By Ife J. Ibitayo
For Part 1, “Mighty Presumption, click here.
Greatness comes from putting first things first. If you want to be a great basketball player, you have to master the core principles of the game—taking care of the ball, shooting high quality shots, and the like—and never lose sight of them. If you want to be a great engineer, you have to maintain a strong knowledge of geometry, algebra, and calculus. No amount of sweettalking will save you when your poorly designed bridge crumples. This same principle applies to great leadership.
In the book of 1 Samuel, the LORD commissions King Saul for his last God-given assignment, destroying the wicked Amalekites and razing everything they owned. Saul and his men did wipe out the Amalekites, but they “spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and spared the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed” (1 Samuel 15:9). The prophet Samuel was again called on to rebuke the king, and their conversation revealed the several ways King Saul failed as a leader.
Putting Humility Second
Samuel begins his chastisement by saying, “‘Although you once considered yourself unimportant’” (1 Samuel 15:17). There once was a time when King Saul was simply Saul. He was a mere farmer who worked the ground (1 Samuel 11:5). He was so afraid of leadership that he hid among a pile of baggage when his reign was announced (1 Samuel 10:20-22)! But power corrupted his view of himself. When Saul ascended the throne, he no longer saw himself as Saul the man, but Saul the king. And kings do whatever they please.
Jesus Himself affirmed that the heart of good leadership is not pleasing yourself but serving others. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27). No one with a proud heart will bend their backs to serve others.
Putting Purpose Second
Secondly, Saul lost sight of the reason God had given him this mission in the first place. When Samuel called him out for disobeying the voice of the LORD, Saul rebutted, “But I did obey the Lord…I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” Keep in mind that when an animal was sacrificed to the Lord during that time, the one who offered the sacrifice would then consume part of the offering themselves.
So easily, when success comes, we too can lose sight of our original vision. We can start a hospital to help, a nonprofit to serve, or a church to love. But when funds start pouring in, we can be tempted to help others and help ourselves, serve others and serve ourselves, love others yet love ourselves more. An organization without vision is like a lamp without oil, in mortal danger of being snuffed out (Revelation 2:4-5).
Putting God Second
In desperation, Saul made one final plea. He cried, “‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). Saul’s last excuse was that he was pressured into his actions by his followers.
When a leader becomes subject to the desires of their followers, they are no longer a leader. Leaders lead by definition. They point their followers to someone or something greater than themselves: a cause, an ideal, or a moral principle. In this case, King Saul and his subjects’ obedience to God would have demonstrated that they were the LORD’s people, driven not by material gain but spiritual truth. They would have fulfilled the greatest commandment: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’” (Mark 12:30). Instead, by giving into the masses, King Saul demonstrated that he loved the approval of others even more.
Conclusion
Greatness requires humility, purpose, and obedience to a higher calling. When we lost sight of any one of these, we won’t only lead ourselves astray, we’ll mislead all those who follow us. But when we maintain all of these in spite of success, riches, and fame, then we’ll truly be great leaders.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
(Matthew 16:33)