Choosing Leaders

611 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Sa 20:4 And the king said to Amasa, "Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself." 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. Rebellion breaks out again with Sheba's revolt against David, and David's desire is to move fast against Sheba, lest he gain any strongholds in the land. If you recall, David had replaced Joab as his “captain of the army” with Amasa. This replacement was prompted by the fact that it would appease the tribe of Judah, who were slow to accept David as the restored king, and I think it also was done because David was not happy with Joab for killing Absalom. This appointment reeks of expediency rather than wisdom. Amasa had been the captain of Absalom's army. An army that outnumbered David yet was soundly defeated due to incredibly inept military strategy. Remember the battle in the woods of Ephraim? More of Amasa's men were killed by the terrain, than by David's men. Good choice Amasa. Is this really the man you want to lead your army David? Apparently the soldiers that Amasa was sent to recruit saw things more clearly than David. Maybe they remembered the 20,000 men who were lost in the woods of Ephraim. At any rate, Amasa had difficulty raising up an acceptable fighting force. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to follow this general? This is a good point to remember when filling leadership roles in a congregation. Those who serve in this vital role in the local congregation and beyond should not be chosen for the sake of expediency. It's not suppose to be a matter of choosing the most popular person, or as a way of gaining favor with factions. Rather, the most qualified candidates are to be chosen. This is so important that the Holy Spirit speaks of the process in 1 Tim:3, and Titus 1:5-9. We'll be looking at these qualifications in the days ahead. Father, we are in a war, and it is fitting that we have qualified generals leading the fight. Show us in the days ahead, those things that make for good generals in Your army.