When David saw the angel about to destroy the people, he prayed, “Please! I’m the one who sinned; I, the shepherd, did wrong. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me and my family, not them.” (MSG)

Have you ever wondered why David was called a man after God’s heart? This is a man who was lazy when it came to leading his army, who took advantage of women, who murdered his lover's husband, who was a failure as a father. If David was here today, would we look at him as an outcast or at least give him a second look.  

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As I am reading through the life of David, it reads almost like a drama, full of ups and downs. He was constantly in a war, whether against rival nations or against his own son. David was a warrior king, and it showed in his leadership.

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However, David lets pride sway how he is leading. He sees the hard work and battles he has fought over and over, and he lets this pull him away from the path God has for him. We see this flow through his family: his son Amnon rapes his sister, his other son Absalom murders Amnon and then revolts against David, and another son, Solomon, is born because of an affair. He sees a vast kingdom that is starting to look like him, a kingdom that has forgotten God.

How many of us have said this or something along these lines: “Do as I say, not as I do”? As a father of a 13-year-old, I see all my bad habits flow out of her. When I call her out on something, like not putting her dishes in the sink, she will be the first to sassily point out that mine are sitting on the coffee table.  

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As we lead people, whether that be our kids, our employees, or our soldiers, they will start to look and sound like us. The nation of Israel starts to look like the messy house of its king.

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David sees the problem; he sees what his nation has become. How easy would it have been for David to blame the nation for its own sinfulness? Or, he could have planned to lead his people out of their issues while ignoring his own. That hits close to home; I’m guilty of telling my kid to stay off her phone while I’m staring at my own.

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Whether we like it or not, we are leaders. We are made in God’s image, and with that, we are called to be disciple makers. As we lead, are we self-reflecting and confessing our own sin? The visual of today’s verse – the King of Israel pleading for his people because of his own issues – should be on the forefront of our brains as we lead. Our cry should be, “God, root out my sins so I can lead my kids, lead my employees/coworkers, and lead my friends in a manner that reflects the power and grace or our God!”

God, we are messy people. We make plans and have ideas that most of the time don’t follow you. God, because you are good and you love us, you shower us with grace. Father, I pray that as we go through life, we lead with the grace you showed to us, May we lead from a place of humility and root out the sin that is buried deep in us. God, you are love, and we praise you for that. Amen.