Qualifications for Agents of Change
What a tragic moment in the history of Israel! Though Saul continued to rule as King for many more years, at this moment, he lost the support of God and thereby His delegated authority. Without authority, there is no power to lead. Yet, God "appointed" another man and through the prophet Samuel, listed one of His key qualifications for leadership - "...a man after His own heart..." . These same leadership failings exhibited by Saul, are prevalent today in our leaders.
There is great a vacuum of effective, dynamic, innovative leadership in commerce and government in our day. This is one of the signs of these Last Days that we live in. Focusing on this problem, will sap your hope for the future. We are about to see a new generation of leaders come to the fore in the days ahead, and it is incumbent upon us to recognize them, as they are God's gift to our generation. In order to recognize them, we must understand how God's leadership process works, and the life of David is one of the many examples we have been given in Scripture.
The Qualifications
It is clear in this verse that God has qualifications for men and women who will serve as His leaders. Samuel said here that God searched for "...a man after His own heart". He sought after a man like this to place His anointing and authority on and then He "...appointed him...". It is important to recognize God's protocol for leadership of this nature. God first evaluates character; second, He appoints; then third, He anoints.
Evaluation
David met God's qualification because he was a seeker of God. He was a worshipper who would write songs of praise that later became the Psalms. He was not "bored" with the solitary nature of the shepard's occupation, but used this time to position himself for divine visitations. His relationship with the God of Israel produced a fearless character that enabled him to kill a lion and a bear as a teenager. Though David was the least in his father Jessie's house, he didn't strive for attention and position.
