QT 1/31/2023 2 Sam 1:11-16, Leadership requires consistency

2 Samuel 1:11–16 (ESV) —

11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

 

NOTE: One of the keys to leadership is consistency. It does not mean that we do the same thing in every situation, but that the underlying principle(s) remains the same (that implies we have thought through our principles). David took God's revealed will to be sacrosanct. God chose Saul and so Saul was God's anointed. Only God could remove Saul. If he had been appointed by men, that might be a different story. David refused to lift a sword against Saul for that reason, and he did not let his men do so either, although many wanted to. The issue here is three-fold although David's men only differ at one point with the Amalekite. The first issue is that the death of Saul would hasten God's prophecy of David's kingship. The second issue is that men following David would stand to gain by Saul's death. The third issue is that a person took action to kill Saul, God's anointed (versus to suggest or tempt, but in this case act). David's men, probably many of them were guilty in their hearts of the first two, but none acted to kill Saul, the Lord's anointed. Therefore David's actions were consistent.

 

PONDER:

1. As I face decisions at work and home, am I working from a consistent set of principles?
2. Principles are best developed out of wisdom and knowledge -- what is my source?

 

PRAYER: Father, as I seek to be a witness to you in work as a leader, please help to act in a manner consistent with the principles you have shown me in the world. May I continue to wash my mind in your word so that those principles become deeply embedded in my life.