Abigail’s Platter

Abigail's Platter

From 1 Samuel 25

Naan bread, Garlic Naan chips, Lamb skewers, Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce, Simple Fig pudding with Raisin Jam

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Let's start today's story with this reassurance in mind: God works for the good of those who love Him.

Do you know the meaning of your name? I mean the real meaning! Why were you given this particular name? What inspired your parents to give you this name? Is there a story behind it? If you don't, try to find out, because…

Names are powerful! Your name speaks over your life, day in and day out. Our story's core message revolves around three important names like that from 1 Samuel 25.

They are:

1. David, meaning 'Beloved' or 'Favorite'

2. Abigail, meaning 'Source of Joy' or 'Cause of Joy'

3. Nabal, meaning 'Fool' or 'Senseless'

Each of these three people will live up to their names in this story. On a side note - who would name their child 'a fool'?!?! I am not sure if this, in fact, was Nabal’s original name or maybe it was the name he 'acquired' for the way he lived in his lifetime. But this is the only name given for him in the Bible, so I am going to assume this is his real name.

His parents named him 'senseless fool' , Ouch..

We have to be really careful while naming our children or anyone for that matter. What if it turns out to be a theme of their life?

Our story today starts in 1 Samuel 25:2.

A very wealthy man named Nabal in Maon (once a city of Judah, now a ruin) had property in Carmel (also a city of Judah, north of Maon). He had 1000 goats and 3000 sheep. In olden times, wealth was assessed by the size of their flocks. So in those terms, there is no doubt, Nabal was undeniably very rich.

Not only was he rich, he also had a very beautiful, intelligent wife named Abigail, (the only time in the Bible where a woman was described as both beautiful and intelligent, by the way). Very special indeed! But in contrast to this information, Nabal was described as mean in his dealings and bad tempered.

Nabal was also a Calebite - now why this detail? It could be anything, but I looked up the meaning of the name Caleb, it either means, 'whole-hearted' or 'dog like'. Dog like? Maybe the author had a pun with the names and meanings, although dogs have unwavering affection toward their owners, which would go along with whole-hearted.

Now David, (who will be King after Saul, and also the most beloved king of the Israelites in the whole of their history), was running from King Saul's men. He was moving from wilderness to wilderness trying to stay alive. He already had a reputation that Lord God was with him in everything he did. And if that was not enough, King Saul - who was trying to kill David on one hand, declared that 'you (David) are more righteous than I (Saul)'.

So, it's safe to say, David was known to be a righteous man of God who was also a mighty warrior, and his reputation preceded him wherever he went.

It was now shearing season and David was near Carmel. He and his men gave protection to Nabal's shepherds and treated them well, but as David and his men were now low on supplies, he sent ten young men to Nabal for help as he heard that Nabal was shearing the sheep.

1 Samuel 25:4 says:

While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!'

Wow! What a beautiful salutation! He wanted to give Nabal his due respect. The 'respect' he would receive in return!

1 Samuel 25:7 continues:

'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you.Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son, David, whatever you can find for them.

David made an honorable request of Nabal. Why? For one, David and his men could have taken/stolen the sheep while they were guarding them as obviously they were low in supplies, and two, David waited for the right time to make his request, sheep-shearing time.

What is sheep-shearing time in olden days?

It has been written that Nabal owned 3000 sheep and he was shearing many of those in Carmel. In olden days, sheep-shearing time would have been like harvest time. There would be great profit from all the wool sheared.

Hints: In verse 8 of 1 Samuel 25, 'we come at a festive time,' and in verse 36 in the same chapter it has written, 'When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king.’

From these hints we know that Nabal's harvest was plentiful. He could throw a banquet as grand as that of a king.

Just a quick calculation in today's worth:

One sheep makes an average of 10 lbs. of wool per year so…

10 x 1000 = 10,000 lbs of wool.

