David’s Blueprint for Godly Leadership

By Dean Collins

David gave us a good reminder that as leaders, we must first ensure that our hearts are aligned with God before we jump into leadership decisions.

Many scholars believe that David wrote Psalm 101 as he began to reign as king, or possibly right after he was anointed as the king of Israel. Considering that context, we can read between the lines that David understood that to lead well, he needed to take care of his heart, as well as create an administration that acted justly towards its citizens.

David’s first act as king was to worship: “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.”

How might our lives as leaders look different if we began each day in praise declaring the steadfast love and justice of the Lord? When we get our hearts and minds right before we make our decisions, there is a much greater likelihood that our decisions will align with God’s plans.

The second thing David told the Lord and us as readers of this psalm is that David will think carefully about what actions are just and in line with God’s character. David said: “I will ponder the way that is blameless.”

The Hebrew word for ponder is not one that suggests that David will give a little thought or even a lot of thought. This word implies both thought and action. David wanted to govern from a position of godliness and not selfishness.

David continued his declarations: “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house.”

David knew that integrity matters – both privately, in your own family, and publicly, in your work. One cannot have integrity sometimes and expect good results. Our integrity guides our decisions and determines how others will see us.

Part of living lives of integrity involves what we choose to focus on. David said, “I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it will not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.” David was not perfect, but he knew that in order to live right and lead right, you must first establish standards that are consistent with God and his instructions. David knew that when he failed, he could and must seek forgiveness and hit reset on what he would take into his mind and what and who he must avoid, namely the ways and practices of those who do evil.

David was clear that those in his administration would not allow prideful ways of acting. Those who worked in David’s cabinet would need to walk blamelessly with God, not utter lies, and not practice deceit. David wanted to destroy those who did evil in his kingdom because they had no place in the city of the Lord.

We can and should certainly pray for our leaders to follow David’s instructions in Psalm 101. But whether they choose to or not, it is our responsibility to live lives that reflect God’s kingdom, so that we might not only honor God with our words and needs, but that we also might influence others to consider Jesus. The gift of salvation that comes from the Lord and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit make it possible for us to demonstrate to others what a transformed life looks like and acts like. Then we just might see those outside of Christ asking us to tell them more about Jesus.

Father, thank you for your steadfast love and justice. We lift our voices in praise to you for who you are as Creator, Savior, and King. Today we will ponder your ways in our minds and pray fully that we might be led by your Spirit to act in ways that reflect you and your kingdom. We choose to avoid the ways of the world and walk in integrity. Use us today to bring you glory and open doors of conversation with others about Jesus. In his name we pray, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 101:1-8 ESV

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