We can regard this as the second part of our previous discussion on leadership, entitled, “What It Takes To Lead Men.” Right now we will examine the flipside of the topic which is followership. The second book of Samuel, from chapters 2 through 4 illustrate how, many times, spiritual leadership can become perilous because of the quality of followers who form its followership.
Where a leader draws followers who walk or are willing to walk in the same spirit, leadership is a blessed experience. A leader can face and overcome any challenge or obstacle through the help and support of a faithful band or team.
Unfortunately, leaders don’t always attract those who have the same quality of commitment and love for God as themselves. This always brings misery upon the leader and tragedy on the disciple. Gehazi, Joab, Judas and Demas are some examples of followership with unhappy endings in the Bible. Most start well but do not continue well. Some start and continue well but do not end well. This means, they change their minds along the way.
Joab is the one under our radar here. He was David’s most dedicated aide but for some reasons that we will be touching upon, his story did not end well. Let’s bear in mind that these are purely for our lessons.
To begin with, Joab was a talented army commander. He wasn’t bad news in its entirety. He had desirable qualities and was a great source of support and encouragement to David at critical moments in his life and career. A good example was in the matter of Absalom when David was at his weakest and most vulnerable. I say this because, many followers are unduly aware of their strengths and their salient contributions to the cause. When confronted about their slips, they are often quick to point you to some of their great qualities and deeds.
They forget that if they were a complete lost cause, God wouldn’t have brought them into the work in the first place. Moreover, victory and success are worthless and meaningless without a corresponding ability to fail. This means you could end up succeeding. You had every potential to score greatly. But there are lurking places where intrinsic factors can bring you down and make your life and work a shipwreck. The devil always knew these. He knew you were a child of God. That was rock solid. His mission therefore is to use what you lack to destroy those things that you do have, and the future that God has prepared for you. And make no mistake about it, there is no godly mission where Satan is not represented. The work of his agents is primarily to neutralise those with divine potentials and purpose. That is why Christians who come with the mind of sitting upon the fence dug their own graves from the very outset. One of their common mistakes is to take everyone and everything in the fellowship at face value. These often mistake a church for a social gathering rather than a battleground where destinies are shapen or destroyed and genuine leaders tread on slippery and dangerous ground!
Let me point to two foibles of Joab that combined to undo all his great work. His poor judgement which was itself coloured by ambition and his tendency to act as though he had no principal. He blamed Abner for the death of his brother, Asahel. He could not discern that Asahel’s impetuousness was the cause of his death. Joab could have investigated before arriving at his faulty conclusion. Of course the conclusion he reached was a convenient one since Joab also felt threatened by the presence of Abner, a far more experienced military leader whom he feared could take his place as the leader of David’s army. Joab consequently eliminated Abner without the knowledge of David. This repeated itself in the case of Amasa, another commander with great integrity, who was incidentally also a relative of David and Joab himself.
No subordinate should act as if they are the principal. It is devilish and an act of rebellion. Where this fault is allowed to fester, it does not make for a happy ending.
Finally, Joab and his brothers – Abishai and Asahel – seemed to have been born with a tempest in their souls. They were the type that would act first and reason later. David often complained about their impetuous nature. This was obviously responsible for Asahel choosing to go after Abner during the duel between David’s men and the residue of Saul’s army.
None of us was born perfect. This is why we must honestly submit ourselves to the Saviour so He can do a deeper work in us.