Absalom has been banished from David’s presence because he killed David’s son Amnon, Absalom’s half-brother.  Amnon had raped and then rejected Absalom’s sister Tamar.  Two years after the rape, Absalom took revenge upon Amnon.  David was reconciled to the death of Amnon and was now missing his son Absalom.

Joab recognized this state of mind in his king and decided to do something about it.  He brought a woman in to make a request of the king that caused him to look at the matter of Absalom’s banishment from a different perspective.  David did and allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem and ultimately their relationship was restored, at least for a little while.

Joab knew his king well enough to see that there was something that David needed that he couldn’t provide for himself.  David had banished Absalom and this decision was causing him much pain.  Joab knew that David was a man of integrity and would not readily reverse his decision.  Joab, through this woman, brought the matter before David so that he could see it from a different perspective.

In this Joab showed two characteristics that every person who follows a leader must exhibit.  The first is awareness.  You must be aware of the needs and emotions of your leader.  He or she may not be able to express what is going on inside of them and they may not be able to see the source of their pain or discomfort.  For our leaders to be effective, we must love them enough to care about what is going on in their lives.

The second characteristic of a follower that will help his leader is courage.  Joab showed great courage when he brought this matter before the king.  Joab couldn’t have known how the king might respond to his approach, but he cared enough about David to risk it.  We must have the courage to go to our leaders in love and humility to help them to see the matter from a different perspective.

Leaders are not perfect, and they are not invincible.  All leaders will go through times when they are not sure about themselves or their decisions.  All leaders will have circumstances that challenge them.  A good leader has good people who are there to lovingly help them through their times of need.  In fact, without good people fulfilling that role, it is difficult for a leader to achieve success.  For a leader to be a leader, they must have people following them.  Those people have the responsibility to love that leader and to help him or her through whatever they might be going through.  Jesus, teach us to be good followers.

Read: 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9