David was welcomed back as King after Absalom’s revolt.
v 14. Then Amasa convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, “Return to us, and bring back all who are with you.”
Absalom’s revolt against his father David was one of the most harrowing events in David’s life. It deeply disturbed him and caused him to flee from Jerusalem with his family and close advisers. He feared for his life, and he faced the prospect of many people turning against him. Absalom went as far as replacing David’s Army C-in-C with his own man, Amasa. Yet following Absalom’s death it was Amasa who finally persuaded the people of Judah to welcome David back to Jerusalem as King.
Absalom’s revolt looked as if it might divide the kingdom down the older fault lines of Judah and the rest of Israel as it had been before David united the two factions. David’s past successes inspired loyalty however and the decision was made to welcome him back as King.
Many leaders have welcomed this kind of loyalty in an organisation. It is an amalgam of trust and respect and it enables an organisation to survive and even thrive in difficult times. It is so much more than just having orders obeyed – it conveys an underlying willingness to submit to the authority of the leader. It is the same kind of loyalty that became evident in the lives of the early Christian disciples. They had made a conscious decision to follow Jesus, whatever the cost. It is the loyalty that Churches today long for in the lives of those who follow Jesus.
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