“For a long time, even while Saul was our king, you are the one who really led Israel. And the Lord has told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be their leader.’”
- 2 Samuel 5:2
Leadership is weird. Suddenly you, who is so human, so flawed, and prone to mistakes and imperfection, are tasked to lead. It is a lot easier to look around and see failed leadership than it is to look around and find healthy successful leaders. We do not have to look much further than politicians, CEO’s, celebrities, and maybe our own bosses and supervisors. Of course, we should not expect perfection unless we can be perfect. With everyone we are praying for right now we should be praying for our leaders. They are making tough decisions that have no right response to.
I think that is why God approaches leadership so differently than we do. We look for the strongest, the most opinionated, the smartest, and the most attractive. We look to our millionaires and think, “well, they’ve been successful so they can lead us,” as if money is an indicator of leadership ability. We allow people who have a stage to influence us even if they have no credibility. God though uses a system that we never begin to comprehend, and He chose a shepherd boy to become a King, which resulted in a carpenter boy becoming the Messiah.
Shepherd Boy:
David by any means would not have been the first pick to be King, and in a democratic society he would not have received enough votes to lead. By any human system, Jonathan, the son of Saul, should have been the next king and leader of Israel. Or God clearly should have chosen one of David’s older and more handsome brothers to lead the people of Israel into the Golden era. In any human system, the books of 1 and 2 Samuel make little sense.
He chose a shepherd boy. God, the creator of the entire universe chose a shepherd boy to lead His nation of people. This shepherd boy though stood out from the rest for qualities no one who look for in a leader. God saw his heart. God knew the purity of David’s devotion to God. God saw the integrity that David displayed as a person.
A shepherd boy would serve as the archetype of the coming messiah as well. For a shepherd boy is a servant. There are intrinsically humble by their position. Yet, they are formidable leaders. As a shepherd is tasked to defend and care for flock of sheep and goats. Threats to them are lions, bears, and thieves. Humble yet skilled and up to the task. Would they be a king? No. Which is why it is so interesting that in the moment David is officially king of Israel they would call him a shepherd. No longer though is his flock a mass of sheep, but instead it is a nation of God’s people. David would go on to have a mostly successful kingship and be the trademark of a good king.
The Messiah:
Jesus would come in the line of Jesse, essentially being linked to the rightful throne of David. Yet Jesus came in unlike any other king or Caesar of the time. Jesus had a much more humble beginnings. I mean, sure He was birthed by a virgin filled with the Holy Spirit, but he was essentially born as a fugitive and in a cave. You know the rest of the story, he would be the Messiah to heal many people, cause political and social strife among the powerful, and then died a criminal’s death. Then upon defeating death, He was resurrected, and the gospel was complete, now we await His return and fruition as King.
The point, godly leaders have different beginnings than those we are hoping for. They are humble and devoted. They have a sense of spiritual loyalty that many are baffled by. I’m certain today that if Jesus were to run for president, He would receive no votes because no one would recognize Him to be the strong and wealthy leader America wants. Not that He would run for president, He is already King and Creator of everything.
What is the point of saying all this about David and Jesus? Aren’t they outliers of being human compared to the rest of us?
I believe, even though they are unique outliers of humanity, it is exactly those types of outliers the Christian is called to follow and embody. They were humble leaders with humble origins. Humility is something that can get a lot of lip service on but rarely does humility appear practical or easy to do. Partly because it means extinguishing every ounce of pride and selfishness with in us. For it is impossible to be humble and yet consumed in what you are doing.
I once heard from a well-known Christian leader that humility is not thinking of one’s self as less, but rather thinking of one’s self less. It means to put God and others before one’s self, not degrading oneself. A humble soul is a serving other over one’s self. That does not mean you do not care for yourself but there is a proper order of care and management. At times that may mean checking your heart, are you doing what you are good at doing for God and others or for yourself? A humble soul becomes a shepherd boy or girl in their service to others.
Final Blessings:
Christ Jesus and David are great examples to follow in becoming a humble person. They extended grace to other leaders who fell short and took care for the people underneath and around them. They had a humble shepherd boy like soul. I wonder how the world would change if more people cared less about themselves, and more about others, and sought-after God.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, in every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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