2 Samuel 19:40-43 – Go for the core not the peripheral

Acceding to Barzillai’s request, David accompanied by Chimham, crossed the Jordan together with the people of Judah and half the people of Israel. When they came to Gilgal, a commotion erupted between the people of Judah and some of the people from the northern tribes of Israel. They complained to David that they were not given the privilege of escorting the king across the Jordan and felt left out of the honor. How petty could they get? They were making a mountain out of a molehill.

Meanwhile, the people of Judah were not blameless as well. They could have easily ignored the needless grouses and petty nit-picking, but they chose to engage them in the inconsequential fray. They insisted that they had the right to be the first in escorting David across the Jordan because the king hailed from their tribe, the tribe of Judah. They asserted that they did not take advantage of the situation, neither were they compensated for their effort. Forgetting that it was David who had sent Zadok and Abiathar to initiate and spur them into action. Now they wanted to make it look as if they had acted voluntarily. The ten tribes of Israel then retorted saying that they were ten tribes and hence should have had ten times the claim to the privilege than the people of Judah. Besides, they were the ones who had first proposed to reinstate David to the throne. They felt that they were being treated with contempt by the people of Judah.  But the people of Judah were the more aggressive and seemed to have the upper hand.

The lesson: when one fails to see the broad objective of a mission, there is the tendency to get petty. There is the human penchant and proclivity to want to be at the forefront of glamour. If only the people of Israel as well as the people of Judah could see that their ultimate objective was similar. And that finally David had crossed the Jordan and returned to the throne. If only they had focused less on themselves, or the prestige and glamour that they had missed, but instead set their eyes on the fact that David had safely returned to his throne in Jerusalem, they would not bicker over such a small matter. Isn’t this true in God’s work today? Many leaders still behave like the sons of Zebedee in the days of Jesus, who clamored to be more prominent than the rest of the apostles. They wanted to be the first among equal. This can also happen to churches, whose leaders cherish ideas of grandeur and want to be the biggest, the best, and the one with the most up-to-date programs. With such an ambition, one tends to lose sight of the core and grasp at the peripheral. What is more relevant in Christian life and mission is this: Is Jesus Christ in His rightful place in our lives and our ministries? Don’t climb up the ladder only to find it leaning against the wrong wall!