1 Samuel 25:5-8 – The Law of Reciprocity

In the earlier verses, we discover that Nabal was a wealthy businessman from Maon. He owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was about to increase his wealth, as this was the shearing season and he was found shearing his sheep. When David heard the news that Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel, he summoned ten of his young men and gave them specific instruction, saying “Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name; and thus you shall say, ‘Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. Now I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

From these verses, we can imagine that plenty of activities had taken place between 1 Samuel 25:1 which says that David was in Paran, and 1 Samuel 25:2 which introduces us to Nabal, the wealthy businessman. David and his men had spent some time around Carmel, the place where Nabal conducted his business. It was in Carmel that the shepherds of Nabal’s men kept their master’s sheep. Since David and his men were there in the same region, they dealt kindly with the shepherds of Nabal and did them no harm. Not a single sheep of their’s suffered any loss because David and his men helped to ensure that. Without a doubt, David and his men had benefitted Nabal’s sheep industry.   

Now David and his men had needs. Since they had been providing security for Nabal’s shepherds, he was hoping that their master would reciprocate their kindness and be generous toward them by helping them with their needs. David approached the whole request with much humility. Notice how his men were to approach Nabal. He literally instructed them not to show arrogance but make their request humbly. Notice that David was not insistent. He wasn’t unreasonable and assuming. The kindness he and his men had shown could be attested to by Nabal’s men. David did not make any demand. Instead, all he requested was for Nabal to give them what he deemed reasonable.

David's approach was more for assistance then for payment. He wasn’t demanding though he could have. He requested for assistance even though he had every right to ask for a return for his favor. One lesson we learn here is on the law of reciprocity. We should always initiate to respond to kindness without having to be asked, especially when it comes to God, who had done so much for us. Gratitude tells us that we must return to serve God with our very best in the light of the very best He had given to us.