1lb. of high quality wool goes for an average of $25 so…

10,000 x 25 = $250,000

Nabal owned 3000 sheep so…

250,000 x 3 = $750,000

Now, this is in today's standards, but let's not forget, a high quality sheep's wool was very valuable back in those times. All this is to say he had a PLENTIFUL harvest.

David's men gave this message to Nabal, and 1Samuel 25:10-11 says,

‘Nabal answered David's servants, 'Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?’

Ok, wait a minute here, Nabal really doesn't know David? David was a very powerful man back then, not to mention the King's son-in-law, and everyone knew that he would be the next king.

Hint: Later in this same chapter, when Abigail meets David, she seems to know a lot about David, from who he is to what he is going to become. She seems to be very well informed.

Why, then, didn't Nabal seem to know? Is he naive or foolish like his name or just plain outright arrogant? Maybe a combination of both.

David's men reported this reply back to him and as expected David, enraged, gathered 400 men to attack Nabal.

This is where the character Abigail gives entry.

One of the servants informs Abigail of this incident and warns her of the potential disaster waiting to happen if David attacks Nabal's home. (1Samuel 14-17) The servant urges Abigail to do something, as his master is 'such a wicked man that no one can talk to'. Ouch again... Looks like Nabal was not very well liked, even in his own house.

1 Samuel 25:18 says:

‘Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisin and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, 'Go on ahead, I'll follow you'. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

Hint: Our meal today is going to revolve around these supplies Abigail brought to David.

Abigail made a bold political move here. She was not only facing 400 enraged men with swords who wanted to attack her house. She would also face the future king. This made me think: Abigail was a woman who lived 3000 years ago, and if she could take such a brave, authoritative step, how about us in these modern times?

You don't need status to do what is right, you need wisdom!

Not only was Abigail full of wisdom, she was also brave, quick to think, humble and a great communicator. That's a winning combination! No wonder she became the future queen for King David.

She quickly pointed out the adverse outcome if David carried out his vengeance, and she reminded him of all the good works God had promised in David's future.

1 Samuel 25:31 says, ‘My lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.’

She presented all her points one after the other so well that even a political leader like David turned his anger into praising her and praising God. How did that happen? Wisdom with humility is a winning combination, not to mention, anyone with wisdom can hold their leaders accountable. She did and we should, too.

David accepted her offer and said, 'If you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by day break' and he sent her away by blessing her. Disaster was averted by Abigail.

When I meditated on this story, I couldn’t help but think of God's goodness in all this. This story could have gone in any direction but we know David loved the Lord with all his heart and God changed a potential disaster into goodness. It completely changed Abigail's life, for sure. God worked for her good and gave her a king for a husband, and a great political status, I presume.

Romans 8:28

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

How many disasters have turned into goodness in your life? Can you take some time and think of some?

We all know how this story ends: Abigail goes back home and tells Nabal everything in the morning and his heart fails him right away, and he dies about 10 days later. David hears this news and sends a word asking Abigail's hand in marriage and she accepts and becomes David's wife. David and Abigail have at least one son that we know of named Kileab or Daniel (From 2 Samuel 3:3, 1 Chronicles 3:1).

Other than this particular story and the mentions of her son, Abigail's name was never mentioned in any other stories in the Bible, but her bravery, humility and wisdom in the face of great danger make her a greatly respected woman of the Bible. She indeed lived up to the meaning of her name, Cause for Joy!

On to our Recipe:

My thought was to make a beautiful platter using most of the items presented by Abigail to David. I call it Abigail's platter. It was a generous spread, so a platter is indeed in order.

1. Minced lamb skewers with yogurt mint dipping sauce

2. Mini naan bread and garlic naan strips

3. Fig pudding with raisin jam

Minced Lamb Skewers recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chunks of lamb (You can also use ground beed, goat, chicken or turkey for this recipe. Cooking time may vary.You may also be able to find ground lamb)

1 Tbsp each of chopped garlic and ginger

3 green chillis

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 Tsp each of cumin and fennel seeds

1/2 cup cilantro

1 tsp. chilli powder or paprika

1/4 tsp. turmeric (optional)

1 Tbsp. yogurt

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 tsp.corn flour

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Skewer sticks, soaked in water for 10 minutes

Method:

1. In a chopper/blender add meat, salt, chilli powder or paprika, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, turmeric. cilantro, bread crumbs, onions, yogurt and lemon juice and blend it till it forms a rough paste . If using ground meat, blend everything else excluding the meat, then add in the meat.

