Leaders by their very nature tend to be people of action. When given a chance to solve a problem that has been plaguing them or the opportunity to complete a task so they can move on to the next phase of a project, leaders generally take the necessary action to finish. Even godly leaders can fall into the trap of action at the moment of opportunity – even when that opportunity may violate other principles God has established in His Word. Leaders seeking to serve God take a moment to discern God’s will even in situations that call for instant action. Read 1 Samuel 26:5-11.

David had been anointed the future king of Israel by the prophet Samuel and through his exploits on the battlefield had great support among the people. Any reasonable leader would have assumed that any day now the Lord would put David in a situation to ascend to the throne. Today’s passage in 1 Samuel brings us to the second David had a chance to take the throne – now. David could have killed Saul and forcefully become king of Israel. He and a fellow soldier were standing over a sleeping Saul, with spears in hand, and could easily have killed him while he slept.

Leadership is often associated more with the wisdom of the person than with the power of the position. Review again 1 Samuel 25.

The fascinating story of Abigail shows one woman’s single-handed efforts to save her household by using common sense and courage. Abigail stepped out of her normal life situation and exercised tremendous leadership to normalize a situation that threatened to take the life of her husband, probably her children and many of the laborers who worked for them.

Every leader has a will and emotions. Unless their will and emotions are committed to the glory of God every day even great leaders can lose perspective from time to time. Read 1 Samuel 25.

In yesterday’s study, we saw David demonstrate great humility, trust in God, discernment of God’s will and personal restraint when he spared King Saul’s life. God received glory because of David’s actions and even Saul, who lived in a dark world of fear, hatred and anger, repented of his ungodly actions. In today’s study, the same God-appointed leader allows his emotions to bring him to the brink of disaster when he is ready to murder another Israelite and his family for offending him through unfair treatment of his men.

A leader’s humility is sometimes measured by the manner in which they handle loss. Humble leaders don’t point fingers. They accept that even their best effort sometimes isn’t enough. On other occasions a leader’s humility is measured by how well they handle real or potential victories. Humble leaders treat even rivals with honor. Read 1 Samuel 24.

If ever a leader had a reason to grasp victory and gloat, it was David. David had been loyal to God and to Saul. He had not tried to steal Saul’s throne even though he knew God had anointed him as Israel’s next king. David’s only “crime” that had angered Saul was his devotion to God and the courage to defeat the Philistine soldier Goliath which gave him instant fame among the people of Israel.

Nothing tests a leader more than to realize that God is going to elevate someone on their team to a higher position in the organizational chart or that God is going to move them down in the organizational chart. Read 1 Samuel 18:1 and chapter 20 and 23:15-18.

Normally a king’s son would do everything within his power to possess his father’s throne, but not Jonathan. He was a prince who knew and accepted that somebody else would be the next king. Why? Because he understood that God had chosen a man other than himself to occupy his father’s throne.