There’s this ‘Abishag’ girl from the land of Shunem; yes, that’s her name,
Abishag. I think I’ll just use Abby. At a young age of 17, Abby was chosen to
“get in bed and arouse our master the King” or “wait upon the king and look
after him, she will lie in his arms and keep him warm.” No, she wasn’t chosen to
be a wife or concubine or princess. There was no dowry or bride- price or
promise of financial security. She was chosen to stir up the ‘blood’ of an
old King.
(1 Kings 1:1-3)
I can (not) imagine the kind of turmoil that would have engulfed her
head especially since she virtually had no option to accept or refuse. Put
yourself in the head of a 17-year old girl. She probably had dreams
and aspirations for a young wild romance. A family. Kids. Security. A good
reputation.
The story goes on in Verse 4 saying that “the girl was stunningly
beautiful, and she stayed by the
side of the King and took care of her, but
the King did not have sex with her.” Whew!! Good thing we don’t have to go into
the that stuff. But then, I don’t think the old King would have wanted that
information to get out. So I don’t think it was of general knowledge that
she was still a virgin. Which man would want that kind trouble? The very last
‘woman’ of the great King David. What ever was the use of going after such a
woman?
So let’s fast forward a bit. (If you want further details, read 1 Kings
2:13–15.) The Palace was in a
state of tension as two brothers wanted the same
throne. And guess what? She was part of a treacherous plan. Without her consent
again, of course. She was just some pawn in this big royal family, first to
stir up the ‘blood’ of an aging King and then, a vile plan to take over the
throne. Summary: The plan failed. And she was claimed by the new King of
Israel. She became a piece of family property being passed on from generation
to generation.
But then, judging from the book of Songs of Solomon, Abishag, the
Shunammite woman, had a happy ending; her happy ending. Songs of Solomon is
about her and her husband, King Solomon.
The point that I am trying to make is very simple.
You can still have your
fairy tale.
You can still have your happy ending.
It does not matter what
adverse circumstances you’re in right now, or the kinds of stuff you might
have been involved in, whether you have/had a choice or not, how far gone you
are, you get the point; you can still have your happy ending.
Jeremiah 29:11: “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you,
not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
My pastor once
said the only job a believer has to do is that of believing. God has a plan for
you. Good ones, to give you the future you hope for. Get into God’s word for
yourself. Carry His words etched in your heart. Choose to believe. Just believe.
Remind yourself when contrary thoughts come knocking. Trust Him with your plans
and dreams.
He has it all figured out!