David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
To some people of our generation, it might appear that David's method of supporting his small army was an illegal "protection racket." But the situation mentioned here was not that at all.  David's expectations of supplies from Nabal were fully justified according to the customs and standards of that time and circumstance.  "Even Nabal's servants and his own wife felt that David was due some compensation for the protection which he had provided for Nabal's flocks and shepherds."[8]