Qualities of a God-appointed LEADER
March 23 Bible
Reading: 1 Samuel Chapters 10-12
Qualities of a God-appointed LEADER
Samuel had been an exceptional
judge over Israel but he was old now (1 Sam 8:1). He had failed to mentor and
raise up godly sons to take his place when it was time for him to retire. His
sons were corrupt and inadequate for leading the nation (1 Sam 8:4). On the
other hand, the Israelites failed to recognize that God ALONE was their king,
and their disobedience to God was the reason of their problems. Now, they
wanted a king as they wanted to be like other nations and they relied more on
human strength and leadership. It is
important to note here that seeking God’s will and being obedient to Him will
alone lead us to victory.
So, God
appointed Saul through Samuel as the first king of Israel. There are many good
qualities in Saul that God saw in him, which we can emulate in our lives:
- Physical Qualities: Saul was a choice and handsome
young man and taller than everyone else in Israel (1 Sam 9:2; 10:23-24). However, physical appearance is not
important as other qualities. Our Lord Jesus had no (physical) beauty that we
should desire Him (Isaiah 53:2).
- Obedient to Parents/Elders: When Saul was asked by his father
Kish to go and look for the missing donkeys, he obeyed without any hesitation
(1 Sam 9:3-4). He was obedient and respectful to Samuel as we read in his encounter
narrative with the prophet.
- Honoring God’s servants: Saul wanted to honor Samuel with a
gift when he asks for his counsel. This must have been a good trait that he
learned from his parents.
- Humility: Saul was a humble person, and we
can see this trait in his reply to Samuel who had told him that on him was the
desire of Israel. And Saul answered and
said, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and
my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do
you speak like this to me?" (1 Sam 9:21)
- Lack of self-promotion: Saul was not willing to reveal the
prophecy of Samuel that he was chosen as the King of Israel (1 Sam 10:14-16).
Also, when the selections for the king was being made, Saul was hiding among
the equipment (1 Sam 10:22). Saul was not willing to promote himself in any
manner.
- Restraint in his reactions: When some rebels questioned his
ability to be the king, Saul kept silent. But
some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him,
and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. (1 Sam 10:27)
- Willing to take risks: When the time came to rescue Jabesh
Gilead from the Ammonites, Saul stepped out and took a risk to fulfill God’s
plan. He exemplifies that God protects us as we take intelligent risks to
accomplish His will.
- Magnanimous: After the victory against the
Ammonites, some people urged Saul to bring out the people who doubted his
ability to be the king of Israel and execute them. It is here that we see the
magnanimity of Saul: But Saul said,
"Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has
accomplished salvation in Israel." (1 Sam 11:13)
With all the above qualities of Saul, God had made the right selection. After Saul was anointed by Samuel to be the first king of Israel (1 Sam 10:1), God gave Saul another heart (v. 9). The Spirit of God empowered Saul to take over the leadership of Israel during times of crisis (1 Sam 11:6). All Saul had to do now was to fear God, serve God with all his heart, and obey God’s commandments (1 Sam 12:14, 20-25) and his leadership would have been secured. Let us ensure that we have the same qualities that Saul had when he was selected for leadership over Israel. God will then choose us for leadership assignments as well.
