David the Leader

David the Leader
Tonight we will look at the last part of our series on the life of David and will address David as a leader. As we look back on his life we see how God formed David into the great leader that he was through many difficult situations. Leaders are not born, they are formed and godly leaders are formed under the direction of God’s hand. Leaders go through many stages of brokenness as God chisels away at their character to make them into the person he can trust and use to lead his people. Bill Lawrence was our speaker at the Intermissions conference this past weekend and he told the story of the making of the statue of David and made an analogy of how God makes us into leaders. The slab of marble that had been commissioned to be used to make a statue of David had been attempted to be carved into David by two sculptors. Both of them got discouraged in their efforts and left it unfinished yet covered with many marks as they chipped away at it. Forty years passed since the first sculptor began his work and Leonardo DaVinci was asked to take it over and complete it but he had taken on another project and was not able to do it. The 18 foot piece of marble with all of its flaws was given to Michael Angelo who was 26 years old at the time. He built walls around the marble and spent the next 2 years forming the now famous statue of David. The scars of the previous sculptors are still visible in the masterpiece Michael Angelo created. God like Michael Angelo takes flawed human being, perhaps people that many have given up on and saw no potential and transforms them into his masterpiece. He takes us as we are with all of our weaknesses and scars. Through his loving process that is often marked with pain and suffering he chips away the things in our life that are a hindrance to his goal to transform us into his image.
King David was not a perfect man by any means. As we saw last week he committed sins that even today would put you in jail for life or send you to your death. David was a flawed man but the aspect of David’s life that made him a great leader was that he had a heart that pursued God. This is the quality that God looks for in his leaders, a heart that seeks after Him. God is not looking for perfection because he would never be able to find anyone he could use. What he looks at is the bend of our heart, a heart that is always returning to God and is pointed toward him. David was a great leader because of his heart condition. Many leaders today are evaluated by their performance, what they have accomplished or achieved. God is not concerned about what we do but who we are. A leader who accumulates great wealth but loses his family and friends in the process may be applauded by man but in the eyes of God they have not become a true leader because they have not had a transformation of their heart.
David’s heart was set on seeking God and that is why he became a great leader. When his heart began to seek after pleasure and power he fell and committed sins that plagued him, his family and his nation. His secret sin with Bathsheba produced a whirlwind of devastation when David pursued his fleshly desires and disregarded his relationship with God. When David set his eyes on power he was brought down. This incident occurred when David decided to conduct a census of the people. A census was commonly done by other kings when they wanted to draft men into the military or forced labor. This was never practiced in Israel’s life. Why David decided at this point in his life to take a census is not completely known. Perhaps David had gotten proud of his vast empire and wanted a number count of all the people so he could feel really important and take pride in his accomplishment. Some have suggested that David wanted a count so he could rely on the size of his army rather than depend upon God to take care of the nation. The military commander in charge of the census, Joab, knew from the beginning that it was a bad idea but he reluctantly obeyed the King and only surveyed part of the people as it was a bad idea. God confronted David regarding his pride and quest for power and David acknowledged that he had sinned against God and had acted foolishly (2 Samuel 24:10) God let David choose his punishment; 7 years of famine, 3 months of fleeing from his enemies or 3 days of plague. David did not want to fall into the hands of the enemy and he placed himself at the mercy of God to let God do whatever He wanted. David again was a broken man and he took his punishment as God directed. His heart had not become hardened toward God, it remained tender and when confronted with his failures he had a contrite heart and sought forgiveness. This is the type of leader God is looking for today, one whose heart seeks after him and one whose heart is broken and contrite when faced with his failures. David led from his heart and this is the mark of a great leader in the eyes of God.
