Dr. David Rafeedie

King David is my kind of man and leader. When I say my kind of leader, I am basically referring to the fact that we have the same first name. I am David Rafeedie and he was David son of Jesse. We have a couple of other things in common too. He was a shepherd throughout his careers. I was a shepherd throughout my careers. Was he tall? I hope not, otherwise we would not have that in common.  

But David had some flaws. We have that in common too, but I am not going to talk about mine because that would make this article way too long to read. David had some whoppers. When you are a king you do things in a big way.  

Apparently, he was not the best dad. From what we see in Scripture he did not lead his family well. Perhaps we can surmise he was too focused on the job and neglected his family and his family turned out to be dysfunctional to say the least.

It was not just the job he was focused on. He found time to focus on a married woman named Bathsheba. He committed adultery with her, and he ordered her husband to be put in a position to likely be killed in battle. And that worked. He was killed in battle.

But listen to what Psalm 78:70-72 says about David’s leadership; He also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands.

Briefly, in Psalm 78 the psalmist recounts Israel’s history to emphasize God’s guidance despite their unfaithfulness. He ends with the last three verses above. Obviously, God knew David’s character and what he could do. David was a good shepherd. An eastern shepherd would lead his flock from the front or walk beside them. He would care for each of the sheep, each individual sheep was important to the shepherd. He or she would guard the sheep from predators and would lead them to the good pastures for food. David was good at those things. He had skill and courage.

Those same qualities and skills made him a good leader for the nation. But it was not just for those skills God chose David. There were flaws and skills all wrapped up in one package. In other words, David was human. But God chose David for another important reason. According to Psalm 78, he led the nation with integrity of heart and skillful hands. It was not just his skills; it was the condition of his heart.

David had integrity of heart. The Hebrew word also means completeness. David’s integrity or completeness of heart was a value that God appreciated and honored. David had a heart sold out to his God. This heart committed to God is reflected in his response to being confronted with his sin involving Bathsheba and his subsequent repentance. This sin ate away at him as he shares in Psalm 51. His heart for God is reflected in the honesty of his psalms. He drew his courage for battle from his relationship to God, and that allowed him to overcome seemingly impossible odds and obstacles. He overlooked his own weakness and relied on God’s character and strength to defeat Goliath.

But David had more than a heart for God. The psalm tells us he had skillful hands to go along with his heart. He had a passion for God and he was good at being a king. David was good at taking the transferable skills of shepherding to leading a nation. And those shepherding skills are still needed today in leading a church.

Heart and skills are perfect compliments to each other for pastoral and other church leadership. Having a heart for God and the things of God is critical. Having repentant attitude when convicted of sin and desiring to know God more deeply will draw people to you. But having the skills to express that heart in your leadership is also critical for healthy church leadership and will engender trust in those you lead.  

How can you and your team grow in your relationship to the Lord as a team? How can you enhance your team unity and skills and lead your church to accomplish the mission that Jesus has given us more effectively.  I would love to have a conversation with you.  I am passionate about partnering with leaders and teams for change and growth. Email me at info@davidthecoach.com, text me, or feel free to call me on 520-709-1860. If you like, text me your phone number, and I will call you to start a conversation to explore a coaching relationship.

If you are reading this on social media, check out my website at www.davidthecoach.com.  Download my Four Fundamental Characteristics of an Influential Leader while you are there. You will also find more blogs on fear, leadership, transitions, and other subjects dealing with success factors.