Leadership is often associated more with the wisdom of the person than with the power of the position. Review again 1 Samuel 25.
The fascinating story of Abigail shows one woman’s single-handed efforts to save her household by using common sense and courage. Abigail stepped out of her normal life situation and exercised tremendous leadership to normalize a situation that threatened to take the life of her husband, probably her children and many of the laborers who worked for them.
Following Samuel’s death, David and his small army moved to the Wilderness of Paran. There he encountered shepherds tending the flocks of a wealthy businessman named Nabal. David’s men had the power to take whatever they needed for food from Nabal’s herds and there would have been nothing Nabal could have done about it but David and his men did not take anything that did not belong to them and actually protected Nabal’s shepherds and herds from others that may have stolen from them.
During shearing season when Nabal could see and understand the value of David and his men, David sent messengers to ask Nabal for some help with food so his men could survive in the land. Nabal’s return message not only said no but was insulting to David. David became angry over the response and prepared his men to physically take what they felt was due them and he planned to kill Nabal in the process. This would have meant that David would have spilled the blood of an arrogant, nasty but innocent Israelite. This could have removed God’s blessing from him.
When Abigail, Nabal’s wife, heard of her husband’s undeserved response to David and of David’s plan to kill Nabal and everyone working for him, she stepped in and took actions to defuse a volatile situation and averted a blood bath. She prepared enough food to temporarily satisfy the needs of David and his army and she personally took it to him. She not only delivered the food but spoke with David, calmed him and diverted his anger that could have harmed David’s relationship with God and the people of Israel.
Abigail’s actions teach us that wise people can effectively initiate actions even when they aren’t in formal leadership positions. Because she had less ego investment in the situation than did either David or Nabal, Abigail was able to avert a confrontation between two leaders that would have proven disastrous for both.
Abigail’s story teaches leaders the value of keeping their composure, surveying the bigger picture, forming a workable plan and influencing other – sometimes more powerful – people to follow a wiser course than the one their anger is driving them to follow.
What circumstances tempt you to lose your composure? Develop a plan now that will alert you to the signals that create loss of composure. Also, is there a situation in your sphere of influence where you could serve the same function of leadership that Abigail used to defuse the situation between David and Nabal?
Tags: Common Sense
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