I am marveling at the mighty men who came to serve alongside of David. I was surprised to read the first group on names. First they came to David while he was at Ziglag, which means they came to him while Saul was still hunting him. The surprise is that verse 2 mentions that they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.
So people of Saul’s own clan defect to serve David. Wow, that is amazing.
There was something about David that engendered loyalty, service and devotion that surpassed familial and kinship lines. Even Saul’s own son, Jonathan, was devoted to David and pledged a willingness to serve David when he became king.
What is it about David that garnered this depth of devotion? The text is silent, so I am left to wonder and imagine...
Skill, integrity, honor, leadership, vision, commitment to the Lord, fairness, success, personal charisma, the anointing of God...??? I just don’t know. Surely these were factors, and there were probably many others. Likewise, it was likely a mix of things...
Whatever it was David had it and people flocked to be with him.
At a time when Israel could have splintered, David became the rallying point for the nation.
I wondered about what character traits engender loyalty today... and then felt the impulse to pray for increased measure as I move into the closing third of my life...
Oh, Lord, I pray for character... God-honoring, Christ-like character. I pray this, Lord, so that I might in my remaining years continue to add to Your kingdom in increasing measure. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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