What does it take to be a great leader?
“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
The original plan for Israel was for God to be its king (Isaiah 33:22), but Israel’s demand for a king was a rejection of God’s rule over their nation (1 Samuel 8:7).
First, God gave them the king they wanted in Saul. He was the right man from a human perspective—tall, strong, capable. Yet none of those qualities qualified him in God’s eyes.
Saul did the exact thing God told him not to do (1 Samuel 13:8-14), made a vow he neglected to keep (1 Samuel 14:24-47), and neglected to do what God had specifically commanded (1 Samuel 15:1-35).
His fatal character flaws included valuing people’s opinions over God’s commands, promoting himself through manipulation rather than waiting for God’s provision, and blaming others after his failures.
God rejected Saul and king as sent Samuel to anoint a new king—David, a young, small shepherd.
David wasn’t a perfect king, flawed on multiple levels, but he became the model leader of Isreal because he left leadership in the hands of Yahweh. He was merely God’s servant to point God’s people to God’s laws.
David refused to kill Saul given the opportunity, even though he had been anointed as the next king. After he committed adultery and murder, he repented. The Bible called David a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
David’s flaws didn’t disqualify him from being a leader, but they did disqualify him from ruling God’s kingdom permanently.
That’s why Jesus came. Jesus claimed a kingdom, but didn’t assert himself as a king during his life on earth. Instead, He submitted himself to God and served those He had helped create.
1 Samuel 16:7 is more a description of Jesus the Messiah than of David the king, and it should characterize our own ambitions as well, if we’re to follow in the footsteps of both.
