(Read 2 Samuel 2:12-32)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” We learned yesterday that the nation of Israel was divided after Saul’s death. 11 tribes were under the rule of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, and one tribe (Judah) was under the rule of David, Jesse’s son. The tension between the two nations was palpable. One day General Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon. This spelled nothing but trouble, because Gibeon was where David was headquartered. So Joab, the son of Zeruiah and Commander of David’s forces, led David’s troops out to meet Abner and his men at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down there, facing each other from opposite sides of the pool. Abner had no business bringing his troops into David’s territory. Nothing good was going to come out of it.
While the two forces were staring each other down, General Abner came up with a bright idea. I know this did not come from God. Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” Joab foolishly agreed. So 12 men were chosen to fight from each side. Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side and before you knew it, all 24 of the men were dead. The field where this took place in Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords.
A fierce battle followed that day. It was terrible because brother was fighting against brother, cousin against cousin, and uncles against nephews. The two kings were at home in their respective palaces when a civil war broke out because their military commanders were playing around. When it was all said and done, David’s army lost 19 men that day, but Ishbosheth’s army lost 360. All in all, 379 men died because two commanders made a foolish decision. Not only that, the tension between the two nations, which was already high, was amplified even more.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Only delegate authority to those worthy of the responsibility. Abner and Joab should have known better than to start a civil war without their bosses, the actual kings, involved, but that is exactly what they did. As a leader, know that when you delegate the authority to make a decision to someone, you are going to have to deal with the consequences — good or bad — of their decisions. So choose wisely. If you put the right people in position and you empower them correctly, your job will be much easier and you will be able to get much more done. However, if you put the wrong people in position and you then empower them to make decisions, the results can be disastrous.
2. Take the authority that has been delegated to you seriously and make prayerful decisions. If you are the leader who has been entrusted to lead and make decisions, make sure you do so in a prayerful and careful way. A foolish decision made by a leader can negatively impact all those under his or her leadership. When you are a leader you look at the ‘big picture’ and you ask God for the grace to lead under His direction.
3. Purposeless time leads to foolish decisions. We have all heard it said that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Abner and Joab had idle time, they led their men to spend idle time, they made a foolish decision during the idle time, and 379 men wound up dead because these leaders had nothing better to do than to sit fierce warriors across from each other. So, the message for you is: stay focused and productive. If you have time on your hands, do something productive with it, or get rest, but don’t sit around idly, because nothing good will come from it.
4. If you give satan an inch he will take a mile. If you crack the door open for satan he will kick it wide open. Sin will take you further than you wanted to go, take longer than you wanted it to take, and make you spend more than you planned on spending. So the message is simple: don’t open the door to satan. If you do, you will regret it.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for leading me by Your Spirit and Your Word in all things. I only delegate authority to those worthy of the responsibility. I prayerfully consider those I place in positions of authority, I empower them to maximize the opportunity, and I mentor them so they can lead under the spirit of my leadership. When given delegated authority, I take the responsibility seriously and I lead with integrity. I prayerfully and carefully make my decisions, so that I do not give space to the enemy in any way. I make the most of the leadership opportunity, I make the most of the time, and I seek to get the most out of the people. I avoid idle and unproductive time. When I have time, I use it wisely. I seek to maximize every season, both personally and professionally, so that I can be the man/woman You have called, destined, designed and desired me to be. Father, I am ready to make Kingdom impact today. Use me for Your glory. Bless me to make decisions that will bring glory and honor to Your name, help me to be a blessing to all those I come in contact with, and help me to pour into others the things that You have so graciously poured into me over the years. I have been mentored, therefore I mentor. I have been led, therefore I lead. I am blessed, therefore I seek to be a blessing. As I enter into this day I declare that every meeting, conversation, and activity I engage in today is blessed! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
