|
Introduction: Some folks get all
the breaks, don’t they? Take David for instance. Here is a
little shepherd boy who becomes king. Obviously another average
Joe who just got lucky. Right? Wrong. It is easy for us to look at
the success of Bible characters and think they got where they did
by the luck of the draw. God, for some unknown reason, picked them
to do great things, but that will never be us. That simply isn’t
so. God chose David because of his character. He was a man after
God's own heart (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). What was it that made David such a
great leader? And what can we do to be like David? Discussion: I. First, note the factors that did not play a part in God’s choosing David. A.
David’s
appearance was not a factor. Samuel was sure that Eliab was kingly
material, but God said not to look at the outer appearance (I
Samuel 16:6-7). Saul had the stature of a king, but he
squandered the position (I
Samuel 9:2). B.
David’s
age was not a factor. David was described as a youth when he was
chosen to be king and when he fought Goliath (I
Samuel 16:11; 17:33). When he finally became king he was only
30 years old (II Samuel 5:4). Putting this in perspective, one must be 35 to be
our President. C.
David’s
family background was not a factor. When Saul was mentioned in I Samuel 9:1, his genealogy was traced back to Aphiah a mighty man
of valor. David was simply a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite (I
Samuel 16:18). David didn’t inherit a legacy of great family
background. D.
David’s
early family years were not a factor. In fact, when Samuel took
the family of Jesse to the sacrifice, David was left with the
sheep (I Samuel 16:11).
When David came to give his brothers food on the battle lines,
Eliab insulted him (I
Samuel 17:28). David’s leadership wasn’t fostered and
rooted in how his family viewed him and treated him in his early
years. E.
Sinlessness
was not a factor. We all know the event with Bathsheba described
in II Samuel 11. F.
None of
these factors explain God’s choice of David. Yet, so many think
these factors determine who is a good leader. God chose David, not
for these reasons, but rather for reasons of the heart. Consider
several characteristics that made David a leader after God’s own
heart. II.
David knew
his strength came from God. A.
From the
very beginning David knew his strength came from God and he relied
on God for that strength. When Saul claimed he was unable to fight
Goliath, David did not discuss how amazing he was. He said God had
delivered him before and would do it again (I
Samuel 17: 34-37). B.
But this was
not a one-time event for David. In later years, when Absalom
rebelled and successfully stole the kingdom from David, David did
not rely on his own strength, but rather relied on the Lord, that
God would return good to him (II
Samuel 16:9-12). C.
God chose
David, because David chose God. This was not a lucky break. David
became king because of his great faith. David became king because
he was not wrapped up in his own power and ability, but because he
knew the source of his ability and was willing to let others know
the source of his ability. III.
David grew
as a leader by accepting and overcoming challenges, not by taking
any shortcuts. A.
When you
read the story of David, from the time he slew Goliath to the end
of his life, you see a story of growth. As a youth watching the
sheep, he began growing by facing the lions and bears that
attacked his flock (I
Samuel 17:34-35). He faced the giant of whom everyone was
afraid, including the king (I
Samuel 17:41-54). He then accepted appointments of leadership
and faced challenges and grew (I
Samuel 18:5, 25-27). Through facing these challenges David
grew as a leader before God and the people. The people respected
David early on, even after he faced Goliath (I Samuel 18:7). But it didn’t stop there, David continued to act
wisely under Saul and he became highly esteemed (I Samuel 18:30). B.
On the other
hand, some try to be great leaders by taking shortcuts. Instead of
working hard, they behave as Absalom did. Absalom won the hearts
of the people away from David for a time. He did not do it through
growth. He did not do it through wisdom. He did not do it through
overcoming challenges. He took a shortcut. He marketed in slander
and complaint. In II Samuel
15 when some one came to the king with a suit, Absalom would
claim to be on his side and that he would help him if only he
could (II Samuel 15:1-6). He backhandedly slandered the king as unjust. He
grew his influence through a campaign of negativism and empty
promises of his own undeveloped leadership. He stole the hearts of
the men of Israel. Because of this campaign, he had a leader’s
influence, but he did not have a leader’s heart. He could not
hold on to the kingdom. Sometime you should read II
Samuel 19 to see the shame of the people who had been taken in
by such a weak leader, when they finally realized who was the real
leader. C.
Shortcuts
appear to make men great, but in the end, shortcuts fail. David
was a leader after God’s own heart because he did not take
shortcuts. He faced the daily challenges and grew. IV.
David was
not focused on positions. A.
Consider
where David was for several years. He was anointed to be king as a
youth in I Samuel 16:12-13.
He killed Goliath shortly after that (I
Samuel 17). He had God’s approval and the people’s
approval (I Samuel 18:7), yet he did not strive to take the throne away from
Saul. David was not a man who coveted prestige. He was a man who
would simply do the will of God no matter his position. B.
Repeatedly,
he refused to lift his hand against Saul (I
Samuel 24; 26). He was best friends with Jonathan, Saul’s
son (I Samuel 18:1; II
Samuel 1:26). David executed the man who claimed to kill Saul
(II Samuel 1:14-16).
David was not focused on position. He was not interested in
battles over who got to be king. He was simply interested in
serving the Lord. C.
David’s
greatness stemmed from his belief that greatness did not come from
his position before the people, but from his position before God. V.
David was
secure enough with himself to empower greatness in others. A.
Saul
couldn’t stand that some people thought David was better than
he. The song of the women in I
Samuel 18:7-9 began Saul’s hatred of David. But, this is not
surprising from Saul. After all, he, unlike David, was very much
focused on position, prestige and others’ perceptions. When
Samuel had told Saul the kingdom was taken from him, Saul asked
that Samuel at least keep up appearances before the elders and the
people (I Samuel 15:30). B.
David was
not so insecure. He was not afraid that others might kill giants
and look better than he did. In fact, David had several giant
killers under his service according to II
Samuel 21:18-22. People can accomplish great things when they
are not so caught up in having to do the work themselves or
getting the credit for it. David was one of those people. He did
great things because he was secure enough to empower the great men
who served him to be as great as he was, possibly greater. Read II Samuel 23:8-39 and see the mighty men David empowered. VI.
David
repented when confronted with wrong. A.
David was
not a great leader because he was perfect. He was a great leader
because he repented and changed when confronted with his sin. The
two most memorable events in the life of David are the slaying of
Goliath and his adultery with Bathsheba. The devil, through
temptation, snared even this great leader. For a while, he had so
justified his own sin and so covered his own sin that he did
nothing about it. But when Nathan came to David in II
Samuel 12:7 and said, “You are the man.” David repented. B.
David did
not argue against the Lord. David did not rebuke the Lord’s
messenger. David did not rebel against God’s discipline. David
repented and accepted from the hand of God what he was given,
continuing his trust in God and his service to the Lord. He picked
up the pieces and continued to lead according to God's will. Conclusion: Let’s bring all this home to us. David was a great man, a great leader and a great king. We might be inclined to think he just got lucky breaks. Not so. God chose him, not through the luck of the draw, but because of the kind of person he was. You and I can be that kind of person. God can use us. We can be what David was. We can be chosen by God to do great things in His kingdom. Do not be discouraged if you don’t have the family background, the appearance, the age, or any other external factor. Those do not make us great servants or great leaders. Face your daily challenges and grow, without taking shortcuts. Serve the Lord where you are. You too will be a leader after God’s own heart.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
|
||||||||||