2. Mix corn flour into this mixture. and make equal sized balls of meat

3.. Wet your hands in water and mold the meat ball around the soaked skewers

4. Place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Grill the skewers for 5 minutes each side or until cooked.

6. You can use the stove top and cook this on a skillet with a bit of oil.

Mint Yogurt Dipping Sauce :

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of chopped mint

1 clove of garlic

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Blend cilantro, mint, garlic olive oil, lemon juice in a blender

2. Add yogurt into the same blender and blend it for a second

3. Serve cold

Mini Naan bread recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of milk

1 packet of active dry yeast (0.25 Oz)

1/2 Tsp. garlic powder

1 Tsp. sugar

1/2 Tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1/4 cup of water or as needed

Method:

1. Warm the milk (I warmed it up in a microwave for 30 seconds) and to that, add sugar, butter , yeast.

2. Let it rest for 5 minutes or until it foams up. Now add garlic powder, salt and flour and mix it to form a dough

3. Use water if it is too dry. you don't have to knead this dough hard. Make a smooth ball out of it and let it rest in a warm place- covered with a clean towel- for 2 hrs or until it's doubled in size.

4. Punch the dough in the middle and knead it for 2 minutes. Let it rest again for 30 minutes.

5. Divide the dough in equal sized balls and roll it out. The dough has to be around the same thickness of a sugar cookie dough.

6. In a hot skillet, place the naan and wait for the bubbles to raise up. At this stage, check if the bottom is golden brown, once it is then flip it and cook for another two minutes. If you are using a gas stove, instead of flipping the naan, you can place the naan directly on top of the flame (bubble side down) and let it cook directly on the flame for 10 seconds. This will give you a nice char on the bubbles.

7. Serve it hot - you can rub a little bit of butter , when the naan is still hot for additional flavor.

Garlic Naan strips:

1. Cut the cooked naan into the desired shape.

2. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle garlic powder and chopped cilantro on top.

3. Preheat the oven for 400 degrees and place these naan stips on a pan and into the oven for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Hot crispy naan chips will be ready in no time.

Fig Pudding with Raisin Jam:

Ingredients:

10 pieces of dried Figs

1 cup of raisins

2.5 cups of milk

1/2 cup of condensed milk

1/2 cup of evaporated milk

1 Tsp. cardamom Pods or use 1 Tsp. of Vanilla essence

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 Tsp. corn flour

Chopped Almonds for garnish

Method:

1. Soak the figs in Hot water for 1 hour

2. Soak the Raisins in Hot water for 1 hour

3. In a heavy bottomed pot, combine milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and heat just till it gets warm to touch.

4. Chop the softened figs, make sure to take out the stems

5. In a blender, combine the milk and the chopped figs and blend it till smooth

6. Immediately transfer the mixture in small serving cups and cover all the cups with a lid and let it sit in a dry place for 3 hours.

7. It will set as it sits at room temperature and then cool it in the fridge overnight.

8. For the Raisin Jam - In a pot, add 2 cups of water and soaked raisins and till it in 20 minutes on medium flame.

9. Once it's cooled down, blend the mixture in a blender and transfer it back to the pot.

10. let it simmer till it thickens, at this stage add butter and sugar. it will lose up a bit.

11. In a cup, combine the corn flour with 2 tablespoons of water and then add it to the thickening jam.

12. Keep mixing the jam now as it will tend to stick to the bottom.

13. In 2 minutes, it will come to a perfect jam consistency. Switch off the flame. Cool it down and transfer it to a glass jar and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

14. Before serving , scoop a small spoon full of jam onto the pudding and sprinkle some almonds. Serve cold.