David’s love for God dominated his life, he truly had a heart for God. His communion and fellowship with God set him apart from other leaders. Out of this love for God a leader was formed who was loved by the people. David’s love for God and his love for his people was returned to him through the loyalty the people demonstrated to him. The story of David’s life that exemplifies this best is when the three soldiers broke through the enemy lines to bring David a drink of water 1 Chron. 11:15-19. 15Another time, three of the Thirtyb went to David while he was hiding in the cave of Adullam. The Philistines were camped in the valley of Rephaim, 16and David was in the stronghold at the time; an outpost of the Philistines had occupied Bethlehem. 17David wanted a drink from the Bethlehem well beside the gate, and when he mentioned this to his men, 18-19these three broke through to the Philistine camp, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it! Instead he poured it out as an offering to the Lord and said, “God forbid that I should drink it! It is the very blood of these men who risked their lives to get it.”
David did not demand they get him the water which he certainly could have done but he simply expressed a desire for a drink and that was all his loyal men needed to hear. David’s men loved him and were willing to lay down their lives for him. This is a far cry from what I have witnessed in some relationships between husbands and wives or bosses and employees where there seems to be little love but a lot of commands and demands. I have seen husbands and wives make demands of their spouses as though they were their slaves. The spouse is not responding out of love but out of fear of what may happen if they do not do what they are told. In this story of David’s life he did not demand anything be done for him, he just expressed a desire. The men voluntarily risked their lives to please their king. Love produces loyalty. Leaders who lead from the heart produce followers who will love them and be loyal to them even to the point of taking risks for them.
The heart of the leader is by far the most important quality. To be an effective leader there must also be skills that enable the leader to work with the people and accomplish what God has given to them as their mission. As we look at the life of David we can identify several things about David that made him a great leader.
1. Courage
David had great courage in the face of adversity. His battle with Goliath when he was just a young boy demonstrated the courage he had to face an enemy as intimidating as Goliath (1 Samuel 17:48). David did not run away but ran toward Goliath. Leaders who have courage do the same, they tackle problems head on, run to them rather than cower away from them.
Corporate Manager Survey
A study was recently completed on corporate managers. In it they were asked if they voiced positions that (1) focused on the good of the company, rather than personal benefit; and (2) jeopardized their own careers. Emerging from this study were the four leader-types which are found in all organizations.
• Type #1—courageous. These people expressed ideas to help the company improve, in spite of personal risk or opposition.
• Type #2—confronting. These people spoke up, but only because of a personal vendetta against the company.
• Type #3—calloused. These people didn’t know, or care, whether they could do anything for the company; they felt helpless and hopeless, so they kept quiet.
• Type #4—conforming. These people also remained quiet, but only because they loathed confrontation and loved approval.
The researchers discovered that the courageous managers accomplished the most, reported the highest job satisfaction, and eventually were commended by superiors. Their commitment had certainly improved the quality of their lives.
Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, Jon Johnston, 1990, SP Publications, pp. 138-139
David as a leader had to lead his men into battles that required great courage. His courage inspired his followers to respond as he did to adversity.
2. Ability to work with difficult people
David learned how to work with difficult people. When he fled from Saul who was trying to kill him, he was joined by 400 men who were in trouble, in debt, discouraged (1 Sam 22:1-2). So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam, where his brothers and other relatives soon joined him. 2Then others began coming—those who were in any kind of trouble, such as being in debt, or merely discontented—until David was the leader of about four hundred men.
They were not a group of happy campers but were men who were distraught by what had happened. Perhaps they were men with attitudes but David took them into his camp and led them from place to place. We never read of his men turning against him or creating problems for him. David earned their respect and he learned how to work with people who had difficulties to overcome. Difficult people are often God’s instrument of character development in the life of a leader. They have a way of revealing what is really in our heart whether we act on it or not we see ourselves in a new light. “The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog”. - Frederick the Great. As hard as it may be to work with them, we must realize that God has placed them with you for a purpose. Our focus must be “God what are you trying to teach me!”
3. Sought godly counsel
David was a great leader because he surrounded himself with men who sought God. David knew that the priests were men who sought the face of God for answers to difficult situations. When David was in battle he called upon the priests to seek for God’s guidance before he made a decision about attacking his enemies. (1 Samuel 23:6; 30:7) He did not want to presume he had the answers and then find out he was wrong and jeopardized the life of his soldiers. Great leaders seek counsel of others who are in touch with God.
