I Chronicles 22:6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel
I’ve been thinking recently about the difficulties of being a good leader. When I say, “Being a good leader,” I am not talking about someone that everyone knows or who has a dynamic personality. I am talking about something quite a bit different. One of the things I am talking about is being a leader when you no longer have the official capacity. I think that is hard for people to imagine. If you are in a position of power right now, whether in business, church, or your home, it is hard to even imagine not having that position. But if God should grant you life, there will most likely come a day when you will no longer be the person with that official capacity of power. So, it is very difficult for leaders to imagine a time when they are not the leader and to help move something that is more important than themselves forward for the days to come.
First chronicles 22 is the story of King David. David was dynamic, well-known, and a man of official capacity, but David was a good leader, not just because of what he was when he was king, but even before he was king. There were those who came to him before he became king and said, “Even when Saul was king, you were the one who led.” So, David served and led even before he had an official title. There came a time later when David was no longer the king; someone else was the king and reigned in his stead, but David was a great leader in part because of how he made that transition.
You see, a good leader is given to us and exemplified for us in I Chronicles 22. Verse 6 says, “Then he [David] called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.” So, what does David show us as characteristics of a good leader? First, a good leader is a good follower. Verse 7 says, “And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God: but the word of the LORD came to me.” David had a great ambition to build a temple for God, but God said, “You are not the one to build the temple. Solomon your son will do that.” It took great humility, a changing of gears, and openness of ear for David to do that, but that is exactly what David did because a good leader is a good follower.
A good leader realizes that he is not the end to all things, the end to himself. David was king but he followed a God who was sovereign, and when God said, “No, that is not My plan but your idea,” David said, “Yes, sir.” So, a good leader is a good follower. If you are not a good follower and do not know how to obey, you won’t be the right kind of leader and give commands as you should.
Second, a good leader communicates who, how, and where. He communicates who we are, how we are, and where we are going. Verse 6 says, “Then he [David] called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.” So, who are we? We are followers of the Lord God of Israel. How are we? We worship God. Where are we going? We are going to build a house to God. David was busy training. The key word used many times in chapter 22 is prepare. David prepared. He communicated who they were as a nation and people, how they were to behave, and where they were going.
Then, David prepared for the prosperity of the work and leader who would outlive him. I love verse 14 which says “Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD…have I prepared; and thou [Solomon] mayest add thereto.” What a wonderful charge to Solomon, “I have prepared and built and you can add to this.” Whatever you are leading, if it is worth leading, it ought to be going long after you are gone. The way to do that is to find people, to show them that you are a follower, to communicate who you are, how you are, and where you are going, and to help prepare that future leader for the work that should outlive you.
So, a good leader is a person who is a good follower, communicates the mission, and prepares those who will outlive him. That is exactly what David did.