2 Samuel 2:1-11
Saul
is dead, and it's time for David to settle down in a city. He doesn't
have to flee anymore from wilderness to wilderness. So, he prays. He
asks God if he should move to a city in Judah. David feels like he gets a
yes, and the yes points him to Hebron. That place sounds just as good
as any. So David, along with his men and their families (remember there
are around 500 men), and his two wives, all move into a town called
Hebron. They settle all throughout the place.
Over time, people from Judah start flocking to Hebron. They've heard that David is there, and they want to be as close to him as they can. There's something gravitational about the guy. Masses from Judah turn Hebron into a boomtown. The people of Judah decide to make David their king. They like what they see in the guy, and they decide he'd make a great leader.
Meanwhile, David hears that some men in Jabesh Gilead gave Saul a decent burial. David wants to send them thanks, so he sends some messengers with a blessing. David says that he'll return the same goodness that these men have shown Saul by giving him a proper burial. David's also been informed that while Judah was making him their king, Saul's army commander was making Saul's son king over all the rest of Israel.
Saul's son reigned for two years over Israel, and David ruled over Judah for seven and a half. The people love David and they're sticking with him.
As I write this, the thing that's sticking out at me is the idea of kingship, or leadership. The author states that the people chose David to be their king. The other king, the one who ruled over all the rest of Israel, was chosen by Saul's army commander. We're not told what his reign was like, if it was tyrannical or benevolent, or a little of both. We're not told that he led well or poorly. We're just given two time frames. Saul's son - chosen by one man - led for two years. David - chosen by the people - led for seven and a half. We're also told the people stuck with David. He must have been doing something right. Unfortunately, we're given a time frame of nearly eight years in eleven verses. We don't know what happened in that time.
However, we're given some insight into what good leadership looks like - the people stick with good leaders and they last.
I want to start a revolution. Actually, it looks more like a simple gathering of people each week to share dinner together. But, I want it to be different. I want it to be profound. I want it to make people's heads turn and wonder, "Oh my gosh, I've never thought of doing things that way!" I'm working with a couple of close friends who I've gotten to know pretty well over the last six months, and all the ingredients are there. We've got willingness. We've got a place. We've got ambitions.
The biggest battle in all of this is going to happen within me. My mind tells me this is my baby. This is my project, my revolution, my mission to change the world. My heart tells me this is God's work. This is God's baby, God's adventure.
With every new commitment comes this innate desire to control the whole works - the process, the results, the content, the people, the activities, the food, the parking, the money, the life, the hearts, the minds . . . you get the point. It's understandable though, because the world I live in has systems and molds. The workplace has a mold that the employees fit into. The church has a mold that the congregation fits into. And, my [God's] little ragtag group of flounder giggers and gardeners are going to be no different. There' going to be some sort of mold that we have to flex our way into.
And here's where I tie the story of David becoming king over Judah. The mold was created by the people, and not the king. The people created the mold, and they thought David fit into it pretty well. It's a scary thought. It's like what's going on with Michael Dell right now. He was the creator of the mold of Dell, yet over time he was bought out by stockholders and given the boot. Now, he's trying to fit back into the mold they've created and they don't think he fits very well.
One of the biggest problems I see in the Church is it's more of an Abner mold than a Judah mold. What I mean by Abner mold is, one man sought out to make Saul's son king over all of Israel. He created a mold according to his subjective mind. The people had no choice to accept it or not. It just was. A lot of churches start by the meetings of a few people in a living room, yard, or coffee shop. In a sense, it's a David mold. The people make the decisions. But, over time the church grows. The few people meeting in the coffee shop become five hundred people meeting in an auditorium. The mold is still what it was in the coffee shop according to the few who had the vision.
A problem arrives as the church expands. The vision of the few is no longer adequate to uphold the vision of the many. So, how does adequately reshape the mold to incorporate all the new voices into the original plan?
