“One of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail: ‘David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.’
Along with ‘please’ and ‘I’m sorry’, ‘thank you’ is one good manner our parents expect their grandchildren to learn, hahaha :> It is honestly one big pressure - - not because I am merely pleasing them- - but because it difficultly demands daily discipline for me and the kids. One act should always run in full cycle: they ask something-I ask ‘what will you say?’-they say ‘please’-I give them their want- I ask again ‘what will you say?’, and until it ends with ‘thank you’, we wouldn’t leave that square lot despite their cry, or mine, hahaha :> And the list goes from cookie to toy, dvd then book, to pee or poo. It is endless and oftentimes annoying. But God is never just watching. He still moves stones. Once or twice in a day, when I’m almost at my last straw of sanity, they’ll run back with a hug and will say again ‘thank you mom’ - - unprompted! And I’m full tanked again!Gratitude delights a giver. Not that our act of kindness is motivated by the need to be favored back but because there is worth in every gift given. Responding wrong, even responding not, although unaffecting to the true value of the gift, is a brag that aims to strip off its sparkle, thus insulting the giver. No one asked David and his men to protect Nabal’s sheep herd from loots. They did it in the pleasure of God. In desperate times, weighing their supplies and found nearly gone, we could imagine their leader exhausting all options to keep them alive. Nabal was top of the list. He was wealthy and in the luxurious mode. They did him some good, although voluntarily, but they could use it as a rapport plus factor. David conditioned his men to come to him in good manners and in all modesty, to never ask for wants, but to submit to whatever grace Nabal can find for them. It was a noble plan. But they were hurled with insults instead. He called David a nobody and his deeds nothing. Imagine yourself heir to the throne, a hero of your country. You did your duty faithfully, not retaliating although falsely accused, kept your faith and your men morally unimpaired, and now this. I could understand why David put on his sword. But God kept him from avenging himself. The fact that God struck Nabal to death meant it was a displeasure to Him as well.
When God sent us His Son to die in our stead, it was love unconditional. Regardless of our response, Jesus is a valuable gift. But not acknowledging His Son is an insult. It is trampling the grace of God underfoot. It’s like saying He’s a nobody and His deeds nothing! Everyday we experience His abundant blessings, personally and as a people. Should we thank God for the sun? for our every breath? for our families, friends, health, career? By not thanking God, we are implying those are insignificant gifts and Him a lame Giver. Ever had a recipient who frowned at your gift, or never said a word, not even a nod? You’d want to take it back right? Be grateful for God’s mercy. We’re undeserving but He still keeps on giving. So let me ask you, as I would with my kids: did God give you something today? Yes? So now what will you say?
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