1 Samuel 21:7
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
In the midst of the story of David on the run from Saul, we come to this section where he runs to the priest to ask for help. The priest, Ahimelech, is not aware of David's torn relationship with King Saul and gives food to David's men and a sword for David's defense. During this exchange of assistance the above verse tells us about the evil man, Doeg, who was, for some unknown reason, detained at the temple. He was Edomite so it is hard to understand why he was detained, but his being there would eventually cost Ahimelech, the priest, his family and many of the people in the surrounding area, their lives. Doeg would inform King Saul of Ahimelech's aiding and abetting of the King's enemy. We don't know why Doeg was there, but God had him there. God knew Doeg would be there. God knew what evil was in Doeg's heart and what his information could do to the priest, his family and his friends. Yet, in the sovereign power of God, God did not intervene. God allowed the evilness in Doeg's heart to do what it does. In contrast, later in David's journey, another sovereign act of occurs. This time, mercy and grace are intervening in what was headed to be certain doom for a man name Nabel. David's men had protected Nabel's shepherds and wanted some compensation for their efforts. Nabel, in foolishness (his name means, "fool") spurned David. David, in a haste decision set out to destroy Nabel and all he owned. However, in God's sovereignty He made sure that Nabel's wife, Abigail was informed. Abigail is a women of grace and mercy and after she come to David to plead for mercy in regard to the stupidity of her husband, the following acts take place:
1 Samuel 25:32-34
And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
In two distinct stories we see two "side" stories with two people who are not the main characters of the story ... but become so. God allows the evilness of one to cause harm and He allows the mercy and grace in another to save lives. We can't understand how God's sovereign rule works, but we should recognize that it does. The truth is God has people in the places He does to make sure His will is done. The young nephew of Paul warned him about a plot to kill him by overhearing adults talk in the ear-shot of a child. God is in complete control no matter if it is Doeg or Abigail.
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