No one is perfect! Even the best of leaders make mistakes. Some of those mistakes cost them personally, professionally and can even involve the fate, well being or even the lives of others. I have definitely made my fair share of mistakes in my own life and most certainly as a leader. In my latest ministry, planting a new church, many of my decisions turned out to be monumental mistakes from location sites to personnel. It has cost the church significantly and me personally.
I have been intrigued studying the history of various military leaders and their battles. Conditions, motivation, timing, intuition, savvy, courage, risk, arrogance, planning, resources, opportunity and much more all seem to play a part in the success or failure of a campaign. Bad decisions or miscalculations often had devastating effects that cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands and changed the course of history.
The same could be said of various political and business leaders. The decisions made by these leaders have either made or broken a country or company. Collins, in his book, "Good to Great," listed several companies who's practices and leadership decisions made them great, lasting and profitable. But some of those very companies have tanked or failed in the latest economic downturn. Even some of the brightest leaders can crash and burn.
King David sure made his share of mistakes. Sometimes with all the success, leaders can become a little over confident and some can get down right cocky. Pride has a way of blinding our weaknesses. Overwhelming success can lead to a sense of entitlement which generally leads to dumb, erroneous decisions. Just ask Tiger Woods or Jim Tressel about their recent falls from grace.
One of the very basic things that David forgot was who was really in charge. David had had so much success as a military leader that he grew to find his confidence in his military might. That misplaced confidence cost him and his people dearly. In 2 Samuel 24, David decided to take a census to virtually gauge his power. A census seems like something every commander would do to measure his resources before heading off to battle. Only David wasn't heading off to battle, he was just flexing his muscles and patting himself on the back.
God wasn't very pleased with David and after David confessed his sin, God gave him three choices for punishment. Three years of famine and three months of foreign invaders didn't appeal to David, so he decided on three days of plague. None of the options seem very appealing to me. Over 70,000 people died as a result of the plague. But at that point, David had had enough (as had God) and stepped up to the plate. He offered his own life if God would stop the killing spree of his people. He had made a monumental mistake that cost his people, individuals, families an enormous price.
The prophet Gad told David to build an altar and make sacrifices to the Lord. But when he got to the place that Gad had instructed him, the man who owned the property offered it and his oxen to David for free. But David refused and paid well above market price for both the land and the sacrifices. He stated that he would not offer a sacrifice to the Lord that would cost him nothing. That's leadership! That's integrity! He took ownership of his mistake and dropped the entitlement attitude. It cost him something. It had already cost others plenty. It would have cost his kingdom and his people a whole lot more had David ignored or tried to cover up his sin. David had been down the entitlement path once before and learned the pain of cover up. This time he rose to the occasion by humbling himself, a tough thing for very successful and powerful leaders.
God, too often I feel like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7. The very thing want to do I find myself doing the opposite. Recently it seems that I've made more judgment mistakes than Carter has liver pills. It's humbling. But I know Lord, that humbling myself before you is exactly where you want me. I need to be in a constant state of dependence on you. You said that when we humble ourselves before you, You will lift us up. My confidence is in you Lord, not myself. Direct my steps. Guide me in your path. I'll trust you to supply my needs.
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