1 Samuel 30:21-25
Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
Tag: Leadership Uses Grace to Build Teams
In the above verses we see that David and his merry men have finally overcome their enemy, retrieved their stolen property and family and were now returning with the spoils of war. During the pursuit, some of David’s men became exhausted and were left behind. As a result, they did not fight in the battle. Those who did, were envious and thought their hard work should be rewarded. They thought the weakness of those left behind should not be rewarded. The division in the ranks was brewing and David had to sort this out. Such is leadership. We have envy within the ranks and leadership must bring the team together. Note what one commentator says about this story:
“The policy of equal sharing recognizes that all they have, particularly the plunder coming from victory in battle, is God-given. There is no indication that the two hundred who stayed behind did so for any other reason than exhaustion. However, David, in describing them as those who stayed with the supplies, gives them a function and in so doing restores their self-respect and makes them more likely to function well in the future. The principle that every soldier will gain the same reward whatever part he plays in the campaign fits well both with the covenant concept of brotherhood and with the concept of God as the one who is primarily responsible for each one of their victories. It is possible that Paul had been reflecting on passages such as this one when he developed his teaching about one body with many members (1 Cor. 12).” Understanding the Bible Commentary
The key principle here, spoken by David is:
But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.
David recognized that ANY good that comes to us is from God. James says it this way:
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
If we have something good happen to us, it is because of God’s grace. Therefore we should be gracious to others. Bringing a team together is about showing each other grace. The more grace, the more team. Leadership uses grace to build teamwork.
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