Crystallization-Study of 1 and 2 Samuel
Message Eleven
David and Abigail Typifying the Warring Christ
and the Warring Church
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rev. 19:7、13-15 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.…His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven followed Him on white horses, dressed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He will shepherd them with an iron rod…
13:13 Let us therefore go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
Word of Appetizer
Why is it said that Abigail typifies the warring church in the midst of sufferings?
From 1 Samuel 25 onward, Abigail was always at the side of David the warrior and followed him in his wars. Hence, she typifies the warring church, fighting for God’s kingdom in the midst of sufferings. This is the feature of Abigail as a type of the church. The type of Abigail portrays the church’s participation with the Lord Jesus in spiritual warfare; the church as Christ’s counterpart, His bride, is revealed in Ephesians 5:25-27, and this counterpart becomes the warrior, the fighter, in Ephesians 6:10-13.
Spiritual Burden
Christ will come with His bride as His army, and with her He will fight against Antichrist and his armies. The church’s participation with the Lord Jesus in spiritual warfare; not only must God’s eternal purpose be fulfilled and the desire of His heart be satisfied, but God’s enemy must be defeated; for this, the church must be a warrior.
The Lord Jesus has walked the way of the cross and entered into resurrection, and now He is leading us, His Abigail, to take the way of the cross and follow Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
First Samuel 25:1b-44 is a record of David’s dealing with Nabal and Abigail.
David typifies the warring Christ in the midst of sufferings; David typifies the Lord Jesus as a man in His suffering on earth before His resurrection; David’s suffering was for the conquering of the usurping enemies and the gaining of the good land, the ground for God’s building.
Abigail typifies the warring church in the midst of sufferings; Abigail’s marriage to David typifies the church enlisted as an army for warfare.
The type of Abigail portrays a believer who goes forth unto Jesus outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
The Experience of Life
When a believer in Christ comes out from within the veil, the inner chamber of fellowship, he is able to take the way of the cross and follow the suffering Jesus; on the one hand, we are within the veil, in the Holy of Holies; on the other hand, we are outside the city, the camp, before men. We are within the veil as the Shulammite, living in the Holy of Holies and enjoying the resurrected and glorified Christ, and we are outside the camp as Abigail, living in the world and following the lowly Jesus.
Practice and Application
We need to be one with Christ in His sufferings; we must be willing to pay whatever price is necessary to fulfill our stewardship. As the church, our fighting is to subdue the satanic will and to defeat God’s enemy.
As believers we need to go forth unto Jesus outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Inwardly, we have the enjoyment of the Shulammite in the secret place, and outwardly, we have the public living of Abigail.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 David’s wife is a type of the church (Matt. 12:3)
(Please illustrate that David typifies Christ. Hence, David’s wife is a type of the church.)
T2 Abigail’s beauty and wisdom caught David (1 Sam. 25:28, 30-31, 42)
(Please illustrate that Nabal’s death he took her as his wife, and she became his counterpart in warfare.)
Day 2
T1 David typifies the warring Christ in the midst of sufferings (1 Sam. 25:28; Rev. 19:14-15, 20)
(According to Revelation 19:11-16 and 19-21,explain that Christ will return to defeat and destroy Antichrist and the false prophet.)
T2 Christ, the embodiment of God, will come with His bride to crush the human government (Dan. 2:34)
(Please illustrate that Revelation 19 corresponds with Daniel 2.)
Day 3
T1 Abigail typifies the warring church, fighting for God’s kingdom in the midst of sufferings (Col. 1:24-25)
(Please illustrate that the two categories of the afflictions of Christ.)
T2 We must be willing to pay whatever price is necessary to fulfill our stewardship (Col. 1:24-25)
(Please illustrate that what does the fact that Paul mentions the afflictions of Christ in connection with the stewardship of God indicates?)
Day 4
T1 In the universe there are three wills: the divine will, the satanic will, and the human will (Matt. 3:2; Luke 16:16)
(Please illustrate that how man can turn from the satanic will to the divine will with experiences.)
T2 To exercise our will to be empowered in the Lord (Eph. 6:10)
(Please illustrate that if we would be empowered for spiritual warfare, our will must be strong and exercised.)
Day 5
T1 Our Christian living has two aspects (Heb. 10:19-20; 13:13)
(Please illustrate that the inward aspect can be compared to the Shulammite, and the outward aspect can be compared to Abigail.)
T2 The One within us is the resurrected Christ, and the One without is Jesus the Nazarene (Heb. 10:19-20; 13:13)
(Please illustrate that every day we experience these two aspects with experiences.)
Day 6
T1 When we believed in the Lord, we may have encountered persecution and harassment from men (Heb. 6:19-20; S.S. 6:13)
(Please illustrate that although we may have wept outwardly, we were joyful inwardly. That power, glory, and joy are resurrection.)
T2 We can live in resurrection (Phil. 3:10)
(Please illustrate that a brother was saved because he saw and was touched by the manifestation of resurrection.)
