David’s encounter with a fool named Nabal seems odd, impractical, and out of place. David’s genocidal intent and deviant marital practices would be rated for mature audiences by today’s streaming services, so why is this story in the Bible? First Samuel 25 is sandwiched between stories of David’s refusal to kill Saul (chap. 24; 26). In the Nabal story, though, David and his entourage are denied a meal, so he vows to gather 400 of his men and kill every male that belongs to Nabal by the next morning (25:22). David is only saved from shedding innocent blood by the wise intervention of Nabal’s wife, and then by Yahweh, who puts Nabal to death 10 days later. At the end of the story, David marries Nabal’s widow, takes another wife, and loses his first wife when Saul steals her away. As readers, we instinctively know we shouldn’t “dare to be a David” and model his murderous intent or the soap opera of his love life. But as we read this story in our morning devotions, many of us will struggle to find anything of spiritual value. When we remember that every part of the Old Testament has been fulfilled by Christ and should lead us to revel in Christ, so that we’re built up as mature Christians, we’re even more bewildered. The breakthrough for gospel nourishment comes as we read the details of 1 Samuel 25 in light of the Bible’s unfolding story. Unfolding Story of Old Testament Kings To find gospel nourishment in this story, first step back and notice how it fits into the larger Old Testament story. After an initial promise that Yahweh will raise up a descendant of the woman who will reverse sin’s effects (Gen. 3:15), the unfolding story reveals that this will be accomplished by kings in the lineage of Abraham, Jacob, and, ultimately, Judah (17:6, 16; 35:11; 49:10; see Num. 24:17). Since kings will figure so prominently in God’s plan of redemption, Moses outlines their essential qualities in Deuteronomy 17:14–20: Each future king must be an Israelite, be chosen by Yahweh, trust in Yahweh instead of in defense spending and economic growth, not marry multiple wives, and be so steeped in God’s Word that it shapes his reign. As the book of Samuel opens, we learn that the human hero of the story will be a king (1 Sam. 2:10), ultimately identified as David at his anointing by Samuel (chap. 16). David then delivers God’s people in battle (chap. 17), and the Lord preserves him as Saul seeks to kill him (chap. 18–31). Along the way, David’s righteousness shines forth as he refuses every opportunity to avenge himself against Yahweh’s rejected, yet anointed, King Saul. Unfolding Story of 1 Samuel 25 Next, step in and notice the story’s details. First Samuel 25 opens with David and 600 of his supporters on their own in the southern wilderness, surviving on the generosity of others. David’s righteousness shines forth as he refuses every opportunity to avenge himself against Yahweh’s rejected, yet anointed, King Saul. At this time in his life, David is living in tension: He’s the rightful king (1 Sam. 16), but Saul is still alive, reigning as king, and trying to kill him. David’s fame is also spreading, as the general population knows that “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (18:7; 21:11; 29:5). In light of this, it’s clear that Nabal—whose name means “fool” in Hebrew—lives up to this reputation when he fails to recognize David’s true identity: “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? . . . Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat . . . and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” (25:10–11). The larger story reveals that when Nabal refuses to help David, he’s endangering the life of God’s rightful king. In response, David vows murderous revenge. Abigail shrewdly talks him out of it, and God directly puts Nabal to death 10 days later. Led to Christ by a Less-than-Ideal King Now that we’ve noticed the central details of 1 Samuel 25 in the context of the unfolding Old Testament story of kings, we can discern three important lessons. First, the conflict with Nabal assures us that the Lord’s plan of redemption will never fail. This is on display as he delivers his chosen, anointed, undeserving, and vulnerable king, David. Next, at a time when the Bible’s story had been weaving a glorious royal robe for David, 1 Samuel 25 hints that his shoulders aren’t wide enough to bear the full splendor of those regal garments. As the proverb warns, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself” (Prov. 26:4). Through his encounter with a man named “Fool,” David has become the proverbial fool who shows himself capable of mass murder—though he’s prevented from committing it—and who begins a life of polygamy (contra Deut. 17:14–20). Long before David’s worst sins against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Sam. 11), this chapter hints that he’ll ultimately fall short. Set against the dark velvet backdrop of David’s foolish actions, the diamond of King Jesus’s perfect righteousness shines all the more brightly. Finally, our hope is meant to be lifted even higher than David, to a King who will never fail his people. As the ultimate King of the Jews (Matt. 27:11, 37), Jesus is a righteous man who has done no evil, as even his enemies acknowledge (vv. 19, 23). When this ultimate King dies, he saves us from our sin by being forsaken by God in our place (1:21; 27:46). Set against the dark velvet backdrop of David’s foolish actions, the diamond of King Jesus’s perfect righteousness—and, therefore, his perfect sacrifice for our sins—shines all the more brightly.

