Psalm 78:72 And David shepherded them with integrity of
heart; with skillful hands he led them.
This is one of my favorite descriptions of godly
leadership. One reason is the words used
to describe the job David had a king of Israel:
1) shepherding the people, and 2) leading them.
The words do no include anything like “forced” or “coerced” but indicate
a respect for those under his care.
“Shepherded” and “led” are much gentler terms, which tells me he was
kind in his leadership. The “withs” are
equally meaningful: 1) with integrity of heart and 2) with skillful hands. As king, David did not rule “mistake-lessly,”
but he had integrity of heart, indicating that he tried to be honest and
sincere. However, he was also skillful
in his leadership. God had given him the
leadership ability he needed for his job.
No wonder David has been considered one of the greatest kings who ruled over
Israel. As I pondered this in terms of the
implications for my own life, I was reminded of the New Testament passage in I
Corinthians 12:4-11 when the Apostle Paul talks about spiritual gifts,
emphasizing that all our abilities that God has gifted us with for service are
all just that: gifts from God and for His service. I am also reminded of the story of the building of the tabernacle in the Old Testament, where it says God chose men to work on the various aspects of the tabernacle and specially gifted them to do certain tasks. This is what David had and it is how God
wants to empower me for whatever He has for me to do. It is humbling and empowering at the same time.
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