By Edward Onoja

Kevin McConaghy wrote five Leadership lessons from King David which I completely align with. In summation, I shall be adding two to make it seven (7), which speaks about the times we are in and what is to come.

1.To be God’s leader requires PATIENCE.

David was anointed as Israel’s king when he was a boy, probably in his early teens. But he was 30 before becoming king of Judah (which was just part of Israel) and 37 before he was named king of all Israel, as promised.

Having to wait a couple of decades for something you’ve been promised, that’s rightfully yours, is hard enough. But the existing king, Saul, spent a fair portion of that time trying to kill David. This forced him to stay on the run, hiding in caves and fleeing to another country. At least twice, David had a clear opportunity to kill Saul, and considering the circumstances it could have been considered self-defense. But David didn’t. He knew that God was in control, and trusted Him enough to wait on His timing.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – David (Psalm 27:14)

To be God’s leader requires HUMILITY.

So you’re a lowly shepherd boy, and you’re chosen as king by the guy who’s in charge of such things. What do you do?

If you’re David, you go back to taking care of sheep. When he does get called up to the palace, instead of demanding the throne, he works as a servant. He performs music for the king whenever Saul demands it, like a human iPod. When his dad asks the anointed king to serve snacks to his older brothers, he serves snacks to his older brothers. David was humble. He knew that, even as king, he was still just a servant of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” – David (2 Samuel 7:18)

To be God’s leader requires COURAGE.

When Goliath came out to challenge the army of Israel, everyone was afraid of the 9-foot giant. Besides being king, Saul was a head taller than any other Israelite (1 Samuel 9:2). So when the giant Goliath came out to challenge the army of Israel, I’m sure people were looking to him to do something. Instead, he was “dismayed and terrified” (1 Samuel 17:11), just like everyone else.

Except for David. The kid brother ends up comforting the scared king, assuring Saul that he’d take care of it (1 Samuel 17:32). And you probably know what happens next.
David was brave because he knew Who had his back. If you’re on God’s side, then there is nothing to fear—not even death.

Though our giants might look different today, there is definitely still evil in the world that we need to stand up against. We need not be afraid if our hope is in the Ruler of the universe.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” – David (Psalm 27:1)

To be God’s leader requires FAITH.

Throughout all of this, David showed that he had faith in God. He believed that God was in control. God had promised that David would be king, and since he wasn’t king yet, that meant Saul couldn’t kill him. Same with Goliath. When others brought up doubts, David pointed to evidence of how God had taken care of him in the past (1 Samuel 17:33-37). He trusted that God would continue to keep His promises.

“But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.” – David (Psalm 31:14-15)

To be God’s leader requires GRACE.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about David being “a man after (God’s) own heart” is that he’s just as well-known for his mistakes as his successes. This is someone who slept with the wife of one of his friends, tried to cover up the resulting pregnancy, and had the husband killed when that cover-up didn’t work. He abused his power at times, wasn’t known as a great father or husband, and would sometimes lie when it suit his purposes.

Why would God have anything to do with a lying, adulterous murderer? Really, it says more about God’s character than David’s. The one thing David did was recognize when he was wrong and repent. Check out Psalm 51 for one particular instance of him doing so.

Being a good leader doesn’t mean making the fewest mistakes; it means being open about them and being quick to ask forgiveness and get back on the right path.

“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” – David (2 Samuel 24:10)

In these five lessons, you can notice that David served first as the King of Judah, functioning as a high Priest before becoming the king of the entire Israel. How did he achieve this?

I, Edward Onoja, think it is through Wisdom and Loyalty.
“WISDOM is the Principal thing and with all thy gettings, get understanding”- Scripture!

WISDOM is principal to all virtues. In the case of David, it was the point of harmony. He made correct decisions by having the right attitudes and focusing on the right things. A man is wasting his time and efforts without wisdom. His results will never match his struggles.

Loyalty simply means trustworthiness. It is remaining true to God making it difficult for you to betray men. Thus loyalty includes service to authority and superiors. David refused to harm Saul even when the mad king victimized him. David stayed the course even after it became clear to him that Saul wanted to kill him. While in his service, he served Saul with all diligence and focus. After leaving Saul’s service, he still refused to take up arms against him and sacrificed opportunities to confront him. One of the major reason I draw hate and venom from all shades of character is my Loyalty to my Boss and his Vision which I share deeply. Loyalty in today’s world is in short supply. In my next world I shall remain Loyal. At least it can be said of my Ethnic group that Loyalty is our middle name.

Wisdom, Patience, Loyalty, Humility, Courage, Faith and Grace; Of this 7 leadership qualities, I consider Wisdom and Grace “The all and end all of them all”. Wisdom and Grace were the attributes above all that finally put David on the throne.

Even after he became King, David continued to rely on wisdom and grace to excel. It is safe to say that he never lost his reliance on them all through his life. Proof of this can be found in his decision to make the unification of the tribe of Judah which crowned him King first with the rest of Israel. By pursuing unity, he was able to bring the 12 tribes of Jacob together. Once he achieved it, he was able to go on and build the nation of Israel into a formidable regional power.

Likewise, to build the truly great Nigeria of our collective dream, we need a “Unifier” in character and exploits.

Today in Kogi State, my boss, working with me and the rest of our team members in the New Direction administration make it a collective daily focus to take actions targeted at unifying our people across the 3 Senatorial Districts.

In fact we have chosen to live the symbol of our Party, the APC, which is a giant broom that typifies closely knit Unity. We know that Divided we fail and fall, but United we rise to succeed.

No one can deny that building bridges where iron-clad and rock solid barriers once existed is not easy, but by the grace of God, we have done the much we can and succeeded greatly in changing previous narratives. Rather than just talk, which we know is the cheapest commodity around, we have taken, and continue to take deliberate actions.

Join this chariot!

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