Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
A path to civility
The man was angry. He felt demeaned, self-righteous, and offended, and he was out for revenge. It looked like violence could break out. Yet, someone in the community was thinking calmly, wisely, humbly—and took a civil approach that defused the situation. Violence was averted and peace established.
This is the biblical story of David and Abigail, the wife of a wealthy property owner whose treatment of David’s men greatly angered David. When Abigail heard of the fraught goings-on, she hastily went to David—not with vulgarity, anger, or a hot temper, but with courtesy and humility. David, touched by Abigail’s wisdom and modesty, relented and thanked her for saving him from committing acts he would later regret (see I Samuel 25).
While this story played out around 3,000 years ago, it has a lot of relevance today. When tempers flare and self-righteousness blares, can we find a calm and civil way forward? Or are we doomed to be dominated by fear and anger?
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
