Focal passages: 2 Samuel 19:1-15
Trust once lost can be difficult to regain. As I have grown up watching sports, it is heartbreaking to learn about an athlete who cheated in order to win.
All the victories and championships are tarnished by the realization that they were not truly deserved.
Many times, this sort of discovery ends their athletic career, destroys their public credibility and ruins future opportunities.
Regaining confidence is the theme of this passage, which teaches us that God’s leaders must take advantage of opportunities to increase the trust others place in them.
David’s army won a major victory for him that effectively restored him to his throne over the entire nation.
However, in the course of battle, his son Absalom was killed which greatly upset David. The rest of David’s men returned to the city defeated, not because they lost the battle, but because they were following their king in mourning the rebel Absalom’s death.
This may sound extreme, but David’s actions here were driven by emotion, and they had a negative impact on the divided nation and his soldiers in particular. They needed to rally around their rightful king who survived betrayal, but it seemed like he was ungrateful to them for their heroic sacrifice.
Putting emotions aside, David resumed his royal duties and demonstrated that people can be united by trusting in God and in His leaders.
The king reconnected with all the tribes of Israel and made his best effort to reconcile ongoing conflicts.
He regained the trust of the people and continued to serve God’s people as their chosen leader.
Any leader today must also walk the same line of personal feelings and leadership responsibilities.
Even when facing disappointments and struggles, leaders have to remain committed to the God’s plan and acting according to his instructions.