Equipping the Warrior - Leadership Devotional for MenSample

Warriors Lead From The Front

Bad things happen when you’re out of position. David, from the time he had fought the giant, was known as a warrior who led the people into battle. At least once, the people sang songs about David slaying ten thousands and Saul, by contrast, only slaying thousands. His exploits as a warrior and as a leader were well known.

But this time, David remained at Jerusalem. After the cold months, when the kings normally went out to assert their superiority in battle while attempting to claim new cities, David uncharacteristically chose to stay at home. To be fair, David may have sat out from other battles. However, the Bible chooses to highlight this particular incident because of what happened after this decision. 

As his troops were off in battle, David went to the rooftop of the palace. While there, he noticed a beautiful young woman bathing in her yard. Stricken by her beauty, he asked for her to be brought to his chambers. Bathsheba arrived and David found out she was a married woman. But he was the king! So he had his way. 

Soon after, she sent a message to David telling him she was pregnant. David responded by telling his messengers to go to the battlefield with the request for her husband to come home. The plan was for him to come home, sleep with his wife and pass the baby off as his. But the plan didn’t work as David intended. Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was a dedicated warrior and refused to leave the battlefield while his comrades were still in battle. For him, it was dishonorable to be at home sleeping with his wife while his teammates were in harm's way. So he stayed out on the field.

Now, David makes the critical decision to have Uriah killed. As a warrior, David understands the mindset of Uriah and I’m sure this infuriates him. Uriah is exactly the kind of focused warrior David is used to having by his side, but now that same characteristic works against David. His decision to fall down on the job lands him in a position where his wandering eyes betray him. He was out of position.

As a warrior, his position was on the field. As a leader, his position was up ahead. As a king, his position was to be visible, empowering and inspiring the warriors to victory. But he chose to be out of position. 

Bad things happen when you’re out of position.