Lessons in Leadership #1
David’s Youth – Spiritual Roots
I Samuel 16
“Beloved,” that’s what the name, David, means in Hebrew. David was beloved of his father, Jesse, beloved by the prophet, Samuel, beloved by his friend, Jonathan, beloved for a while by his king, Saul, beloved by his generation of Israelites and the generations that came after, because all believed that David was beloved of God in a special way. Beloved David, most famous king of Israel, was and is regarded as the ancestor to beloved Jesus.
The David stories can offer some thoughts about leadership; not that David wrote the "how to" guide or had a leadership strategy that he followed. Reading David’s story (I Samuel 16-II Kings 2:12) one can glean, speculate, wonder about many realities in leadership. Lessons to be learned include spiritual roots, unencumbered perspective, friendship, responding to adversity, the establishment, human frailty and failure, family dynamics, lyrics of life.
David had the freedom of being the youngest. His formative years were unencumbered by the first-born expectations. The youngest son was often relegated to the least important task; for David it was tending the sheep. As the youngest he probably tended the sheep longer than his older brothers who were each shortly replaced by the next in line. As youngest, it may have been David’s lot to tend the sheep all his days, had not Samuel and God intervened. Often in scripture the story line tells of the “norm” reversal of the younger and older, or insignificant or the “last becoming first” (i.e. Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Leah and Rachel, Joseph and is 11 brothers.)
David grew up free of living out other’s expectations of him. He was free to develop what was important within himself. He was self-taught and self-sufficient with an independent spirit that may come with being ignored or living alone wandering around in the wilds with the sheep. Crossing paths with other shepherds, finding his way regarding other’s property, and respecting the ways of others who share common grazing and watering grounds helped develop his relational skill on his own terms.
Living under the stars, close to the earth and earth’s creatures must have been his theology school and obviously was a good one. (see Psalms 8, 19, 23, 24, 29 as a few examples of his Creation theology). Living close to the earth was also bound to establish a trust in God, a companionship with God (Psalm 62), which resonates with all people of the earth. (Consider Native American spirituality in relation to David’s songs.)
David sang. Music, song, has been equated to praying twice. David sang to his sheep, sang to the sky and stars, sang to God. His poetry and his voice were his theological dissertation. Singing new songs unto the Lord, offered prayer. His “Credo,” his statement of belief, is clearly stated in Psalm 139.
David’s spiritual formation was rooted in residing within a creation infused by the presence of God AND David was attentive to it, trusting of it, responding to it. I imagine when Samuel, the spokesman of God, anointed David without much explanation, his family in attendance, the ritual was powerful enough that the Spirit of the Lord not only came mightily upon David, but David also consciously accepted the Spirit. This was not just an outside entity invading his life. David, I want to believe, moved deeper into the Spirit led life, united with the Spirit, who was to direct him away from the fields and sheep he knew so well, into the wider arena of life filled with people, demands, challenges, and issues. David’s spiritual roots would need to sustain him for the leadership required of him.
The Spirit of God which resided in David, offered a spirit of peace and comfort not only for David, for those who were in David's presence. The God within David offered "presence" to a confused, angry, troubled King Saul, calming Saul's spirit. Perhaps it was the music. Perhaps it was the lyrics. Perhaps it was skillful musicianship, one without annoying stumbles. Perhaps it was his voice or his handsome appearance. Perhaps it was God at work in all that was David, the Spirit in union with his spirit, that made a powerful emerging leader.
I wonder how conscious a later King David was to remember the days of his youth, remember from whence he had come. I wonder if David had a daily ritual of remembering who he was, of singing, of prayer, of claiming his “belovedness”. My guess is that the Spirit of God within him was alongside him such a way to call to his remembrance who he was, a recipient God’s grace. Consider your spiritual roots today. What are they? To what degree have you disposed of them, kept them hidden or available, or returned to them for nurture even as Spirit has led in new ways? Sometimes, going back to our roots, were they healthy to begin with, enables us to go forward in strength.
A Mik’tam of David – Psalm 16
Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”…
Yahweh is my chose portion and my cup, You hold my lot…
My heart is glad, my soul rejoices, and my body rests secure…
You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy…
and from Psalm 139
…Where can I run from your spirit?....
I come to the end – I am still with you…
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