David had a counselor named Ahithophel whom he trusted to tell him the truth. 33 Ahithophel was the royal adviser. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend (1Chron. 17:33).
He evidently was a man who was gifted with wisdom and understanding and David sought his counsel. When Absalom usurped the throne he also sought the counsel of Ahithophel and had he followed his advice the story line would have changed dramatically. Ahithophel knew that Absalom was doomed if he did not follow his advice and after his advice was rejected he went home and committed suicide.
David also had a man named Hushai, who was simply referred to as the friend of David. 1 Chron. 17:33 33 Ahithophel was the royal adviser. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend. Hushai saved David’s life when he counseled Absalom to not pursue David after he had usurped the throne. He was known as one of David’s advisors as well as his friend. Hushai was able to convince Absalom that the advice of Ahithophel would not work and Absalom believed him with the result being that David’s life was spared.
Most leaders have few friends they can really trust and like most men they do not have many friends period. David needed a friend like Hushai as he faced the many situations he had to address as King of Israel. Every leader needs a Hushai or two in his life!
4. Organizational ability
David had great organizational ability and he was willing to delegate authority to those he trusted. Israel had several million people at this time and for one person to govern the nation they had to have great organizational skills along with people they could trust to carry out the tasks. David’s military was highly organized as were the priests and singers who worshipped in the tabernacle (1 Chron. 16). David assigned duties and directed those he placed in leadership (1 Chron 18:15-17). 15Joab (son of Zeruiah) was commander-in-chief of the army; Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud) was the historian; 16Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of Abiathar) were the head priests; Shavsha was the king’s special assistant;a 17Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was in charge of the king’s bodyguard—the Cherethites and Pelethites—and David’s sons were his chief aides.
David surrounded himself with capable and trustworthy people whom he could rely upon to help him rule over the people. A leader without a good support system and a support team will not make it. David had both and was able to establish a solid kingdom.
5. Valued Unity
David also had the ability to draw divisive groups together. When David became King, the kingdom was divided, not all of the tribes of Israel came under his leadership. There were still several tribes who expressed loyalty to Saul and his family. He made a generous offer to Saul’s army immediately after Saul was killed to have them join his army without any repercussions. His offer was rejected as Abner, Saul’s military commander came to support Ishbosheth, Saul’s son as the King of Israel. Eventually David was able to bring all of the tribes together under his leadership over a period of 7 ½ years. 2 Samuel 5:1 Representatives of all the tribes of Israel now came to David at Hebron and gave him their pledge of loyalty.
“We are your blood brothers,” they said. 2“And even when Saul was our king you were our real leader. The Lord has said that you should be the shepherd and leader of his people.”
3So David made a contract before the Lord with the leaders of Israel there at Hebron, and they crowned him king of Israel.
It takes a special skill to be able to work with people who have divided loyalties. David was able to do this by working with the people who had the greatest influence and that was the elders of the tribes. Good leaders place a high value on unity and they know who they need to go to in order to bring unity.
6. Fulfilled his word
David was a man of his word. When he made a promise to Jonathon, Saul’s son that he would take care of his family should anything happen, he was faithful to do it (1 Samuel 20:14-17). 14And remember, you must demonstrate the love and kindness of the Lord not only to me during my own lifetime, 15but also to my children after the Lord has destroyed all of your enemies.”
16So Jonathan made a covenant with the family of David, and David swore to it with a terrible curse against himself and his descendants, should he be unfaithful to his promise. 17But Jonathan made David swear to it again, this time by his love for him, for he loved him as much as he loved himself.
Mephibosheth who was crippled from a fall when he was young came into the care of David as fulfillment of his promise to Jonathon. David kept his promise and at his own expense made sure that Mephibosheth was taken care of. He restored the land that was rightfully his and allowed him to eat at his table. (2 Samuel 9:5-13)

7. Gave honor to those who helped him.
As a leader David gave honor to those who helped him along the way. 1 Samuel 30: 26 26When he arrived at Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to the elders of Judah. “Here is a present for you, taken from the Lord’s enemies,” he wrote them. 27-31The gifts were sent to the elders in the following cities where David and his men had been: Bethel, South Ramoth, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites, Hormah, Borashan, Athach, Hebron.
