All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. – 2 Samuel 5:1

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. – 2 Samuel 5:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 6, 2013): 2 Samuel 5

There is becoming a standard belief in business – and one that is beginning to be understood inside the church – that it is better to promote from within the organization than hire from outside of it. The issue is that someone who is already inside of the organization understands the culture better than someone who is coming in from the outside. And since they understand the culture and have already operated from inside that culture, they are less likely to do things that will damage the existing culture. Someone coming from the outside will be more apt to damage the culture simply because they have been trained in a different culture setting. So the idea is that new people need to be brought in and placed at lower levels in the organization until they understand the prominent culture of the organization, and then promoted from there.

Israel was now suffering under a power vacuum. Those who had ruled were now gone. And the leaders of the tribes of Israel had a decision to make. They could return to the way it was during the time of the judges, when each man did as he saw fit. But that option had been rejected a generation ago. The nation wanted a king. They could find someone from outside of the power structure of Israel, a new name that they could raise to the position of the king, or they could promote from within. Judah already had a king to rule over them, but they were all brothers. Maybe their king could become king over all of Israel. The fact that their king was David, the military hero of Israel, and a man that had grown up inside king Saul’s own house did not hurt. David was one of their own – and he would be king.

The rule seems to be that if the culture is working, then it is dangerous to bring in high level leaders from outside of the organization. The higher an outsider is placed in an organization, the greater chance that that person will begin to disrupt the reigning culture. For Israel, that disruption was not desired. They needed a king who could continue Israel on the path that they were walking – one that already had a handle on what was happening in the nation – and outside of it. For Israel, that meant one man. They needed – David.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 6