Sermon: Striving To Lead With Integrity And Skill

Sermon: Striving to Lead with Integrity and Skill

Scripture Leson: Psalms 78:67-72 “Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

Introduction: Choosing God’s leadership standard: Integrity and Skill. All these verses provided a fitting conclusion to this long psalm regarding Israel’s early history climaxing in David’s being chosen to serve as king in Zion. Here, God scattered his enemies in judgment and chooses Mount Zion for his sanctuary. Finally, God’s choice of Zion as his dwelling place and of David as his king climaxed all he had been doing for Israel since delivering them from Egypt.

With love and skill, David the shepherd cared for his flocks. As the king of Israel, David would care for God’s people. Despite the relentless pressure they had faced from their enemies and their woeful record of persistent rebellion, God had never abandoned them but had faithfully fulfilled every promise he had made. But the Israelite people had a problem. They did not remain faithful to God, and they did not live by his law. Despite God’s many miracles, they too soon forgot that they needed God and went their own way. Whenever God sent hardships on them the Israelites would turn again to him. They would make promises they didn’t keep. Even though God led his people as a shepherd leads his sheep, they rebelled and suffered the consequences. These consequences led the Israelite people to risk and lose the Ark of the Covenant to their enemies, the Philistines. This happened before Saul was anointed King. King Saul looked like a king, both in statue and influence, yet refused to obey so God rejected Saul as king.

Now God selects a new city and a new king; Mount Zion as his new city and David as his new king. God used a different criterion to select David. God looked for a heart full of integrity and hands that were skilled. David came from the tribe of Judah. He had been a shepherd as a youth – a role that he was able to carry over into his reign as King. He was no longer tending to sheep, however. Now he was tending the flock of Israelite people, leading them as a shepherd leads his sheep. David led his people with integrity of heart. Perhaps the message for our day and time that we can take from these verses is the example we are given of good leadership. God used the sheep pens to train David for leadership. David learned how to lead by shepherding his people. He led the people with “integrity of heart: with skillful hands he led them.” The passage you provided from Psalm 78 describes a pivotal moment in ancient Israel's history when God, in his divine plan, rejected the northern tribe of Ephraim (representing Joseph's descendants) and chose the tribe of Judah and the city of Mount Zion. God then elevated David, a humble shepherd, to rule as king and shepherd over his people, Israel, establishing his permanent sanctuary there.

In this short passage we see displayed God’s Divine Selection. God actively chose David, not based on human expectation but on his own will, elevating him from a humble shepherd to king. We see David’s humble origin did not disqualify for a High Calling. David, a humble shepherd, was raised to a position of immense responsibility, demonstrating that God can take the least expected from their simple beginnings and give them a powerful calling. Then we see displayed godly leadership qualities. The core message for leaders is to serve with "integrity of his heart" (or "upright heart") and "skillful hands". An upright heart refers to a heart that is characterized by integrity, sincerity, honesty, moral uprightness, and a genuine desire to follow God's principles. It describes a person who is truthful, lives with unwavering moral conviction, and aligns their thoughts and actions with righteousness, rather than being deceitful or hypocritical.

This passage should serve as a good example for all future leaders: The passage serves as an instruction for future leaders to emulate David's leadership by having a true heart and skillful hands as they guide God's people. What a picture of King David. What a description of his leadership. “With upright heart, he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” When I read that, I certainly thought about this church and the leadership of your pastor. And his desire to lead with an upright heart that cares for God’s people and guides them with skill to know God better, to walk with God faithfully and do God’s will. But I don’t think this versus just for pastors like Rev. Oliver. I think it’s for leaders in any area of life and applies to every officer in the church. It even applies to leadership as parents. As a parent, I want to shepherd my children with upright heart and guide them with a skillful hand. Or I think about any group of people that you lead, that you influence. Don’t you want to lead that group of people with an upright heart and skillful hand? I pray that you will lead whoever God has called you to lead, with an upright heart and direct and guide them with a skillful hand.