Ten Men: The Rich Connections Every Man Needs (A Study of King David)预览

Mighty Mentors (David & Joab)

During his worst years, David’s damaged character significantly affects his leadership and judgment. So, God sends him an unlikely mentor, a deeply flawed character who is also exactly what David needs. Joab, who was over David’s army, is the one who stands in the middle of the consequences of David’s sin and must make the most challenging choices. Somebody had to lead where David would not.

In the latter part of 2 Samuel 18, King David is in painful mourning over the death of his son Absalom. David wept and mourned so much that “all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son” (2 Samuel 19:2 NLT). David’s grief was so unrelenting that the soldiers who fought Absalom’s rebellion “crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed” (verse 3 NLT). Understanding gave way to confusion, and even David’s closest men wavered in their support. Somebody needed to speak to the king.

Joab, the very person who had driven daggers into Absalom’s heart (see 2 Samuel 18:14), was the only one who was up to the task. He stood in an emotionally volatile place and did what needed to be done. Joab’s mentorship was not perfect, but it was providential. His kingly advice was complicated but necessary. Everyone else was comforting, but David needed to be confronted. Mentorship is easy when you compliment a person or confirm their calling. It gets complicated when you must touch sensitive nerves that are fortified and justified by emotional trauma. Without Joab’s words, David would have lost everything.

David’s commander told him that Israel’s troops were hanging on by a thread and that they needed their king. He warned him that if he did not get back to leadership, the nation would fall apart entirely. So, David got up from his bed of mourning and became a king again. He was mentored out of the dark forest he was lost in, and although he was still hurting, he was leading again. Israel could start to heal. Joab helped navigate a royal disaster, and he preserved David in the process. At this moment, he was the right mentor to save a kingdom.

The primary goal of mentorship is discipleship—when the traits of following Jesus that are active in you begin to grow in the person you are mentoring. Mentorship is a contact sport—it takes proximity to make it work. You must be willing to be seen, or what is in you will never be modeled by someone else. Replication demands an example. Effective mentors live beyond themselves and establish a legacy for the blessing of future generations.