“Rash reactions are never the best reactions.” —Charles R. Swindoll

Let’s meet Abigail, a woman who deftly and exquisitely applied godly wisdom to a tenuous situation and turned a future king from evil. Standing in the breach between David’s murderous intent and her husband’s insulting indifference, Abigail’s story is told in 1 Samuel 25. This story has it all: an unfair, self-serving boss, a careless husband, frustrated employees, a strained marriage, and a wife who saved her husband’s neck. Abigail’s example is relevant to us today as we seek to apply godly wisdom to our everyday challenges.

Here are some applications from Chuck Swindoll’s message on 1 Samuel 25, based on each character.

• We learn from David that rash reactions never lead to anything good
• We learn from Nabal that insensitive husbands always leave heartache in their wake
• We learn from Abigail that wise wives seldom miss the best use of timing and tact

Although Chuck’s applications are tucked into the marriage rubric, you don’t have to be married in order to glean wisdom to apply immediately to your life. Timing and tact are always worthwhile. Insensitivity or rashness are never traits that we want to purposely act on; they are counter to the fruit of the Spirit.

Lord, keep us humble. Keep us self-aware so we don’t run over people with our rash reactions or tactless words. May these words inhabit our responses:

A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare.
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. (Proverbs 15:1–2)

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

“Demonstrating Wisdom” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series Wise Counsel for Troubled Times. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.