17Mar16

1 Samuel 22:2
"All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him."

Last night at the Camp Stanley Bible study we discussed this chapter of Samuel. I kept coming back to this one verse. It stood out to me and I wanted to share it with you all this morning. At this point in his life David is being chased by king Saul. He had been on the top of his game and loved by the entire nation and now he is hiding in the hills from the king because he got too popular. But, people start to hear about him and start to come to him. He doesn't choose who he gets. He doesn't get the best of the best like he once had. No. He gets those in distress, debt, and discontented. But, rather than saying, "nope, you'll never make a good Soldier." Or, "You've got too much baggage." Or, "I can't deal with your attitude." David accepts them... and transforms them. He pays attention to their needs and ensures that they are accepted. He creates loyalty in a way that he never had before.

Later in his life these men are talked about in a very different way. They are no longer those in distress, debt, and discontent. They are David's "mighty men." These men risk their lives just to get David a drink from a well surrounded by enemy combatants simply because he mentioned he was thirsty. These men wrestled lions in pits on snowy days. These men became the men that David thought they could be because he was loyal to them in their distress, pain, and discomfort. He accepted them at their worst and they became their best.

Sometimes we don't choose what, or who, we are given to work with but, it is important that we understand that a great leader transforms those around them for the better instead of using them up and throwing them away. They recognize that the greatest investment they can make is in meeting the needs of the Soldiers around them. David could have easily have used those men as fodder or ransomed them to gain status... but, instead he transformed them through his loyalty to them. Who have you been given? Who are you accepting and transforming today?