Stepping Out In Front To Lead

1 Chronicles 21:17 - And David said to God, "I am the one who called for the census!  I am the one who has sinned and done wrong!  But these people are as innocent as sheep - what have they done?  O Lord my God, let Your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy Your people."

David is such an awesome example of leadership, as we have all learned.  But why?  What makes him so special (other than that whole being anointed by God thing)?  He was the runt of the litter, so to speak, of Jesse,  However, we are told that David was a man after God's heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).  But how did he do that exactly?

David demonstrated regularly that he was willing to step out in front and lead.  When Goliath was instilling fear into the hearts of Saul's warriors, this runt stepped out from the pack and showed them that this giant's words against God were unacceptable, and that all they needed to do was trust God to lead them and deliver them to victory.  I mean he used a slingshot and a rock for crying out loud to bring down a 9-foot giant.  If that isn't God delivering him, then I don't know what would be.

In this passage here, David has sinned badly against God.  While that's certainly not a good thing (to say the least), when he realized his mistake, he stepped out in front of it and confessed it to God (1 Chron. 21:7).  While Joab tried to warn him, it took God confronting David by way of punishing Israel for David to see where he messed up.

How often do we hide behind our sin and try to blame any and every one else for our shortcomings?  While we are told that Satan provoked David that still doesn't give David any excuse for doing what he did.  We cannot control our circumstances.  David could not control Satan's provocation to take pride in his victory over the Philistines and call for the census.  What we can control is our response to our circumstances.  The thing about free will is that it works both ways.  We have the free will to choose to follow God, and at the same time we have the free will to choose to not give in to the attacks of the enemy.  Neither of these choices is easy, but we still control our choice.

God doesn't expect us to be perfect and always make the right choices.  If He did, David wouldn't have lived much beyond this incident.  He wouldn't have been called a man after God's heart.  He would have been known as another failed King of Israel.  But the fact that David knew that God's desire is for us to be honest with Him, and forthright about our sins and transgressions, made him a man after God's heart.  That's how we all become people after God's heart.

David's relationship with God was based on his love for God and his fear of God as well.  While he could have easily tried to hide in the shadows, or blend in with the crowd and cover his face to avoid being seen, he realized that he could never hide what he had done from God.  How did he know that?  Because of intimate relationship with God.  He knew the best way to please God was to step out in front to lead God's people the way God wanted him to.  How easy would it have been for David to hide behind Satan and let him take the blame for everything?  The excuse of "He started it!" doesn't work on the playground, and it sure wouldn't work with God either.  Satan did start it, but David did the right thing and stepped out in front to end it.

Dear Lord God, thank You for the amazing example of leadership that You have given us in Your servant David.  I pray that we all can take something from the story of his life and apply it to our own, so that we may be shown to be a people after Your heart.  I pray for those that don't really understand what it means to lead from the front.  My prayer is that they will see David's godly example of leadership, and turn their hearts towards You and do right by Your people that You have placed in their charge here in this world.  I pray we all take the mantle of responsibility that You have given us seriously, and that we will lead from the front.  And when we make mistakes, I pray that we will be honest in our confession and repentance of them, so that we may continue on the path of righteousness that You have placed us all on.  In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.  Amen!



God Bless!!!