Where You Go, I’ll Go

“The king said to Ittai the Gittite, ‘Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.’ But Ittai replied to the king, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.’ David said to Ittai, ‘Go ahead, march on.’ So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.”—2 Samuel 15:19–22 (NIV) Sometimes the clearest expressions of faith come not from those with the longest résumés or the deepest roots, but from those who’ve only just arrived. David’s fleeing Jerusalem. His own son, Absalom, has staged a coup. The people’s hearts have turned, the crown is slipping, and the king—once the giant-slayer; once the beloved—is barefoot, broken, and unsure where the road will lead. And right in the middle of the mess, a Philistine named Ittai steps forward. What do we know about him? Well, Ittai was a man from Gath—the same city Goliath came from, the place David lived for about a year and a half.  It’s possible that stories of David circulated in the towns of Gath and that some grew to respect and admire him. Maybe Ittai, having been exiled from Gath, remembered these stories and felt drawn to seek David out. We don’t know, but what we do know is that Ittai is a foreigner, a recent arrival, a man with no real ties to David, no reason for loyalty, and who has every reason to stay out of it or even side with Absalom. David even urges him to turn around. “You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.” But Ittai’s response is stunning: “As surely as the Lord lives . . . wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.” His words intentionally echo those of another foreigner in Scripture—Ruth, the Moabite widow, who said to Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16 NIV). And you know what’s amazing? Ruth’s actually David’s grandmother! It’s possible that just like Ittai may have heard stories about David, David heard the story of Ruth and was reminded (in one of his darkest moments) of the faithfulness of God to his family! This isn’t just poetic loyalty; it’s covenantal language. It’s the kind of commitment that says, “I’m not here for what you can give me—I’m here because I’ve seen who you are. I’m with you, no matter the cost.” That’s Ittai’s heart. And it’s the heart of every true disciple. What makes Ittai’s moment even more powerful is that it comes in contrast to the insiders. The Israelites—the people David led, fought for, protected, and served—are turning their backs, but the outsider stays. The one you’d least expect clings to the rejected king. It’s a gospel pattern. Jesus, too, was rejected by His own. And who came to Him?

• The Samaritan woman with a shameful past.
• The Roman centurion with more faith than all of Israel.
• The tax collectors, prostitutes, blind, leprous, and demon possessed.
• The thief on a cross.

David walked out of Jerusalem despised, cast off, and misunderstood . . . filled with sorrow, shame, and uncertainty. He left the city on foot weeping, crossed the Kidron Valley, went up the Mount of Olives, and then into the wilderness.  Jesus also crossed the Kidron Valley toward the Garden of Gethsemane, which sits on the Mount of Olives. It was here where He was betrayed and arrested. A few hours later, He walked to Golgotha, the place of the skull, where the rejection of His people was on full display for the world as He hung on the cross.  Jesus is the King who draws in the rejected. And His true followers aren’t just those who sing His praises in the palace, they’re the ones who follow Him out of the city, to the cross, and to the unknown. What a beautiful, intentional echo we’re given here! In Psalm 3:2 (NIV), David said, “Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’” And in Psalm 22:8 (NIV), he said, which many believe was written at this time, “‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’” Likewise, the people shouted at Jesus, “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:43 NIV).  Also, in Psalm 22:1 (NIV), David said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Likewise, Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 NIV).  Want to see a contrast, though, between David and Jesus? In Psalm 3:7 (NIV), David said, “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.” But not Jesus. Instead, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV).  So, here’s the question for us: Where and how far are we willing to follow Jesus? Are we like the crowd that praised Him on Palm Sunday but shouted “Crucify!” by Friday? Or are we like Ittai? Remember the words of Jesus, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38 NIV). Pause: Are you following Jesus for comfort or because you know He’s the true King—even when others walk away? Practice: Read Ruth 1 alongside 2 Samuel 15. Then listen to Chris Tomlin’s song, “I Will Follow.” Pray: Jesus, I want to follow You not just when the road is easy, but when it leads through rejection, suffering, or uncertainty. Give me Ittai’s loyalty, Ruth’s resolve, and the outsider’s heart that clings to the King. Wherever You go, I’ll go because You came for me. Amen.