1 Samuel 25:28
“I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.”
The move that Abigail made to keep David from destroying her house not only saved her husband’s life, but it likely saved David’s kingdom. When she met him on his way to destroy her house, she told him that “the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house.” She knew that God’s hand was upon him, but that the move that he was about to make would have followed him the rest of his life and likely caused the LORD to remove His blessings from David’s life.
The word “sure” means to be steady, firm and strong. In a world where dysfunctional homes seem to be common place, having a home that is sure and steady is something everyone should desire. Sure and steady homes produce children who serve the LORD. Sure and steady homes produce sure and steady children. There were three things that produced this “sure house.”
First, fighting the “battles of the LORD” produced a sure house. You will never have a strong home when you don’t make your home about serving the LORD. Too many people make serving the LORD an option instead of a lifestyle. Many homes have made the LORD an appointment they have to go take care of on Sunday morning instead of making the Christian life a lifestyle for their home. You will never secure a sure and steady home without making the LORD the centerpiece of all that you do. At the core of every dysfunctional home is a family who has not made the LORD the central focus of all that they do. Serving the LORD as a family will help produce a sure, strong and steady home.
Second, taking self out of the picture helps to produce a sure house. What almost got David into trouble was making the battle about his whims instead of what the LORD wanted. The home that makes self its focus is the home that become dysfunctional. If each member of the home will strive to meet the needs of others, then you will remove any source of strife which will result in a happy home.
Third, not living to do others wrong will produce a sure house. Abigail said that evil hadn’t been found in David his entire life and that is why the LORD would build him a sure house. If you want a sure house, then you need to make every effort not to hurt others in the home. “I’m sorry” needs to be the two words that are common place in every home. You need to take others into account with everything you do. When others in your home do you wrong, don’t try to get even. If your spouse has wronged you, reward the evil with good. If a sibling has wronged another sibling, then they need to learn that trying to hurt the other will not be allowed. Sure homes are built by each individual doing their best not to hurt each other and forgiving when they have been hurt.
Building a sure house comes down to one thing, making the LORD the central focus. When you take your eyes off yourself and keep them on the LORD, then you will find the actions of others won’t bother you. It is only when you have your eyes on yourself that you will feel someone has wronged you. Make it clear in your home that everything you do is about the LORD. When the LORD is the focus of all that you do, then you will find your home will be sure and steady.