JUNE 3 "THE BAD GUY ISN'T ALWAYS THE BAD GUY"

     The bad guy isn't always the bad guy, sometimes he's the good guy.  It's easy to read this story today and read it dismissing David as the calloused killer, insensitive to the lives that he is affecting by having these innocent people murdered. These parents and citizens must be filled with hatred and animosity towards David. I seriously doubt that this is easy for David to do and the text does make mention to his sparing Mephibosheth from the slaughter. David is simply trying to help Israel, Saul is the culprit and the reason behind why David must to, what to many is, a senseless slaughter of innocent lives. David inquiries to God why the famine (which is also leading to the death of innocent lives) and God's response to David is, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” Saul is long gone now, and David is left with the mess left behind by the previous King. A true leader is one that has the courage to do what's right, for the better of the whole, though it often will cause him to be hated by some. Israel will rejoice when the famine ends and rain falls, but these families who had their sons taken away from them by David will probably 'till their death, loathe David.  Imagine David's heart as he hears about Rizpah who spreads herself over the bodies of her sons, for days, wailing, weeping and protection them from the vultures. Although the famine ends, David must live with this on his conscience that he ordered the execution of Rizpah's sons. Everybody wants to be a leader and have recognition, but nobody wants to and often fail, to make the hard decisions that a true leader must make. This is why politicians are so ineffective today, they are trying to lead at the same time they are waiting for public opinion to help them decide what to do. Their decisions are not based on personnel moral convictions, they are based on polls and public opinion.  Don't ever inquire of God to find out what is wrong and what can be done to fix it if you are not going to have the courage to follow through on what God prompts you to do. It would be better had you not consulted God, than to consult God and then ignore the advice and direction you receive from him. David is an incredible leader, he not only has the wisdom to seek God in this dilemma but he has the courage to follow through on this very difficult resolution that God provides him with. The Apostle Paul, another great leader writes that when God told him what to do, "he did not confer with man". Often we confer with man because we are looking for someone to talk us out of what we sense is what God wants us to do but don't have the courage to do it. If you ask enough people, after God has spoken to you, you will always find enough people to convince you that it was not God and to do otherwise. Always be careful of trying to be spiritual and enquire of God, when you are not spiritual enough to follow through on what he may say, you will be worse off than before. David inquiries and David follows through and all is well, concerning the famine, but many, many leaders and men, would not have followed through and many, many leaders today have enquired of God and never followed through and that is why our Country, our families and our churches are in disarray, because we inquire, but don't follow through because we are more people pleasers than we are God pleasers and God warns us that the fear of man, is a snare. We will never truly lead or serve God until we are set free from the fear of man and the fear of wavering public opinion.