Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 18:1-16, 19:1-7 (day two)
Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” 18:8
How can we expect our children or those in our care to flourish and grow if we refuse to let them succeed? Saul had done nothing to bring down Goliath, so why should he have expected any sort of acclaim for the act? We who are driven, type-a people spend most of our time getting ahead. At some point we have to stop and ask what are we getting ahead of? There ought to be some point at which we bring someone alongside to nurture, build up, and encourage to succeed. Our hope should be that they even outshine us. Insecurity is ugly for people in leadership. It never ends well. If you find yourself trapped in that cycle pray for God’s wisdom to lead you to a healthier understanding of success.
What type of leadership did we find in Saul and David? I found Saul’s and David’s leadership style are very common in today’s society. I have experienced working with both types. Saul’s leadership traits and behaviors demonstrated the self-serving type of leadership and David’s demonstrated the servant type of leadership.
There were drastic differences between these men in terms of leadership. God used both men for the purpose of propagating the nation of Israel and God chose both to be king. What is the main difference between them? Saul was a man after his own’s heart (serving self); David was a man after God’s own heart (serving others).
Men can never be perfect but self-serving is a complete failure. Saul tended to be jealous, suspicious of David, to make excuses, blame others, and to exhibit a lack of trust in God. In contrast, David demonstrated humility and exhibited a complete trust in God. Saul did not completely obey God; David was in complete obedience. David was a man of character; Saul was not. How we deal with those things tells a lot about our character and reveals a lot about our ability to lead others.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, too many leaders are more like Saul than David. I consider Saul a low-impact type of leader who avoids taking personal and professional responsibility for what is happening as he or she searches for others to blame. Low-impact leaders create a tremendous amount of distrust throughout the organization as they try to maintain power and control.
Self-serving leaders see leadership as a goal, not a means to a greater end. Self-serving leaders view themselves as ones to be served; servant leaders view themselves as ones to serve God and others and see leadership as a means to a greater end, not a goal in itself. Jesus was a servant leader!
The article below describes the contrasting differences between Saul and David as leaders.
LEADERSHIP (5): Contrasting Leaders: Saul & David
https://committedtotruth.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/788/amp/
As leaders, are you searching for others to blame for what is going wrong or are you taking personal responsibility for your own problems? Do you see leadership as a goal, not a means to a greater end or do you see leadership as a means to a greater end, not as a goal? What type of leadership do you think will create more leaders? What leaders are high-impact leaders, self-serving or servant leaders? Why do you think Saul was a complete failure when he once possessed God’s spirit?
Well said, my friend, well said!