And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” But Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
The transition of power in our day is supposed to be smooth and without much complication. The art of succession planning is a very lucrative aspect of the business consultant world. In chapters 15-19 we have a succession plan for David’s kingship. But it is brought on, not by much planning and framework for success to glorify God, but by the envy of his son, Absalom. Absalom maneuvers to steal the hearts of the people (15:6) and then attempts to overthrow David’s leadership. In the process of David fleeing Jerusalem, several of his followers want to both support him and some want to use this as an opportunity for leverage. In the above passage we see a new follower of David’s who commits to David in loyalty and honor. It is times of poor transition that the true nature of followers is exposed. It is easy to follow someone is position and power when their position and power are not threatened. But notice how the rats jump ship when that position and/or power is sabatoged. God shows us through Moses-to-Joshua and Peter-to-Paul what a great transition looks like. We would do well to vet our followers before the treat to stability. Succession planning should be a structured part of life for leaders. Once this issue with Absalom is corrected, God does a great succession from David-to-Solomon. God knows how to plan succession. When it is done correctly, even the weakest followers have the ability to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment