Leading is More Important than Winning
“He came to the sheep pen along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. (4) The men said this is the day the Lord spoke of when He said to you, I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish. Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. (5) Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. (6) He said to his men, the Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against Him, for he is the anointed of the Lord. (7) With these words, David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.”
Every man will experience the moment when he must choose between leading or winning. David faced this dilemma with his men. They found themselves in a perfect situation. They had the fool-proof opportunity to kill the one who was responsible for their current plight. They even concluded that “the Lord had delivered the king into their hands.” David’s men had every reason to feel this way. Saul and his army had chased them from one end of the kingdom to the other end. They could not understand why the king and his men pursued them. They had made up their minds to follow David. They understood his loyalty to King Saul when he was his armorbearer, but now it was apparent to everyone that King Saul wanted David dead. They and their families were always on the run. For them, there was no place they could call home.
These men wanted a leader who was committed to the men who followed them. They were aware that the Prophet Samuel had anointed David. They had witnessed his loyalty to Israel and King Saul. It was David that accepted the King’s challenge for one man to represent the Army of Israel against the Philistines. David had defeated Goliath by representing the God of Israel. It was apparent that the favor of God was on his life. Now they had the opportunity to put an end to the consistent attempt to end their lives. For them, this was personal. They loved David and had proven their loyalty to him. He was their king! They were excited about the opportunity before them. They finally would be able to rest.
However, King David’s response probably caught them by surprise. First, he referred to King Saul as the Lord’s anointed. Next, he passionately communicated that he had no intention of touching the king. In spite of all they had witnessed, it became apparent that David had not lost his perspective of who his Shepherd was. David obviously knew something that every man must know as well. Every man must learn the lesson that leading is more important than winning. They would later realize that God anoints leadership positions, but He must raise a leader to fit His anointing. It was evident to them that King Saul was not that man. David would become the King of Israel, and he possessed the anointing to go with the office.
May every man realize that God has anointed the positions that men are called to fill—whether they be husbands, fathers, or brothers sharpening one another. If men commit to being the husbands, fathers, or brothers serving the Lord, they will witness the anointing that comes with those roles.