A Spirit-Led Leader Seeks God’s Face and Honors His Covenant

By Alessandra Velsor

“During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, ‘It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) David asked the Gibeonites, ‘What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?’ The Gibeonites answered him, ‘We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.’ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ David asked. They answered the king, ‘As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.’ So the king said, ‘I will give them to you.’ The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.”—2 Samuel 21:1–9 (NIV)

It’s easy to turn to God as a last resort, especially when life feels like a famine—dry and desperate. David knew what that was like. After three years, he finally realized that something deeper was going on—something beyond his strategies or solutions. That’s when he turned to God. How often do we do the same: try everything we can think of, only to finally cry out to God when nothing works?

David “sought the face of the Lord.” That phrase is important. A true Spirit-led leader doesn’t wait for desperation to seek God—he or she starts there. When David does seek the Lord’s face, he models for us a foundational truth: A Spirit-led leader begins with divine revelation, not human speculation. We don’t know how many plans David tried before this, but it took him three long years to seek divine direction. Still, when he did, God answered immediately.

The famine isn’t merely a natural occurrence, but a covenantal consequence. You see, King Saul violated a 400-year-old treaty made with the Gibeonites (see Joshua 9). Though the Gibeonites had secured this oath through deception, God honored Israel’s covenant with them and expected His people to do the same. Even though this particular sin wasn’t recorded in Scripture, David didn’t question God. He understood that leadership often means owning the consequences of others’ actions and working toward restoration, even when the sin wasn’t yours. A Spirit-led leader takes responsibility and seeks reconciliation for the brokenness left by others.

David approached the Gibeonites, not as a proud king, but as a servant of God, asking what could be done to make things right. At first, the Gibeonites seemed unsure. They didn’t seek vengeance or demand wealth—perhaps they believed the damage was beyond repair. And in a way, they were right—some wounds cut that deep!

But David pressed on: “What can I do for you?” In response, they asked for justice—for the lives of seven male descendants of Saul. David agreed, but spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, honoring a covenant he had made with his friend. A Spirit-led leader stays faithful to their promises—even when it’s costly or complicated.

In this, we see another attribute of Spirit-led leadership: faithfulness to personal covenant, even in the face of public demand. David walks a fine line: satisfying the needs of justice while upholding mercy toward Jonathan’s line. In doing so, he reflects the heart of God, who is both just and merciful.

Those seven men were handed over and executed. It’s a haunting and heavy passage, reminding us that sin often outlives the sinner. Saul’s actions led to consequences borne by his descendants—a sobering truth. Yet in this, we see a glimpse of something greater.

Deuteronomy 21:23 says that anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse. The apostle Paul quotes this in Galatians 3:13 (ESV), applying it to Christ: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’”

In Saul’s sons, we see justice. In Christ, we see mercy. Jesus bore our curse, not as one guilty, but as the innocent Son offering Himself in our place. His death doesn’t just satisfy the wrath of God; it fulfills the covenant of grace. Where Saul’s descendants were condemned because of their father’s sins, Christ was condemned so we might be called sons and daughters of God.

Pause: Do you lead from a posture of dependence on God, or do you wait until every other option has failed?

Practice: Identify a broken relationship or injustice that you need to address, not out of obligation, but out of Spirit-led conviction and a desire for reconciliation.

Pray: Jesus, thank You for taking my place and bearing the curse I deserved. Forgive me for the times I delay in seeking Your face. Teach me to be a Spirit-led leader—quick to pray, eager to obey, and faithful to restore what’s broken. Help me speak up for those who’ve been caught in the fallout of others’ wrongs. Let me walk closely with You, abiding in Your presence and living out the promises I make. Amen.