Five years ago, the gates around “Name, Image, Likeness” (NIL) contracts came down, and spending on college athletes took off. For the first time, student athletes could receive money or goods in exchange for endorsements. First through collectives, then schools, then tax breaks—and soon through sponsored uniforms—the multiplying avenues for revenue are making college athletics more lucrative than many professional sports. For fans, this hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. NIL has kept gcood players in college longer and sharpened competition. “The basketball at the top is better than it’s ever been,” college basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy told ESPN just ahead of March Madness this year. But the worries of many fans, coaches, and sports analysts weren’t wrong either. They predicted that paying collegiate athletes would widen the competitive gap between wealthy and less-wealthy schools, weaken team unity, and add professional pressure to young people who were, after all, supposed to be going to class and doing their homework. “People are trying to figure out the landscape of what NIL could be,” said Dordt University athletic director Darin Keizer. “More people have become more vocal about how much they’re spending in sports. The D1 sector is becoming even more money-driven. Student athletes are transferring more than ever because of the dollar.” Some of that is trickling down into smaller divisions like the NAIA, where about 65 percent of the 250 schools are faith-based. (You can see faith’s influence in their rule that every athlete must have one day off a week and in their early and unanimous banning of transgender athletes from women’s sports.) “In our landscape, there’s still a purity around education-based athletics,” Keizer said. “The first thing D1 athletes are typically asking now is, ‘How much money are you going to give me?’ But our recruits are still asking me about faith fit and how we achieve competitive excellence.” The Gospel Coalition asked Keizer how Dordt attracts student athletes, how they fight off the noise of NIL, and how they keep athletes from transferring long enough to disciple them. Dordt is a small school. How do you attract athletes when they could get paid more at a bigger school? What you’re offering has to be at least close to what the other schools you’re playing can offer. For a while, Dordt’s athletic scholarships were so low that it was hard to get some students in the door. We couldn’t compete with schools that had stronger athletic programs. So we started fundraising for scholarships. Since then, we have been able to get to a reasonable spot, where most of our athletes don’t have to make a decision based solely on money. It’s tricky, because you need to be competitive. But also, you cannot try to keep up with the Joneses. Rutgers tried to do that, and has lost more than $500 million since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014. And for us, money is a smaller part of the equation for attracting athletes. Students want to come to Dordt for reasons beyond just basketball, hockey, or soccer. The best thing we can do to attract the type of students we want is to stay focused on our mission of providing faith-based athletics. I’m always asking my coaches, “Where is your arrow pointing? Is your arrow pointing toward faith-integrated athletics, with the center being Christ?” Then we’re pointing in the right direction. But if we’re a degree off, and we’re pointing toward a by-product of what we’re trying to accomplish—that wins column—we need to adjust. We always tell parents, “Winning is a by-product of what we are and what we’re trying to do. It is not our product.” You are winning—the Dordt women’s basketball team just finished second in the NAIA tournament. Senior Macy Sievers has won a host of awards, including NAIA tournament MVP twice and NAIA Player of the Year once. She could be playing at a higher level. Why is she at Dordt? Macy is growing a lot in her faith and learning to become a fantastic grade school teacher. She understands what we’re doing here with the Defender Way—we are committed to the Great Commission and the cultural mandate, equipping students to be servant leaders, academically developing our students, and winning championships. That means we make different choices. For example, we are all about institution-building. We tell our athletes they need to represent the name on the front of their jersey rather than the name on the back. That also means we don’t do things that isolate or elevate one student above another. That would negate the message we’re giving to athletes, that they need to die to themselves, and that we want everybody to be seen, known, and loved. Macy, who is consistently humble and always gives credit to her teammates, is a wonderful example of this. I love what you’re trying to do. But how can you make yourself heard by athletes who are constantly hearing about the financial windfalls they could be getting? We talk to them all the time. This past fall, we led a leadership academy with our athletes about identity. We asked, “Why are you doing this?” And then, “How are you using your platform? Are you playing sports to glorify yourself and gain recognition, which is what the world says, or are you doing it to honor God?” We always tell them their purpose is to live in community, and they have great opportunities to live in community here at Dordt. We use sports as a way to teach good leadership. We also talk about facing adversity. I was talking to one of our baseball players the other day. We’d upset the number three team in the nation. And he told me the other team was so rattled, because they always win. When they were put in the face of adversity, it was really hard for them. For our kids to even recognize that is great. Then we can say, “Well, what do we do when we are faced with adversity? How did you handle that on the field? And how will you handle that as a father or a husband?” We want the Bible—not financial success or fame or feelings—to lead their principles and guide their decisions. In order for that to take hold, you need a lot of time with students. Yes, which is something else NIL is changing. With so many transfers, the coaching relationship is now really nine months instead of four years. Is that enough time to really make an impact on a student’s life? We don’t want short-term, transactional coaching. Our goal is to walk alongside athletes, teaching them to be disciples of Christ and kingdom-builders. When we are recruiting, we’re telling student athletes, “We don’t want to be a two-year stepping stone. We want you here for four years.” President Erik Hoekstra asks us all the time, “What is your Babylon?” He’s referring to Jeremiah 29:7, where God says, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” How can we fight for the good of college football, basketball, track, volleyball, or swimming? We are fighting to be excellent and win championships. But another part of that is fighting to keep it in its right place, underneath the lordship of Christ and the priority of discipling our students.

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