Be an Abner

Back now to reflect!

What a battle we have been reading about in 2 Samuel: "the house of Saul and the house of David" (3:1). The Spirit of the Lord descended upon Saul and he was anointed as king. He was disobedient and the Spirit departed from Saul. The Spirit of the Lord is now with David.

As the chapters roll by, we see Saul grow weaker and David grow stronger. Though David has his flaws (many of them, actually), he is a leader of integrity. More importantly, he is a man who was chosen by God and appointed by God.

It is important that our leaders have the character of David, both men and women. But just as important is that our Davids have many Abners to support them (and not Joabs!). Every leader needs a strong support network.

We can't all be Davids. But we can all be Abners. We can do our darnedest to hope and pray for great leaders for our churches, but unless we are willing to be supportive Abners, even the greatest David doesn't stand a chance.