#394: What Is the Most Important Attribute of a Godly Leader?

To answer the question of, “What is the most important attribute of a Godly leader?” let’s examine the actions of two leaders from the Old Testament.

I’ll describe the actions of each leader and see if you can tell who I am describing.

Hint: Both men are very well-known.

Leader #1

• Exhibits signs of paranoia, and often reacts to situations out of fear.
• Does not follow God’s instructions completely.
• Blames others for his bad decisions and failures.

Leader #2

• Nearly killed a man for disrespecting him.
• Committed adultery.
• Conspired to have a man killed in battle.

Who is Who?

Did you figure out who these two men were? If not, here’s another hint: both men were kings, and one followed the other as king over the people of Israel.

If you guessed leader #1 was Saul, and leader #2 was David, you are correct!

Saul

Saul exhibited signs of paranoia and fear often throughout his reign. Perhaps the most obvious example is Saul’s relationship with David. He feared David would usurp the throne, so Saul spent years hunting David to kill him.

On several occasions, Saul failed to obey God’s instructions completely. Saul is told to wait a week for Samuel to arrive and offer a sacrifice to God, but Saul gets impatient and offers the sacrifice himself. God told Saul to take out the Philistines, but instead of obeying God, he let his son, Jonathan, lead the battle. Then, God told Saul to destroy Amalekites, including all the cattle, but he spared Amalek and some of the cattle.

Finally, Saul blamed others for his actions and bad decisions. In the case of not waiting for Samuel to make the sacrifice, Saul said he was afraid because the troops were getting restless. With Amalek, Saul tried to blame his soldiers, then switched his story, saying he just wanted to make a sacrifice to God.

David

In a fit of anger, David planned to kill Nabal because Nabal disrespected David and his men. Only the pleadings of Nabal’s wife, Abigail, prevented David from killing Nabal.

Of course, we are all familiar with the story of David seducing Bathsheba, even though he knew she was a married woman.

Having committed adultery, David ordered Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to be placed in a position to be killed in battle. Then, once David got word that Uriah had been killed in battle, David married Bathsheba.

What’s the Difference?

So, what is the difference between these two kings? What makes one a more Godly leader than the other? Both were obvious sinners. Why is it one man sinned and was rejected by God, while the other man sinned and not only remained on his throne but is described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22)!

The answer to which man is a Godly leader lies in their response to discipline from the Lord.

Each time Samuel confronted Saul with his sin, Saul made excuses or blamed others. In refusing to take responsibility for his actions and decisions, Saul rejected God’s instructions and His discipline. Saul rejecting God led to God stripping Saul of his kingship.

David, on the other hand, responded differently when confronted with the consequences of his sin.

When Abigail spoke on behalf of her disrespectful husband, David relented. He even thanked Abigail for turning him away from his plan to kill Nabal.

When David tried to move the Ark of God into the city, he proceeded without following God’s instructions. When Uzza was killed after touching the Ark, David sought the Lord in prayer and then carefully followed God’s instructions for moving the Ark.

Finally, when Nathan confronted David regarding the sin of seducing Bathsheba and having Uriah killed, David offered no excuses. Instead, he repented of his sin. When his son was born sick, David prayed and fasted, realizing his sin was evil in the eyes of the Lord.

So, Saul refused to take responsibility for his actions and remained prideful. However, David humbled himself before God; he offered no excuses for his sin. Instead, David repented of his sin and restored his relationship with God.

Ultimately, when answering the question of which attribute is most important for a Godly leader, I think it comes down to our willingness to humble ourselves before God as we take responsibility for our sins.

This willingness to accept responsibility for his sin and humble himself is what distinguished David from Saul. Saul refused to humble himself, and God took his kingship away from him. David humbled himself before God, thus restoring their relationship.

Despite all his shortcomings and sins, David’s willingness to humble himself before God made him a Godly leader. A man after God’s own heart!

More Articles

I have written several articles on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.

• #389: What Happens When A Weak Leader Fails to Lead?
• #373: Do You Deal with Temptations in The Workplace?
• #348: What Kind of Legacy Are You Leaving?
• #240: Here’s Another Nice Mess You’ve Gotten Me Into!
• #181: Pressure, Pleasure, Power, Pride, and Priorities Lead to Failure

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you know leaders who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions and don’t respond to God’s discipline?

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Category: Personal Development | Character