PROPERLY ESTABLISHING LEADERSHIP

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

1 Chronicles 11:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Through most of my professional employment lifetime, I have had the privilege to lead countless numbers of people, mostly through my time in the military. I say it was a privilege for two reasons.

First, not everyone gets the opportunity to lead in their lifetime. I never took it for granted, especially as I progressed from leading a few people to leading hundreds of them.

Secondly, it was a privilege because I was given the gift of leadership from God. It takes a special skill set to lead and lead well. I know that God intended for me to be a leader because He equipped me with what I needed to do just that.

As we look at our scripture for today, we find another man, David, who God had chosen to lead, a man given a deep privilege, not just to lead a small group of people but rather an entire fledgling nation named Israel.

We know that the people of Israel had cried out to God for a king to rule them after the period of judges. All the other nations had kings reasoned the Israelites. Why shouldn’t we have a king too?

And so God granted their wish for a king leader and chose Saul to fill the role. But as we saw in 1 Chronicles 10, Saul was unfaithful to God and fell out of His favor, prompting God to anoint and appoint a replacement king. That king would be David, son of Jesse, who like Saul was sought out and anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16) interestingly enough well before Saul’s death.

As Chapter 11 of 1 Chronicles opens, David comes before his people, ready to assume the throne that Saul once sat on. You’ll recall that Saul and his sons were killed during a battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa.

As all of Israel met their new leader at Hebron, we see that they are already committed to David. Look at their words:

“We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

The peoples praise for David was founded on two basic principles, principles that all leaders should remember as they establish themselves in leadership:

1. People get behind someone who has a proven record of leadership.

David’s reputation preceded him. Even while Saul was in power, it was David who was leading Israel into victory during their military campaigns. In fact, you’ll recall that the women of Israel once came out into the streets after a successful Israelite battle and began singing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands”, words that angered Saul and fueled his jealousy for David.

But the truth perhaps hurt. David was out on the frontlines of battle and God was right there with him, preparing him for what was to come and preparing the people’s hearts to receive their new king and get behind him at the appointed time.

2.  People will respect and follow someone who is allowing the Lord to lead and guide them.

Many leaders hide their faith because they are afraid it might offend someone, that it might detract from their leadership. Actually, I have found that it’s just the opposite. People want to follow someone of integrity and sound character and proper judgment. They love to get behind someone who is compassionate and caring, one who is humble and willing to listen, one who is willing to go the extra mile to make a difference in the life of another.

Anyone who leads in the Lord does all this and I can tell you from personal experience, the only way you properly establish leadership is when you do so within the Lord’s standards and view yourself simply as an instrument that He uses to lead others through.

David was a leader of this ilk. The scriptures attest to it in the final verses for today from 1 Chronicles 11:

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

Note that David didn’t accept the throne on his own accord. No, the Lord was at the center of his coronation. The Lord had granted him the privilege to be king and in turn, David’s covenant agreement with his followers wasn’t between him and them but rather between him, them, and the Lord, the One who would lead them all to His will and way and glory and righteousness.

Friends, I don’t know if you’re presently leading or if you’ll one day get a chance to lead like I did. All I know is that given the opportunity, the only true was to properly establish your leadership is by placing God first in all you do.

It’s leadership like this, and only leadership like this, that becomes blessed by God in every way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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