Abigail - Her Life And Times

Abigail - Her Life And Times

FOOD

Two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs — what a feast! Abigail put together a marvelous meal for David and his men.

Even though famine was not unknown in the area, Palestine had the reputation of being a “land of milk and honey.” The most basic food of the land was bread. The bread of biblical times was coarse, dark, and rich. Field workers often brought two small hollow loaves of bread with them, one they filled with olives and the other with cheese. Abigail’s offering of two hundred loaves of such bread formed a bountiful beginning to the meal for David and his men.

Wine was the common drink in this hot land. Juices fermented quickly in bags of animal skins. Often wine was mixed with water to provide a refreshing drink with meals. Wine also was used as a disinfectant (Luke 10:34) and as a medicine (1 Timothy 5:23).

Next Abigail took five “dressed sheep.” No, this didn’t mean the sheep wore clothes appropriate for the trip; it meant they were killed and skinned and ready to be cooked. Because the sheep were dressed, David’s men merely had to build a fire and cook parts of the sheep to eat. Sheep, both young and old, formed a major part of the Israelites’ meat diet, as did calves, goats, and different types of birds. Hunters also brought in venison, antelope, and other wild animals, and fishermen provided many types of fish for eating, something the Israelites complained about missing while they were wandering in the desert.

The bushel of roasted grain was a food that could be eaten anywhere, anytime. Since David and his men were often pursued, such food would have been a helpful addition to their diet. Such roasted grain along with a bit of wine often formed a quick lunch for field laborers (Ruth 2:14).

Now for dessert — or at least something sweet. Abigail gathered one hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs. Palestine swelled with the produce from the vine and fig tree, so much so that the tree came to be known as a metaphor for safe, abundant living: “During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25). Fresh fruit of many different kinds was available year round, but the first fresh figs of the year were considered a special delicacy. Dried figs and raisins also made excellent food for the traveler, perfect for David and his men.

The women in Israelite households (some things never change!) customarily prepared the meals. They usually prepared food in a mixed form; that is, small pieces of meat, vegetables, rice, grain, and sometimes fruits were mixed together to form the meal rather than being kept separate, as is common today. The Israelite diet could be almost as varied — depending on the season and the individual’s wealth — as many of today’s people have come to expect and enjoy.

New Testament writers used food as a metaphor for spiritual nourishment. Paul talks about the milk, rather than solid food, required by new Christians (1 Corinthians 3:2), and the writer to the Hebrews writes of those Christians whose spiritual growth is so slow that they still require milk rather than solid food (Hebrews 5:11 – 14). Jesus reminded his disciples that “life is more than food” (Luke 12:23 – 26), and that we shouldn’t worry so much about it.