Issue #132, June 25, 2014
David overcame great obstacles on his journey to become a leader after God’s own heart. Early in his life, he struggled with the key question which all leaders must answer, “How do I measure my significance?” The answer to that question and the basis on which we answer it profoundly shapes our leadership journey.
We can begin to understand the challenge David faced by examining the context of his calling in 1 Samuel 16. Samuel requested to see all of Jesse’s sons as candidates for kingship but dismissed each of them as they filed by one after the other. Then the story continues: So he [Samuel] asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have? There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” (1 Samuel 16:11) From David’s story, servant leaders can learn several lessons about the issue of significance.
Servant leaders do not base their significance on the opinions of others.
There are several hints in this passage which reveal how others saw David. Until Samuel specifically asks for another son, David’s father doesn’t even call David in from the fields. Further, Jesse calls David “the youngest” using a negative word* that is not only descriptive of age, but implies insignificance and disdain. The reference to David keeping the sheep is also intended as an indication of low value. Clearly, Jesse didn’t expect this young boy to be chosen as a future king. How would you feel if your father articulated these feelings about you? Later, David’s oldest brother mocks him when he comes to the battlefield (see 1 Samuel 17:28). If David would have based his significance on the opinions of others, he would never have become a leader. Servant leaders listen to others, but don’t allow the opinions of others, whether positive or negative, to determine their own significance.
Servant leaders do not base their significance on their own abilities.
David, as we will see later in this series, was a gifted and capable leader. He became a courageous warrior, first known for killing Goliath, and later became a leader in Saul’s army. He earned the praise of the women who sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). At this point, many applauded his work and he could have finally felt vindicated from the sting of his father’s comments. But David teaches all servant leaders not to base their significance and sense of worth on their abilities.
Servant leaders do not base their significance on their positions.
David’s life journey goes from the lowest position of shepherding to the highest in the land. But he was able to keep a balanced perspective. As a king, he carried with him a sense of awe that God had chosen him, but this sense of awe was not rooted inferiority or a lack of significance. He teaches all servant leaders not to find their significance in their title.
Servant leaders find their significance in their relationship with God.
David learned that he was significant based on only one thing: his relationship with God. Whether in the field as a shepherd or in the palace as a king, his identity and significance came from an intimate and personal relationship with the Great Shepherd. His lowly role and the way others saw him could have shaped his identity. Instead, he rose above that to become a secure leader with a sense of significance rooted not in the opinion of others, his own abilities or position, but in his relationship to God. All servant leaders seek to follow his example in their own search for significance.
(*The word translated “youngest” [haqqatan or hakaton] is a difficult word to translate but has the idea of being young or inconsequential. It can figuratively mean the least. The Message captures the emotional impact I believe David must have felt: “Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”)
For further reflection and discussion:
- What things have others spoken about you, either positive or negative, which you have allowed to shape your sense of significance or identity? What is the result of this in your leadership? What is God saying to you through David’s life about your own significance?
- Are there things which you do as a leader that are primarily to show others that you are significant? (Take a little time to think about this before answering.)
- How does your position or title change the way you see yourself? What would change if your title or position was taken away today?