1 Chronicles 13:1-4
David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
Truth: The best rally-cry is one that pursues God!
In these chapters we have the rise of King David as the new leader of Israel. King Saul dies in the first chapter of this section of reading and David is anointed by God as the new king. His Immediately men from David's past (when he was on the on run from Saul) join him as his immediate body guards and confidants (known as David's Mighty Men). But, each tribe in Israel also sends highly qualified and equipped troops to come and support the "new" king. The kingdom did not have much to cheer about since Saul turned into a tyrant and David was on the run. Now they had a person to follow. But, following a personality is never as powerful as following the Person of God!. We live in a society were charisma in leaders often trumps the mission or the cause. People like to follow leaders with great big personalities. These "natural born" leaders tend to solicit enthusiasm and, at times, a blind loyalty. David did not want to be that type of leader. Saul was somewhat that type of leader when the nation of Israel first saw him (he was taller and stronger looking than any of the other men around him). David, however, rallies the nation around the cause of God ... to pursue the Ark of the Covenant. David knew that the longevity of his kingship was not going to be because he was such a great personality (and, yet, he was), but because he could influence the soldiers around him to fight for God and follow God. Solid leadership is not about being a big personality, but about getting others to follow a plan for God. In the natural world, even the unbelievers know the power of a single minded purpose that must be laid out for follower-ship. But, David doesn't just want a single-minded purpose, he wants a purpose that is God-centered. He solidifies his leadership by getting follower-ship to focus on God's glory, not his own. That is godly leadership.
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