Leadership Qualities

Leadership qualities are just as important today as they were in 1,000 B.C. Melek is the name of a Hebrew for king. Being melek was a big deal. Most of the nations around them had one and Israel wanted one. Saul was referred to as king, but he was not the king. He was the nagid. He was appointed as a military leader. Nagid is Hebrew for overseer. If you watched Lord of the Rings, he was the steward. For king, God wanted someone like David.

Character Development Plan

To be a melek took character. Saul was acting as the king, but he did not have the characteristics that God wanted. So, God impeached Saul and told Samuel to go to Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. There he would anoint the king of Israel. One of Jesse’s eight sons had the characteristics that God wanted in the king. Our job today is to sign up for God’s character development plan. Perhaps, God wants to develop some special characteristics in you.

At Jesse’s house, Samuel met seven sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:1-13). By human standards, each of these brothers had royal qualities. But God told Samuel “No” to all seven. I’m sure Samuel was beginning to wonder, “Am I at the right house?” Then, Jesse called for his youngest son; who was a shepherd, tending the sheep. Jesse had not called on David earlier. He had disqualified David in his own mind, maybe because he didn’t have the natural qualities of a king or maybe because he simply wasn’t ready. Time is not an issue for God. There would be time to groom David.

What Made David Special?

Is there a time in your life when God did something that surprised you? It seems that God often chooses the least likely person or pathway to accomplish his mission. Sometimes he turns down charisma, good looks, and physical stature. With the things of God, the least likely people often make a huge impact. When God looks at us, he sees beyond what the world sees. 

This brings us to the most important question. What was it about David that made him God’s choice? I think it comes down to this; when you spend a lot of time watching sheep, you get time to talk to God a lot.  In David’s case, we know that he learned to rely on God to protect him and the sheep from the lion and the bear. David’s experiences taught him that he had to depend on God.

David’s focus on God was his most important leadership quality. Perhaps, you are experiencing trying times in your own life. I’m convinced that God allows difficulties in our lives to teach us to rely on him. When selecting a king, God wanted a God-focused person, someone who would rely on him.

There was a second important leadership quality that we see in David; God wanted faithfulness. When the other brothers were at the house, David had to be called from the pasture, because he was faithfully doing his job. Faithfulness is doing reliably that which God has given you to do.

Check For Yourself

To what degree do you share the leadership qualities of King David?  Are you and David basically twins?  Does David have some things going for him but you are close?  Or, is David way out ahead? Let’s pray and seek to develop in our lives the qualities that made David the right choice for king: God-focused and faithfulness.

© 2019 Chuck Locklear All rights reserved

Also, see Finding Wisdom & Brain Development.