Yesterday, we discussed the first part of this message. If you have not read it yet, you can search for it and read it. In that first part, we examined Biblical Leadership Principles, focusing on Saul’s leadership style and explaining in detail what it entails.
Today, we will be discussing David’s leadership principle. As I mentioned earlier, Saul’s leadership principle resembles the law, while David’s leadership principle reflects grace.
David’s Leadership Principle
1 Samuel 22:1–2 (KJV)
1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.
2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
This Bible passage clearly shows the essence of David’s leadership principle: taking those who seem hopeless and transforming them into something remarkable. A great man will always make you feel like you can be great too, and David consistently lived this principle as he trained and shaped others to serve the nation with their God-given gifts.
It is a leadership system where a man is picked up from the dust, trained, and shaped to serve the nation with what he has learned.
The David leadership system does not look for qualified people; rather, it makes people qualified for the assignment.
David genuinely cared for his followers, and we need to learn from his example.
David’s Leadership Principle in Practice.
Imagine starting a church and the people who gather are those who:
1. Need food
2. Need money
3. Need encouragement
4. Are distressed
5. Are discontented
6. Are area boys or societal rejects.
As a church leader, you might think God is punishing you for attracting such people but he is not.
A Saul leadership style will not appreciate them. It will look down on them and conclude that a real church has not started yet.
But a David leadership system will be grateful for those people and begin to work on them, shaping them into what God intends them to become.
Loyalty and Transformation
The beautiful thing about the David leadership system is that the people produced through the process are deeply loyal to the leader God used.
They become great because they encountered a man who believed in them when they were nothing. It is easy to accept someone who is already important in society; it is much harder to accept someone who appears to be a liability.
Because of this, those raised through the David system often become lifelong loyalists to the vision and the leader God used.
What the David System Looks For
The David leadership system looks primarily for availability, not qualifications.
It checks first:
- Is the person faithful?
- Is the person available to be trained?
- Or does the person always have excuses?
This leadership system is perfectly captured in the following scripture:
2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV)
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
The David system promotes faithful and available men, not necessarily gifted men, into positions of influence and responsibility.
I have seen leaders give sensitive positions to gifted but unfaithful men — and those leaders paid dearly for it.
The Cost of the David Leadership System
The truth is, the David leadership system is not an easy one.
It will cost you:
1. Time
2. Resources
3. Emotional strength
4. Money
Imagine coming to church as a pastor and most of your members have not eaten for days. As a leader, you also have your own challenges and limited resources.
It will be stressful. But if those people are faithful to the training process, God can raise millionaires and leaders from among them.
Imagine welcoming someone into your organization with grade-one stubbornness. He truly wants to learn and refuses to leave. Training him may exhaust you, but once molded, he may become the strongest pillar in your team.
This is why I admire David so much: he never gives up on anyone and consistently treats people with dignity and fairness.
The David leadership system is demanding, and that is why many leaders naturally opt for Saul’s leadership style.
As stated in the first part, this is the same leadership style Jesus used to raise His disciples. All His disciples eventually died for Him because He picked most of them up as nobodies and turned them into noble men.
If we truly want to build lasting Kingdom citizens, we must deploy the David leadership style, whether in ministry or in privately established organizations.
Which leadership style do you operate — the David leadership style or the Saul leadership style?
If this message has spoken to you, here are some related teachings that will help you understand Biblical leadership principles more deeply:
You Are Always in the Middle: Lessons on Humility, Growth, and Perspective.
Know Your Worth: Why People Value You Differently
Focus on the Right Issue: How to Handle Conflict Without Destroying Relationships
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