The Law of the Inner Circle Part 4

Loyalty Through Modeling-2 Samuel 23:14-17

It was just a casual remark. Not a command. Not an order. Not even a request.

And yet the moment David’s men heard their leader mutter how he’d love to sip a cool drink from a certain Bethlehem well, they immediately broke through enemy lines and braved Philistine swords and spears to retrieve a cup of the precious liquid. David had invested so much in his inner circle that fierce loyalty was the natural result.

Such astonishing loyalty doesn’t come from a mere job description. It doesn’t develop because the leader is scheduled for promotion. It doesn’t appear on demand. Loyalty like this comes only through modeling. David got this kind of “second-mile” effort because he had long modeled such loyalty for his men.

And it is that loyalty that drove him to do what he did next. When his comrades returned with the cup of water dripping in their hands, David honored their sacrifice by presenting it to the Lord rather than drinking it. “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this!” he cried. “Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives? (2 Sam. 23:17). So, David poured out the water as an offering to God.

Who wouldn’t go the extra mile for a leader like that?

Join me next time for The Law of the Inner Circle Part 5