The Making of a Biblical Leader: 10 Principles for Leading Others WellSample

A Leader Is: Called

Skip Heitzig

David was born into a family of shepherds.

The day of his birth was otherwise uneventful. As the youngest of eight sons, his early life was spent in the rigors of tending to his father’s animals. But one day, a day recorded in 1 Samuel 16, David discovered what he was born for—to be the king of Israel. Though his road to leadership was a long journey, David’s reign would become the gold standard for all of Israel’s future kings.

As is the case with many leaders, despite God’s big plans for David, his leadership qualities weren’t recognized immediately. He was considered a loser—insignificant in the eyes of his own family. When his dad, Jesse, was instructed by the prophet Samuel to line up all his sons for a prospective roll call, he didn’t think David was important enough to be included! But in God’s time, David took the throne of Israel as shepherd-king and eventually became the ancestor of the Good Shepherd, the Messiah Himself. The big takeaway from David’s life is that through faith and guidance, leaders can emerge and develop from loser status to leader status.

Did you know God is actively on the lookout for faithful leaders? “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). God is looking for leaders who are committed to Him. He always has been. He seeks hearts that are devoted, that listen to Him, and that will pass on that commitment to others. However, when we start thinking we can do whatever we want because people are still showing up, or because we have a strong bottom line (and that must mean God is still using us), we have quit listening to God.

Often times leaders aren’t recognized at first, particularly leaders called by God, and David was no exception. Why? Well, God often calls leaders who don’t meet our human expectations. We have ideas of what makes a strong leader, and most of these ideas are based on physical, outward appearance. Our concepts may include stature, tone of voice, confident mannerisms, and even bodily beauty. But a theme runs throughout the Bible: God’s leaders are often overlooked at first. God picked Isaac over Ishmael (Genesis 17:15-21) and Jacob over Esau (Genesis 25:21-23). Joseph, the youngest and most despised by his brothers, was the one God chose to elevate to a position of prominence so he could help his people during a time of famine (Genesis 41).

David’s anointing for kingship took everybody by surprise—even David. It was not the life he expected nor desired. He was raised for the pasture. He didn’t think he would ever live in a palace until it happened. But that was the best possible outcome for the struggling nation of Israel. Unlike Saul, who drove his people, David was a shepherd. You can’t drive sheep. They must be led. They can’t be ruled or forced into obedience, but rather, must be escorted with gentle guidance. So, in David, Israel was getting the shepherd and leader it needed. No humans saw it at first, but God did.