When Ziklag was raided and David and his men lost everything including their wives and children, David sought the Lord and was told to pursue and recover everything. David recovered much more than was lost, the spoils were great and instead of keeping it all to himself and his band, he sent gifts to all the people who had assisted him during his time of flight from Saul. Great leaders have a heart of gratefulness and show appreciation to those who have helped them in their journey of faith.
8. Prepared for the future
David prepared for the future by training Solomon to take over as King of Israel. Leaders who want their organization or mission to continue prepare future leaders to take over. The kingship of Israel would always follow the ancestral lineage of David and Solomon was chosen to be the succeeding King.
The book of 1 Kings reveals David’s focus as he, a great leader, worked to develop Solomon into another great leader:
When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’” 1 Kings 2:1-4
How’s that for the first day on the job? The scope of the work itself was enormous, and David was a tough act to follow. Solomon was ready; David had developed him as a leader. The charge above is based upon the assumption that Solomon knew and honored God’s “ways…his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements.” There is no greater preparation for leadership than that. Leadership takes on many forms as an organization grows or downsizes, as its climate and environment change. What remains constant is the moral base of the leader, and this was the first issue that David addressed. Solomon was ethically ready.
Only at this point did David reveal to Solomon some of the specifics of his new role as king of Israel:
“Now you yourself know what Joab…did to me – what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies…. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle…. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
“But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.
“And remember, you have with you Shimei...who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood. 1 Kings 2:5-9
Makes you wonder whether Solomon might have wished that the job of royal dishwasher was available! David left Solomon with some thorny, unresolved leadership situations, but notice that twice in these five verses David referred to his successor’s wisdom. He asserted, “You will know what to do” (v. 9). David had invested himself in preparing Israel’s next leader. Solomon had acquired a deep knowledge of God’s Word and wisdom. In view of this foundation, it was in essence immaterial what further preparation was needed. The new leader already possessed the basic credentials and stood prepared to learn.” Ken Boa “Leadership Development” www.bible.org
David was truly one of the greatest leaders of Israel. Though far from perfect he had what God was looking for in a leader and that was a heart that sought after him. The other skills a leader needs can be developed or other people with those skills can be brought in to help. God looks upon the condition of our heart as the most important aspect of a leader he chooses and will bless. David had a deep love for God, a love for God’s Word marked by obedience, a love for worship and a desire to be in the presence of the Lord. Many leaders in the world are evaluate first by their performance and financial success but in God’s economy the state of our heart and our love for him are the most important things he desires. If you want to be a leader in God’s kingdom, you have to first and always have a heart that seeks after God.
David’s success as a leader also involved personal character traits along with relational and managerial skills. We have looked at a few of these aspects of David’s leadership which include:
Courage, the ability to work with difficult people, seeking godly counsel, organizational ability, valuing unity, fulfilling your word, honoring people and preparing for the future.
Many of you are leaders or will be leaders in the future. I pray that the example of David will be a model you can follow and track with as you carry out your leadership assignments throughout life. I encourage you to study his life more deeply than we have been able tonight and glean more principles that will aid you in your development. Being a leader is not an easy task and it seems that in the church today there is a lack of leadership. Surveys from organizations such as Barna, Maranatha Life and Focus on the Family report that 1500 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches. At this rate how much longer can the church last? Another statistic that reflects poorly on the leadership of the church is that 50% of the pastors would leave their position if they could find another way to make a living. We have a leadership crisis in the church. Something has gone wrong and there is a need to return to the characteristics we have looked at tonight in the life of David that made him a great leader. We must pray for our leaders and support them in the difficult tasks they are faced with each day. As the time draws near for the return of Christ we know that evil will increase and the tasks of being a leader will be that much more difficult. If God has placed you in a position of leadership or is preparing you for leadership keep your relationship with God your greatest priority and trust God to develop the other skills you will need to accomplish the task he has given you. It will not be easy but God will work through you and develop your character and bless many people lives through your commitment to leadership in his Kingdom.