NIV Once-A-Day Bible Men And Women Of The Bible DevotionalSample

LOYAL TO A FAULT Fearless Abishai saved the king’s life by jumping in front of a screaming Philistine who was ready to kill and able to do it. We have no details except that David was exhausted and Abishai jumped in to stop the Philistine’s sword. Fearless Abishai was both a general’s ideal soldier and worst nightmare. He was loyal to his king to a fault. Anything David wanted, Abishai would do — ​and more. Abishai was reckless with regard to his own safety, the Israelite equivalent of a modern-day Special Forces officer who stops at no obstacle and calculates no risk. Those qualities were also his weakness, for Abishai would act without thinking. His loyalty to David would have driven him to kill even more, in the name of serving the king, had David not stopped him on three separate occasions. Great leaders need Abishai’s courage, but they also need something more: moral judgment. Abishai’s extreme loyalty to David was too much. God urges that we learn restraint, wisdom, insight and discretion (see Proverbs 2:1 – 22; 3:13 – 35). Responsible leaders need to discern when to back off and when to pursue, to press toward a goal and yet show mercy along the way. Serve your king, your spouse or your friend, but do not worship them. PRAYER Lord, I worship you alone . . . READ Abishai’s story is told in 2 Samuel 18:1 — ​23:19. He is also mentioned in 1 Samuel 26:1 – 13 and 1 Chronicles 2:16; 11:20; 18:12; 19:11,15.