One of the values that God chose to give to Scripture is complete transparency into the lives of people with whom he chose to work. In other words, we see both the spiritual successes and failures of people who are struggling with the same human failings you and I fight with. This is seen clearly in those whom God chose to serve as Kings over his chosen people. The good news is that we can learn positive truths from both the successes and failures of others.
Last week we began looking at the characteristics of a King that should be part of the life of a godly man. We discovered that overriding everything else we do, we must keep our lives centered on God and follow his leadership.
Unfortunately, the first King appointed over Israel proved to be a disappointing failure. He had all the advantages one could imagine from a human perspective. He was from a good family. He was physically impressive. He started out well, but he soon succumbed to selfishness which ultimately led to him being mentally unstable. Jealousy also grabbed ahold of him, and he let it drive him to attempted murder of David. His ultimate undoing came when he rejected the leadership of God and sought advice from a demonic spirit. It was this sin that caused God to remove him as King. As far as we know, Saul died in battle as an unrepentant failure.
God then turned to David as King. Under the Lord’s leadership, Samuel gathered the family of Jesse together to anoint a king from among his sons. Sammuel assumed God would choose the oldest and strongest, however God had other plans. David was one of the youngest and probably quite unimpressive. In declaring his choice, God taught an important lesson about the role of a King. In 1 Samuel 16:7, we read, But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
From outward appearances, David was a bigger failure than Saul had been. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered to cover his sin. The difference between his life and Saul’s is that David chose to repent and seek restoration before the Lord. You can find his prayer of confession in Psalm 51. In verses 1-2, we have these words, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
David did not live a perfect life, but he had the one characteristic that set him apart so that God promised him he would always have a descendant on the throne. When designating David as his choice, God said this of him in 1 Samuel 13:14, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
As a man who wishes to be a godly leader in your home, at work, and in your recreational activities, the key lies in learning what it means to have the characteristics of a God honoring King. We must put aside all selfish motivation and lead from a place of humility. We must never allow our authority to “go to our head” and abuse it for our own emotional gain. When we fail, we need to willingly and quickly repent and retore the favor of God in our lives. And above all, we must strive to consistently seek the heart of God in our lives and follow his leadership to impower and protect our leadership.