I’ve heard many times that to be
a good leader then you must be a good follower. Ittai the Gittite is a great
example. After professing and proving his loyalty to follow God and King David,
he is given much authority.
David
mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of
thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 David sent out his
troops, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai
son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops,
“I myself will surely march out with you.” 3 But the men said,
“You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even
if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It
would be better now for you to give us support from the city.” 4 The
king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”So the king stood beside
the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. 5 The
king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom
for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning
Absalom to each of the commanders. - 2 Samuel 18:1-5
He
is a great example of handling responsibility. When David organized resistance against
his rebellion son, Absalom. Ittai was given charge of a third of his entire
fighting force. He must have been a clearly visible leader. David
recognized how worthy of trust and delegation he was.
May we follow the Lord as we lead others
to His truth and show His great love. Amen?