Changing History: The Story of Abigail and the Witch of Endor

Day 58: I Samuel 25-31

The Bible is full of stories about men. From Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron to Samuel, Saul, and David (and these are just the ones I've read so far), stories of men dominate the Bible. This was a patriarchal society, so it's not very surprising that women aren't brought up as much. Because stories of women aren't as prevalent in scripture, when we do read about a woman in the Bible, the story stands out more.

Two women play key roles in the passages for today: Abigail and the medium (or witch) of Endor.

1. Abigail: Abigail is married to Nabal, and they are very wealthy. Nabal makes some mistakes with David, and David is ready to kill him until Abigail pleads to David to forgive her husband and not murder him. David is listens to Abigail and thanks her for reminding him that he shouldn't take revenge into his own hands. David spares Nabal's life, but 10 days later, Nabal is struck dead by the Lord. Abigail really impacts David, and after Nabal dies, she becomes David's wife. 

2. The witch of Endor: After Samuel dies, Saul does not get any response from the Lord, and so he summons a medium to help him get in touch with Samuel.The witch successfully summons Samuel to the room, and they engage in a seance. Samuel prophesies to Saul that Saul and his three sons will die the next day in battle with the Philistines.

These two women are major factors in the unfolding of the biblical story. Abigail's humility in persuading David alters the course of David's life and of her own. David realizes how he must always go to the Lord first, and Abigail becomes the wife of a future king. Likewise. the witch of Endor plays a major role in Saul's life, particularly in his journey towards repentance.

While women may not be mentioned as often as men in the Bible, they, too, serve important roles in the kingdom of God. Even within a patriarchal society in which women were systemically oppressed, the authors of the Bible still give some women a voice, which demonstrates to me that God values the contributions and perspectives of women, too.