This is the story of a beauty who was to be married to a beast, but it’s not a fable or a Disney movie. It takes place during Bible times in Israel, when David—who would soon be king—was hiding out from King Saul who wanted to kill him.

Abigail came from a devout family, so why would they offer their daughter in marriage to a beast like Nabal? Listen to the Biblical descriptions of the two of them:

Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. (1 Samuel 25:3)

Back to the questions: What possible reason could her family have to want their daughter married to such a vile man? The Bible doesn’t give us this details, but for some people, money covers a multitude of sins, and Nabal was wealthy. Perhaps Abigail’s family was very poor or deeply in debt, and the bride price that was paid at the time of the betrothal (called mohar) would mean that the rest of the family would not have to sell themselves into slavery.

All we know, based on Biblical record, is that in Abigail’s culture, a woman’s value was judged by her ability to marry and bear children (sons). To Nabal, this was the purpose of marriage, and a wife was property purchased to produced many little Nabals. However, he got more than he bargained for when he arranged to marry Abigail.

Listen to the voices of Abigail and her younger sister just before the wedding, imagined from a 21^st century perspective.

Younger sister:

“Women don’t get to choose—not their tasks, their duties, nor their husbands. Women aren’t asked how they feel or what they think. They’re told what to do, who their husband will be, and he decides what their life will be like. Women have no choices, no power, no control. It’s not fair? How can you stand it, Abigail?

“How could father promise you to that boorish, surly, cruel, drunken lout? Can’t he see what kind of a man he is? But what do men care about our happiness? All our father can see is that mohar that will save him from the moneylenders.

“Nabal … Nabal. It’s such an ugly name! But then, what else would you call such a fool, but fool?

“You’ll never get to rest. You’ll have to manage the servants, the shepherds, the household, the trade, but you’ll never get any credit for it. And Nabal will act like he is in charge while he does absolutely nothing but drink the wine.

“He’s mean—he beats his servants, you know. Especially when he’s drinking, and when isn’t he drinking? His own mother was afraid of him. It was a blessing when she died.

“I can’t believe how calm you are. Your trousseau is finished, and you’ll have to go home with him! I’m frightened for you. Oh, Abigail, it’s so unfair!”

Abigail:

“Calm!? If she would ever quit wailing, I’d tell her how frightened I am. If she’d been awake for those long nights she would have seen my tears and heard me pleading with God to stop this awful marriage. I would tell her if she’d give me a chance, but she never stops talking. She loves me, and she’ll miss me, but let’s face it—this is more drama than she’s seen in all her fourteen years.

“I talked to God about all of this: cruelty, fairness, a woman’s lot, and no choices. And he told me I was wrong. There are choices. I can choose to be miserable or to make the best of a miserable situation. I can choose to look for ways out of this agreement between men or realize that I can help my family this way. I can choose to make sure that everyone knows that Nabal is a fool who can’t handle his responsibilities or I can do my best to see that he—we—prosper. I can choose to love the Lord and trust that he will take care of me or I can turn my back on him when things don’t go the way I want them to.

“I’ve said these things to my sister, but she doesn’t hear them. She thinks that I am too afraid to fight. I can’t seem to get her to understand that I am trusting in God’s promises. He promised that all things work out for good for those who love him. Well, I love him, so this is my promise. Can’t she see that I will have more opportunities to make my own choices if I am married to a man who is usually too drunk to function? Who will run the estate if I don’t? Who will take charge of the servants, the flocks, the vineyards, if I don’t?

“She moans that women have no choices, and I can’t deny our lot. But how can I get her to see that the most important choice of her life is hers alone to make? I’m talking about choosing to love and follow God.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121)