It must be earned.

"Ishbaal, Saul's son, was 40 years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David."

(2 Samuel 2:10)

In the business world it's called "A Succession Plan." It's an understanding of who (within an organization) would assume new responsibilities should there be a change in leadership (at any level). Some of my non-UMC clergy colleagues have this in their churches as well. "Who will take over for me when I'm gone?" It's an important question to ask, no matter who we are. (NOTE: In the UMC, the Bishop & cabinet assign clergy leadership... so they'd be working on succession planning, not the local church.)

Saul was the first (human) king of Israel. He reigned a long time. It was a checkered rule, at that. In the end, David did all he could to honor Saul and his role as king. He never sought to usurp any of the king's authority... ever. When Saul died, the people in the south (Judah) made David king over them. The folks in the North (Israel) made one of Saul's sons, Ishbaal, king. Actually, the Bible says that the army commander made Ishbaal king. We have no insight into what the people themselves actually thought.

Until this moment, Israel had been ONE PEOPLE. Twelve distinct tribes, yes. But still a united nation. Judah didn't want Saul's son to rule over them. so they aligned themselves with David. And it was a wise choice, as David would later become the king over the entire nation... and have a long & fairly successful reign.

I found it interesting that just because Ishbaal had the title of "king," didn't mean folks would follow him. There's more to being a leader (especially the leader of a country) than simply having a title. Or the backing of the military. There must be (at least in my opinion) integrity, compassion, wisdom, courage, grace, faithfulness, humility, etc. David had all of that. And he would become one of the greatest kings in Israel's history.

But it made me think about my own leadership. Just because I have the title of "pastor" doesn't guarantee the people will follow. I must lead with integrity, compassion, wisdom, courage, grace, humility, faithfulness, etc. There are no guarantees in leadership. It all must be earned. By the grace of God. AMEN.