Leadership Lessons from King David Part VI

Be Kind to People

When we think of David, we think of a strong person – a strong leader who was a warrior and a king over an entire nation. This guy is got to be tough, resilient, unflinching, and made of steel. Yes, David is all of that but we also see a kindness in the way he treats people. This is especially seen in the story of (2 Sam.9:1-13), one of the most moving stories in the Bible.

David was a kind leader who wanted to honour his friends and their families. He wanted to “show God’s kindness”. He had not forgotten his promise to Jonathan (1 Sam.20:15, 42)

Mephibosheth, though crippled in his feet, had his family’s land restored to him and always ate at David’s table, simple because of his father, Jonathan’s, friendship with David. He became like one of the king’s sons. David had experienced God’s kindness, undeserved favour, and he often acknowledged this. 2 Sam 22:51. “He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever." NIV

Ps 18:35. You have also given me the shield of your salvation; your right hand has held me up, your gentleness (you stoop down – NIV) has made me great. NKJV

As leaders, God has given us a degree of authority. That authority is to be used for ‘building people up’ not tearing them down. Yes, there are times where we need to confront, but even then we are called to ‘speak the truth in love’.

When we use our authority to encourage people and to show kindness to them, it can have a powerful impact. How do you treat the ‘little people’? Small acts of kindness go a long way! It could be as simple as – a smile, a hello, an apology, a ‘thank you’ (Bill Hybels story), an expression of interest, or a small gift. Be Aware of Your Vulnerability to Temptation

Story of David committing adultery with Bathsheba is well known, as are the ongoing negative consequences of his actions (see 2 Sam.11:1-27). David sends Joab off to battle and decides to stay home in Jerusalem (vs.1). Maybe David is getting tired of fighting the battles himself and thinks that he can take a back seat now. It is now about 10 years since he became king. Has complacency set in? The ark of God is out in the field of battle, not at home with David (vs.11). As a result, he places himself in a vulnerable position. There is no urgent cause or purpose to which he is directing his energies. This puts him in a situation where he is distracted, tempted and then drawn away into sin.

David breaks four of the Ten Commandments (Ex.20:13-17). This sin brought the death penalty (Lev.20:10. Deut.22:22). One sin leads to another and to further deceit. David commits adultery then tries to get Uriah to sleep with his wife so he’ll think that the baby is his. However, Uriah responds nobly and in so doing puts David’s actions to shame. David then plots Uriah’s death.

David had shamelessly violated God’s laws and he had abused his royal power, which the Lord had entrusted to him to shepherd the Lord’s people (5:2; 7:7-8).

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Here is a man after God’s own heart who has been lifted from the sheepfold and into a place of prominence and influence. God has been good to him and he loves the Lord with all his heart. But, oh the depth of sinfulness in the heart of every man! David lets down his guard and then makes some decisions with awful consequences. He forgot or shunned God’s law in his heart and deceived himself into thinking it would be okay. He got caught up in a wed of temptation set by the enemy.

Thankfully, when confronted (2 Sam.12) David’s response was “I have sinned against the Lord”. No excuses, no “back-peddling”, no rationalisation or self-justification. He was forgiven, though the consequences of his sin continued to haunt him the rest of his life.

What a lesson for us today. How vulnerable are we! We are made of the same stuff and have the same potential for such senseless sin. God preserve us from this kind of evil. Lead us not into temptation!

Many years ago, I heard some training by Ken Williams (Wycliffe) on The Battle for Sexual Purity and I found it very insightful.

• Sexual sin is rarely the result of a blow-out. Almost always, it's the result of a slow leak. It's a slide, not a sudden fall. Every person caught in adultery said, “I never thought it would happen to me!”

• Understand the process of sexual sin. See the wisdom of God's ways and the consequences of disobedience.

• There are 5 stages in an inappropriate relationship – (1) appropriate interaction, (2) inappropriate levels of openness, (3) unwise amounts of time together, (4) inappropriate physical touch, (5) over the line.

• 2 and 3 create an ‘emotional connection’ or attachment.

• Establish some ‘early warning’ signs. Don’t wait until you’re near the edge of the rapids!

Some reflection questions:

• How are you going in the area of sexual temptation?

• Married people – any inappropriate emotional connections? Do you have appropriate boundaries (time, location, actions, etc)?

• Single people - any inappropriate physical touch?

Leadership Lessons from King David part iii

Depend on God for Direction

One thing you’ll notice about David is that his relationship with God is central to his life. He loves God with all of his heart and this relationship with God is his priority above all other things. He loves to worship God as well as to pour out his heart to God, no matter what is happening in his life (just read the Psalms). We need to do the same.

David made his relationship with God central to his life. He valued the presence of God, hence his efforts to get the Ark of the Covenant back into Jerusalem (2 Sam.6:1-23). He valued God’s presence and was a passionate worshipper of God. He recognised the great value of the ark as the earthly throne of the God of Israel. He wanted to acknowledge the Lord’s kingship and rule over both himself and the people by restoring the ark to a place of prominence in the nation.

As you read the story of David, you will frequently see phrases such as “David enquired of the Lord.” 1 Sam 23:1-4. When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing-floors," he enquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The Lord answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!" Once again David enquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." NIV

David was committed to hearing from God and knowing his will. He listened to messages through other people (whether prophets or priests). He also prayed and sought God personally. David’s whole life was about listening to God and then obeying. That’s why he was a man after God’s own heart, some who would do all God’s will.

In contrast, Saul did his own thing and did not take time to listen to the Lord’s instructions. Even when he did receive them, he did not carry them out fully.

