DISTINGUISH, DELEGATE, AND GET OUT OF THE WAY!

DAILY WORD

1–2–24

32. “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

33. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”

34. But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35. I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37. The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the LORD be with you!”

1 Samuel 17: 32–37 NLT

Today’s Passage returns us to The Story of Samuel and the battlefield upon which the hotly contested challenge between the Israelites and The Philistines has raged for weeks. His father has sent young David from the fields where he tended his sheep to the location where the armies are arrayed, and when he arrives, what he sees runs the blood hot in David’s veins.

Upon his arrival, David sees a Philistine giant, their army’s champion, jeering and deriding the entire Israelite army, daring any of them to face him in single combat. He has told them repeatedly that if any of them could beat him one-on-one, The Philistines would become their slaves. But if he won, the Israelites would have to become their slaves.

The Israelites can clearly see the giant Goliath’s stature; they can hear his taunts and the fear they illicit within them cripples their will to fight. But the moment David hears Goliath’s taunts, he immediately reacts. And I believe part of why his reaction was so immediate and decisive was that God’s Own Spirit Dwelt within David. And since that was the case, when David heard The Philistine provoking the Israelites, using God’s Power and Name as his area of focus, the Spirit of The Lord stirred up David’s fury, giving him the ability to do just what he claimed he would.

King Saul caught wind of David’s bold statements and called him to his side. David told Saul he would fight the giant. Saul doubted David’s ability, stating that Goliath had been a fighter since his birth and that David would have no chance against such a force. But David disagreed.

He told Saul how he had vanquished both bears and lions in tending his father’s sheep and that he’d do the same thing to Goliath. Once Saul understood David’s conviction and motivation, he acquiesced, allowing David to engage with the defiant Philistine, and that’s where we find Today’s Lesson.

Everyone, especially those in positions of authority, must recognize and acknowledge when God shows up! King Saul messed up. His misdeeds were so abhorrent to God that He took away Saul’s Blessing, leaving him tormented by spirits day and night. But even Saul recognized the Call on David’s life. He saw that this young boy had what none of his hardened killers and army veterans didn’t: The Spirit of The Lord.

Now, Saul may not have recognized that the Spirit God had Blessed him with when he was coronated King had been taken from him and was now being bestowed upon David, but he did recognize that God had shown up and that he needed to give David free reign.

Even in the midst of his own downfall, Saul still had a job to do, and he recognized that he didn’t have what it took to get it done. David did, so Saul let him go, even at the risk of his own ego and reputation. Given his previously displayed pride, his decision may come back to bite him, but that is a Story for another day.

Today, let’s focus on the one good choice King Saul has made in quite some time. He recognized the need and delegated the proper individual for the job. But it was God’s Spirit and the boldness it provided that Saul recognized, not David himself. God was using David just as He’d tried to use Saul, and any good leader recognizes his followers’ talents and delegates tasks as necessary.

Today’s Lesson is that being a Leader may mean taking the back seat to your betters if they have a better chance of success than you would. Leadership may often entail the suspension of ego; otherwise, trouble may arise, and as we continue through The Story of Samuel, we’ll see how such trouble can develop. Until then;

Have A Terrific Tuesday, And If You Are A Leader, Always Be Ready To Recognize The Best Individual For The Job And Then Get Out Of The Way!

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