divineinsight:BY HUMPHREY MTANDWA
AS Israel blessed his children, he put the leadership mantle (responsibility) on Judah and his descendants. Judah was to govern the children of Israel, but yet the first king of Israel was not from Judah. King Saul was anointed king after the people had cried out for a king and his election was based not on God’s will, but man’s desire.
God honoured man’s decision and even sent His prophet to anoint Saul king over Israel. Not all leaders that govern are appointed by God to those positions. God later sent the prophet to look for His choice, David, who even in the eyes of his family was not the best man for the job.
King Saul had the stature and appearance of a leader. He was well-groomed and the Bible says he was head and shoulders above the rest of Israel. Yet with all those qualities, he lacked the integrity needed to govern God’s people. Man does not see beyond his needs (immediate gratification) and when appointing leaders, they are driven by those needs. Germany was going through economic challenges and when Hitler came into power, he was a saviour from those difficulties. He was elected and those that followed him even in the times of his brutality stood by him. What blinded them were their needs (immediate gratification).
God appointed David, but it took David many years before he came into power. Israel’s need for a king was immediate, but God could not just place David into the position without first training him. He even worked under the man he was anointed to replace, but he valued and respected King Saul. This proved how excellent of a leader he was. A good leader is a good follower and David followed and served Saul like his very son. When King Saul died, David cried out in pain because of the value he had put on Saul.
Because King Saul was man’s choice, in his times Israel was under Philistine oppression, he did not have the qualities of a good leader. Godly leaders are not always attractive and at times are victims because the people they are sent too can be blinded by their issues. Saul fought David, but his son looked beyond his personal desire to be heir after his father. Jonathan proclaimed loyalty to David and had accepted he would be king after his father. He had recognised the hand of God over David.
In our time, like in the times of David, we have Godly leaders and those appointed into positions by man. Those that are from God carry grace and potential that causes their nations to prosper. The Bible speaks strongly and says if rule is wicked, people suffer. We should always pray for Godly leaders if we want our nations to enjoy prosperity.
When praying for Godly leaders to be appointed, one needs to look away from themselves and look towards God and His desire for their nation. David did not possess the qualifications of a good leader, but he had to be raised to the position. When we focus on our needs and not God’s desires for the nation, we choose wrongly. God gives and places leaders after His heart, but He also listens to men and gives them leaders after their own hearts. Remember that God sent His own prophet to authenticate King Saul yet he was not His choice? If we do not pray for God to send in the right leaders, we will continue to act outside of God’s will for our nations. Let us pray for Godly leaders to govern all over the world.
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l Humphrey Mtandwa is an anointed minister of the gospel and teacher of the Word based in South Africa. He has written several books including The Enoch Generation, Truthfulness and Theophany. He blogs at mtandwa.blogspot.com and can be contacted via e-mail or WhatsApp on +27 610286350.
