Leadership In Action
Opening Prayer
Father, I know with certainty that only in You can my restless heart find peace. I thank You for my salvation.
Read 1 Samuel 11:1-15
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Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“Leaders take the lead; they initiate ideas and plans. And leaders move people to follow them by showing them consideration” (Leighton Ford). Here’s clear insight for those who aspire to leadership.
Think Further
The situation could not seem worse as Saul faces his first leadership test. Some despised his ability to “save” (10:27) and now, not the Philistines (9:16) but the Ammonite king is exercising a reign of terror among the tribes east of the Jordan (1-3). Nahash wants to shame “all Israel,” so it is no wonder the people in Saul’s home town “wept” (4). Saul is still at his home tilling fields. His response to the news, empowered by God’s Spirit, is “anger” (6), the kind that “provokes determined action …. Anger is not always a healthy emotion … [but] sometimes it is exactly the right response” (M. Evans, The Message of Samuel).
Saul mustered men from both Israel and Judah (the differences preceded the division after Solomon; (see 2 Sam. 2:10; 19:11,41; 20:1) and there was victory. Three times in Hebrew the nouns “savior” and “salvation” are used (3,9,13; NIV “rescue”). When reminded of those who refused to acknowledge Saul, Saul’s initiative affirms it was not he but “the Lord” who has “rescued Israel” (13; cf. 7:8). In the past, God delivered through judges, but now he is working through a king who acts like a judge-deliverer, one who seeks the people’s benefits, not his own. This kind of king, empowered by the Spirit, is described later through Isaiah (11:1-5), and sung about Christ by Zechariah (Luke 1:67-75).
Here is an example of a situation where God’s people may feel helpless when surrounded by powerful, hostile forces–whether physical or spiritual–and an example of God’s power to deliver. Victory here comes with God’s people united in purpose under their anointed king. There have always been differences among God’s people: the challenge is to live out being one in Christ (John 17:11-21; Rom. 15:5-7; Gal. 3:28), serving faithfully together with him. Then we joyously celebrate (15).
Apply
Do you face hostile situations? Live in the hope of Christ’s victory. Pray for fellow believers in seemingly impossible situations.
Closing prayer
Lord of the Church, I pray for the leaders of my church. Give them wisdom, discernment, and courage as they pray, strategize, and lead us into Your future for us.
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