I don't want to be in charge of anything. I want to step up, play my part, and contribute in whatever ways I can. But, I never want to be so close-minded that I think the mold doesn't need to change and evolve over time as new people with different ideas come into the mix.
That's it.
Over time, people from Judah start flocking to Hebron. They've heard that David is there, and they want to be as close to him as they can. There's something gravitational about the guy. Masses from Judah turn Hebron into a boomtown. The people of Judah decide to make David their king. They like what they see in the guy, and they decide he'd make a great leader.
Meanwhile, David hears that some men in Jabesh Gilead gave Saul a decent burial. David wants to send them thanks, so he sends some messengers with a blessing. David says that he'll return the same goodness that these men have shown Saul by giving him a proper burial. David's also been informed that while Judah was making him their king, Saul's army commander was making Saul's son king over all the rest of Israel.
Saul's son reigned for two years over Israel, and David ruled over Judah for seven and a half. The people love David and they're sticking with him.
As I write this, the thing that's sticking out at me is the idea of kingship, or leadership. The author states that the people chose David to be their king. The other king, the one who ruled over all the rest of Israel, was chosen by Saul's army commander. We're not told what his reign was like, if it was tyrannical or benevolent, or a little of both. We're not told that he led well or poorly. We're just given two time frames. Saul's son - chosen by one man - led for two years. David - chosen by the people - led for seven and a half. We're also told the people stuck with David. He must have been doing something right. Unfortunately, we're given a time frame of nearly eight years in eleven verses. We don't know what happened in that time.
However, we're given some insight into what good leadership looks like - the people stick with good leaders and they last.
I want to start a revolution. Actually, it looks more like a simple gathering of people each week to share dinner together. But, I want it to be different. I want it to be profound. I want it to make people's heads turn and wonder, "Oh my gosh, I've never thought of doing things that way!" I'm working with a couple of close friends who I've gotten to know pretty well over the last six months, and all the ingredients are there. We've got willingness. We've got a place. We've got ambitions.
The biggest battle in all of this is going to happen within me. My mind tells me this is my baby. This is my project, my revolution, my mission to change the world. My heart tells me this is God's work. This is God's baby, God's adventure.
With every new commitment comes this innate desire to control the whole works - the process, the results, the content, the people, the activities, the food, the parking, the money, the life, the hearts, the minds . . . you get the point. It's understandable though, because the world I live in has systems and molds. The workplace has a mold that the employees fit into. The church has a mold that the congregation fits into. And, my [God's] little ragtag group of flounder giggers and gardeners are going to be no different. There' going to be some sort of mold that we have to flex our way into.
And here's where I tie the story of David becoming king over Judah. The mold was created by the people, and not the king. The people created the mold, and they thought David fit into it pretty well. It's a scary thought. It's like what's going on with Michael Dell right now. He was the creator of the mold of Dell, yet over time he was bought out by stockholders and given the boot. Now, he's trying to fit back into the mold they've created and they don't think he fits very well.
One of the biggest problems I see in the Church is it's more of an Abner mold than a Judah mold. What I mean by Abner mold is, one man sought out to make Saul's son king over all of Israel. He created a mold according to his subjective mind. The people had no choice to accept it or not. It just was. A lot of churches start by the meetings of a few people in a living room, yard, or coffee shop. In a sense, it's a David mold. The people make the decisions. But, over time the church grows. The few people meeting in the coffee shop become five hundred people meeting in an auditorium. The mold is still what it was in the coffee shop according to the few who had the vision.
A problem arrives as the church expands. The vision of the few is no longer adequate to uphold the vision of the many. So, how does adequately reshape the mold to incorporate all the new voices into the original plan?
I don't want to be in charge of anything. I want to step up, play my part, and contribute in whatever ways I can. But, I never want to be so close-minded that I think the mold doesn't need to change and evolve over time as new people with different ideas come into the mix.
That's it.
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