Being an important leader, especially when you lead a nation, means being surrounded by people who want power. This leads to lies, deception, scandals, and more. It’s an ugly business. As if it weren’t hard enough to lead.
David really didn’t know who to trust anymore. He had shown grown favor to Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathon as an act of extraordinary mercy and kindness. But now his servant, Ziba, was saying that since David was being driven out as king, Mephibosheth was going to give his allegiance to Absalom instead of David.
David was hurt and furious and granted all that Mephibosheth owned to Ziba. He was only later to discover that Ziba was the betrayer, not Mephibosheth.
Then as David is escaping the city with his loyal followers, a man named Shimei throws dirt and stones on him, cursing him as he is leaving. David’s followers want to kill him for such defilement of the Lord’s anointed. David restrains their hand.
Then Absalom marched into Jerusalem and into the palace to reign as king. Then one of David’s top advisors advised Absalom to show the greatest and utter contempt for David, therefore asserting Absalom’s dominance.
So Absalom took the women of David and slept with them openly and publicly on the rooftop. He utterly shamed and defiled the women and made a mockery of David.
Seriously, how bad can it get? Ziba lied to David taking advantage of a crippled man, David is cursed and had rocks and stones thrown at him as he leaves, and his own son who is staging a coup against him has public sex with his women in front of all Israel to spite him.
David entrusted himself to the Lord, but that didn’t mean what happened wasn’t deeply painful. Or infuriating.
Oftentimes (much of the time) I forgot to “pray for those in authority” (1 Tim 2:2). But our leaders need our prayers as they are always needing to distinguish between truth and lies, deception and honesty, and more.
Lord, I’m asking you to prompt me to pray more.
