of Wisdom

Written by Suzanne Benner

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”(Proverbs 1:7)

Beyond the connection between fearing God and righteous living, the Bible presents a tight link between the fear of the Lord and wisdom.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.” (Psalm 111:10)

“The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

“A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil.” (Proverbs 14:16)

“The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom.” (Proverbs 15:33)

Once we’ve accepted that we need to fear the Lord, we pursue the path of wisdom. At the same time, seeking wisdom helps us understand what it means to fear God.

2 + 1 = 2 Truth ? Lies ?

The God of Truth

The Creator of the universe is the “God of truth” (Deuteronomy 32:4), and He is “not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). The author of Hebrews said that it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18), and Paul taught the same in Titus 1:2. Because God cannot lie, God’s Word—the Bible—is true (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

Jesus is God, and He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and John stated that Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus told Pilate that He came to “bear witness to the truth” and that everyone “who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37).

The Deniers of Truth

We live in a world where even the concept of truth is mocked in favor of self-contradicting truth claims, such as, “There are no absolutes!” and “All truth is relative!” Man prides himself on his supposed wisdom to the point of convincing himself that intelligence came from non-intelligence, information from non-information, and life from non-life.

This vain thinking arises whenever men suppress the truth of God. Although “they knew God,” they do not glorify Him as God, and they become fools (Romans 1:21–22). Because men exchange “the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25) and do not like to retain God in their thinking, good is viewed as evil, and evil is praised as good (Romans 1:28–32; Isaiah 5:20). Yet the Lord catches the wise in their own craftiness and knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile (1 Corinthians 3:19–20).

The Proclaimers of Truth

Followers of Christ have been called out of this world and its fruitless thinking. Instead of conforming to this world and its wicked ways, we are to be transformed into imitators of Christ (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 11:1). We must be people who speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And since God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), we must proclaim His Word before an unbelieving world of scoffers. Paul told Timothy to preach the Word both “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

God’s Word is certainly “out of season” today. Speaking the truth in love requires us to say offensive things that will often anger unbelievers. Although the message we deliver is offensive, we must deliver it in a manner that is not (Colossians 4:2–6). They must hear that their sin will be judged by the holy Creator and Judge, and that they can only be saved from eternal punishment if they repent of their sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone; He is the One who died in our place and conquered death by His Resurrection.

Speaking the truth in love isn’t always easy. This world loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19), and those who are blinded to the truth love their sin too much. They will call us bigots, homophobes, racists, sexists, child abusers, and more. We must not be intimidated. Rather, we need to fulfill our calling to share the good news, knowing that we will be hated just as Jesus was (John 15:18).

The solution is not to retreat from a sin-loving culture, nor is it found in compromising with worldly thinking. The answer is to stand boldly upon the authority of the Word of God and, in the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, lovingly engage individuals and expose the lies of our culture by teaching the truth—God’s Word. As our Lord despised the shame of the Cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2), each of us must be willing to follow Him and “become a fool” in the world’s eyes so that we “may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18–19).

http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/truth-or-lies?utm_source=answers-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=truth-in-truthless-world