What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 25:2? Now there was a man in Maon • Maon sits in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:55); the setting reminds us that God often moves in out-of-the-way places, just as He later worked through David in the fields of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:11). • This introduction signals that the Lord is about to contrast two men: Nabal of Maon and David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). • God’s Word repeatedly shows how location frames character: Lot in prosperous Sodom (Genesis 13:12-13) versus Abraham in the hill country (Genesis 13:18). whose business was in Carmel • Although Nabal lived in Maon, his commercial interests lay in nearby Carmel, a fertile region (1 Samuel 15:12). Like many today, he commuted between home and profit. • Scripture warns that divided priorities can expose divided hearts (Matthew 6:24). Nabal’s focus on business foreshadows his disregard for righteousness. • David, by contrast, would later center both home and work around Jerusalem, “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:7), illustrating unified devotion. He was a very wealthy man • The statement is factual, not condemnatory; wealth itself is neutral (Deuteronomy 8:18). Yet abundance tests character (Proverbs 30:8-9). • Nabal’s riches will magnify his folly, just as the rich fool’s barns highlighted his unbelief (Luke 12:16-21). • In David’s life we’ll soon see godly stewardship: freely receiving provisions (1 Samuel 25:35) but refusing to profit from injustice (2 Samuel 24:24). with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep • These numbers indicate vast herds for the era. Compare Job’s livestock counts (Job 1:3) that signified blessing. • Goats supplied milk and meat; sheep produced wool—luxury goods that funded further expansion (Proverbs 27:23-27). • The figures also hint at the scale of David’s prior protection work for Nabal’s shepherds (1 Samuel 25:15-16), underscoring Nabal’s indebtedness. which he was shearing in Carmel • Shearing season was a harvest-like festival, marked by feasting and generosity (2 Samuel 13:23-24). • Scripture often pairs shearing with moral tests: Jacob and Laban (Genesis 31:19), Absalom’s plot (2 Samuel 13:28-29). Here, Nabal’s greed will surface when David requests hospitality (1 Samuel 25:8). • The timing accentuates accountability: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest” (Proverbs 3:9). summary 1 Samuel 25:2 introduces Nabal by location, occupation, wealth, assets, and current activity, setting the stage for a clash between selfishness and godly honor. Every detail—Maon, Carmel, riches, herds, and shearing—previews how blessings become snares when a heart resists the Lord, while also highlighting the faithful contrast God will provide through David and, ultimately, through the greater Shepherd-King. |
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