Example : Married couples often have children out of the intimacy of their relationship. Babies are a gift from God but often they can take up so much time and attention that married couples neglect their own intimacy of relationship. The same can happen in our relationship with God. Out of our intimacy with him he births vision and ministry ideas into our spirit. If we are not careful, we can become so busy looking after our ministries and pursuing our vision, that we forget our intimacy of relationship with God.

How are you and God doing right now?

leadership lesson from king david part II

Have Courage in the Face of Challenges

David faced many challenges in his life. Along the way, he faced a lion, a bear, a giant, and many other challenges and problems. How David chose to face his challenges were the key to his success and impact as a leader.

The confrontation with Goliath is a great example of David’s courage in the face of adversity (1 Samuel 17).

Israel and the Philistines were at war, each on a hill with a valley between them. Goliath from Gath was the Philistines champion. He was over nine feet tall with bronze armour and a bronze spear. He had a shield bearer who went ahead of him. Goliath defiantly challenged Israel to come and fight with him. Saul and the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. For forty days, he came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. The enemy is passionate, intense and unrelenting in his attack. He is determined to intimidate and destroy God’s people.

Here we have a challenge that in the natural seems impossible. Saul, the leader of the nation, is afraid and does not know what to do. As a result, the people are afraid and discouraged. They ran from Goliath in great fear (vs.24).

David now enters the scene. He is the youngest son (of eight) of Jesse and he has the responsibility of tending his father’s sheep at Bethlehem (vs.12-15). He three older brothers were in Saul’s army (vs.13). Jesse sent David to check out how things were going at the battlefield (vs.17-20).

David has a warrior spirit of faith. His first words were, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God (vs.26)? When he spoke with Saul, his first words were, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” David refused to be intimidated by what he saw with his eyes or the natural circumstances. He looked at things with the eyes of faith and with a confidence in God’s ability to do the impossible.

Intimidation came from (1) his older brother Eliab who seemed jealous and envious of David (vs.28), from (2) King Saul who looked down on him because of his youthfulness (vs.33), and from (3) Goliath himself who ridiculed him (vs.42f).

In the face of all of this, David has amazing confidence and courage! His faith was in the power of his God. He saw victory was a certainty. There was no doubt in his mind. He saw it as the Lord’s battle! David’s personal faith in God was enough to carry the nation forward into victory. His faith was strong in the midst of the intimidation, doubt and unbelief of everyone who was around him (brothers, Saul and Goliath).

The faith of one person led to victory and then the entire nation’s confidence rose. One young man stepped forward and God brought a great victory through him. David won the battle through his faith in God, his boldness to step out and his courage to believe that God would use him. There was no doubt or fear in his heart or mind. He believed that God would give him the victory that day and it happened.

Of course, life itself can be challenge at times.

• Some are facing sickness that won’t go away (either yours or a family member’s)

• Some are facing a marriage that’s not going well or family conflict

• Others are facing singleness issues, time pressures (balancing a busy career, family and a ministry), fatigue (you’re tired and run down), financial pressures that are beyond your ability to solve in the short term or personal internal issues that you grapple with every day (habits of life that you’re trying to change).

A few things we need to understand about our challenges …

• Believe that they have the potential to make you strong.

The very process of facing and dealing with life’s challenges is how we become strong people. You can’t develop ‘strength’ without pressure and without a degree of stress (and sometimes even pain). The hard times can make us strong. Smooth seas do not make skilful sailors. ~ African Proverb

How we think about our challenges is vital. The quality of ‘resilience’ is the ability to successfully meet and surmount challenges, obstacles, and problems. This quality is not hereditary and it has nothing to do with your talent or even your anointing. It has to do with your way of thinking – how you look at and interpret life’s challenges.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. ~Mother Teresa

• Do what you can to overcome them.

Don’t give in or just come under the challenge. Give your best efforts to face it head on and believe for a solution. Give it your best prayers, your best thinking and your best energy. There’s always something you can do to either completely conquer the challenge or at least minimize its impact. Sometimes there are tough choices to be made, changes to be embraced and maybe even compromises where we have to choose less than the ideal. Sometimes you need to try a different approach – a different tack. Look at it a different way or do something different about it. Don’t ignore your challenges and try not to be overwhelmed by them. Refuse to just give up and become a ‘victim’. Determine to be a ‘victor’ no matter how long it takes.

• Draw on God’s strength.

Notice I said, “Draw on” not “Ask for”. Why? Because God always makes his grace available for us when facing challenges. In fact, he always sends ‘more than enough’ for what we are going through. Sometimes in the moment we may not ‘feel’ it, but when looking back, you’ll see it – amazing sustaining grace. Grace – it’s not just about salvation; it’s about life. Grace is his goodness but also his ability and his strength to cope (2 Cor.12:7-10). Challenges do many things but one thing is for sure - they make you dependent. You are acutely aware of your desperate need for God. You pray more and you trust and rely far less in your self (not a bad place to be).

•Choose to be optimistic about the future.

Expect things to work out well and in the mean time embrace a high tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty (Jer.29:11. 2 Cor.4:15-18). If we are not careful, challenges have a way of subtly draining away our sense of ‘hope’. It’s like the pressures of realities of today blind us from any respite tomorrow. We can slowly begin to believe that things will never change or that the challenges may never go away. Let’s be real clear – just choosing to be optimistic doesn’t guarantee that the challenges will go away but we can believe that even if they don’t God’s grace will carry us through.

What challenge are you facing right now?