The three attributes of a leader who God select can be found in Psalm 78:70-72. They are the heart of a mother, the uprightness and the skills put into action.
The Bible Reference:
Psalm 78:70-72 English Standard Version (ESV)
70 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from
following the nursing ewes
he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance.
72 With
upright heart, he shepherded them and guided them with his
skillful hand.
The above passage reveals the attributes that God want to see in a leader.
- from following the nursing ewes - The model and motive.
- With upright heart - The Character.
- with his skillful hand - The Abilities and Execution - Action with Wisdom.
David had been shepherding his sheep. He could see how the mother sheep nurse the lambs. He grew up with a loving heart like the mother sheep.
The next attributes, because of the translation difficulties, have other words used. It is important to read many translations to get the true meaning. Here are the various translations:
upright heart ESV:
The original Hebrew is
H8537 and according to BDB Definition:
1) integrity, completeness
1a) completeness, fullness
1b) innocence, simplicity
1c) integrity
- integrity of heart NIV, ASV, CEB, JB2000, KJV
- upright heart, BBE, NRV, RSV
- a pure heart HCSB
- unselfish devotion GNT, GWT
- an innocent heart NCV, DRC
- a faithful and honest heart. NIRV
- a true heart NLV
- (integrity, guilelessness) OJB
skillful hand ESV:
- skillful hands NIV, CEB, HCSB, NCV, NIrV
- skillfulness of his hands ASV, KJV, OJB
- wisdom of his hands BBE
- intelligence of his hands JB2000
Skillful is H8394 with
BDB Definition:
1) understanding, intelligence
1a) the act of understanding
1a1) skill
1b) the faculty of understanding
1b1) intelligence, understanding, insight
1c) the object of knowledge
1d) teacher (personification)
The phase with skillfulness of his hands shows that David put his skill into action. He personally got involved with the people and led them with his examples.
The Consolidation:
The qualities of a God selected leader begins with:
- The motive of a Mother to bring up her children into mature man and women.
- The character of integrity, uprightness, a pure heart, guilelessness, and unselfish devotion. He has no ulterior motive of using people for achieving his own glory. His devotion is to the upbringing of the people under his charge. The shared goal is growing up into the real experiential knowledge of God and be like Jesus.
- The wisdom and skillfulness of leading his people with personal involvement in their lives and his exemplifying behaviors where they can copy and promote.
Our reflection:
Are we such a leader that God wants us to be?
Do we care for our members like a mother?
Do we have a pure motive, openness, and integrity dedicated to their upbringing?
Do we acquire wisdom and skills to lead them to higher ground with our personal testimonies? Can they copy us just as Paul dare to say "Follow me as I follow after Christ"(1 Corinthians 11:1 )?
Leadership is about the discovery and development of its members to achieve a shared goal.
"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." --Ronald Reagan
"The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been." --Henry Kissinger
"Leadership Is About Enabling The Full Potential In Others" --Glenn Llopis
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sanberg, COO of Facebook
“Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.”— Mwai Kibaki, Kenyan politician
"True leadership lies in guiding others to success--in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well." --Bill Owens
“A leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding the potential in people and processes.”— Brené Brown, research professor, and best-selling author
Lim Liat 10 March 2019
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