DR. J.L . WILLIAMSJL , PATT & FRIENDS

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David’s Leadership Team(1 Chronicles)

Introduction

A. There was a leadership crisis in the life of Israel;

B. Saul had begun well as a leader – but was not ending well

C. He increasingly was proving to be a “man of the flesh” rather than a “man of the spirit.”

D. Because of his carnal leadership, God removed him from both life and leadership!

Introduction

E. God replaced Saul with another young leader who “…had a heart after God’s own heart”

(I Sam. 13:14)F. So the “heart of leadership” is always the “heart

of the leader.” “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the

Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse” (I Chron. 10:13-14).

Introduction

G. We can see several key characteristics of David’s leadership. First of all, he was a…

1. Covenant Leader: “All Israel came together to David at Hebron

and said, ‘We are your own flesh and blood…When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a compact (literally: “a covenant”) with them before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel…” (11:1;3)

[Note: This is clearly O.T. “Covenant language”]

Introduction

2. Courageous Leader: “In the past, even while Saul was king, you

were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns…” (11:2a)

3. Called Leader: “And the Lord your God said to you…” (11:2b)

4. Compassionate Leader: “And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will

shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” (11:2)

Introduction

5. Confident Leader:

“David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus…” (11:4)

Note: David confidently marches directly toward his opposition! There is always opposition to leadership – and “strongholds” to be faced. So good leaders never run away from problems or they march toward them!

Introduction

6. Challenging Leader:

(There was immediate opposition from the Jebusites to David’s leadership. They said: “You will not get in here.” So David rose to the challenge. He did not flee or hide in fear from his opposition as Saul had done. Rather, he put the challenge before his followers):

“David had said: ‘Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.’ Joab…went up first…” (11:6a)

Introduction

7. Cooperative Leader: “Joab…went up first, and so he

received the command.” (11:6b)

8. Companion Leader: “David then took up residence in the

fortress, and so it was called the City of David.” (11:7)

Introduction

9. Competent Leader: “He built up the city around it, from

the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.” (11:7-8)

10. Conquering Leader: “And David became more and more

powerful, because the Lord Almighty was with him.” (11:9)

Summary

1. Long before Saul died, his leadership had already died

2. Young David had already gained the hearts of the people as the real leader.

3. While Saul had lost the love and loyalty of the people, David had already become the “king of hearts!”

4. Saul had the position of leadership – but David had the power of leadership – because he had gained the hearts of the people

Summary

5. It was David’s “past performance” in battle that won their “present allegiance.” So true leadership is not the born in a vacuum

6. The people’s desire to “cut a blood covenant” with David showed their desire for someone to lead them

7. And God reminded David that his leadership was to be unlike that of Saul. He was to be a Shepherd-leader…a Servant-leader

Introduction

H. Let’s look now at the kind of people that David surrounded himself with…

1. WarriorsA. Note: Because David was a warrior, he attracted

warriors!B. Principle: “You teach what you know; you attract

what you are – and… You reproduce who you are.”C. Remember: “Like begats like!” We can only

reproduce after our own kind.

Introduction

D. Note what the Bible says about David’s warriors: “These were the chiefs of David’s mighty men –

they together with all Israel gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised – this is the list of David’s mighty men…” (11:10-11)

Note: These 30 “mighty men” were David’s “Special Forces”…”Navy Seals”…”Green Berets!” They were his most “elite troops” – his “storm troopers” who took the lead in battle! They were the “point of the spear” of his military campaigns.

Introduction

E. There are several things we can see about David’s warriors. They were…

1. Varied: (They were different in tribe and background)

“Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter” (I1:11)

“Eleazar, son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. He was with David… when the Philistines gathered there for battle…the troops fled from the Philistines. But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.”

Introduction

Note: Just like Jesus had his “inner circle” of Peter, James and John, David had his “inner circle” of Joab, Jashobeam, and Eleazar).

2. Vicarious: (They identified with David and his desires & needs)

“Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ‘God forbid that I should do this!’ he said, ‘Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?’ Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” (11:15-19)

Introduction

3. Valliant: (Bold, daring, risk-takers; They “lived on the edge”…“pushed the envelope”…fought “outside the box”)

“Abishai, the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his speak against three hundred men whom he killed, so he became as famous as the Three. He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them” (20-21)

“Benaiah…was a valiant fighter…who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab’s best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah…he too was as famous as the three mighty men. He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty…And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.” (11:22-25)

Introduction

4. Versatile: (They were adept at many forms of warfare)

“These were the men who came to David at Ziklag…(they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed…They were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin)…Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.” (12:1-2;8)

Introduction

5. Visionaries: (They caught David’s vision for a new kingdom)

“The men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (12:32)

Introduction

6. Victorious: (They helped David on toward victory)

“These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.” (12:14-15)

Introduction

“Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David…all of them were brave warriors…Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God…These are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said.”

(12:19-22)

Introduction

“Men of Judah, carrying shield and spear…armed for battle.”

Men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle…”

Men of Levi…and Zadok, a brave young warrior…”

Introduction

Men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans…”

“Men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty…”

Men of Naphtali…men carrying shields and spears…”

Introduction

Men of Dan, ready for battle…”

Men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle…”

“Men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon…” (12:24-37)

Introduction

7. Volunteers: (They each served willing; not through cohersion)

“All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David King over all Israel.” (12:38)

Note: Drawing, motivating and coordinating volunteers is one of the greatest challenges of leadership! It is far easier to work people who are salaried – than work people who are purely volunteers!

Introduction

2. WiseA. Even though David was “God’s anointed” and “a man

after God’s own heart,” he still knew that he needed wise council. So we find David drawing around himself different levels of council from people who had wisdom in various areas of expertise.

B. David needed people who had wisdom in spiritual areas…military areas… organizational areas…social areas…racial/tribal areas…building areas…financial areas, etc.

C. Many leaders get into trouble because they do not seek out and draw around themselves a wide and diverse “wisdom council.” Whereas the leader may have great God-given wisdom in one area – he cannot have all wisdom in all areas of life!

Introduction

D. So the greater his leadership, the greater wisdom he will need.

E. Notice how David sought the council and wisdom of others1. Military Wisdom: “David conferred with each of his officers, the

commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds…” (13:1)

Note: Here we see David applying the wisdom of Proverbs:

“Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.” (Prov. 20:18)

“By wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory” (Prov. 24:6)

Introduction

1. National Wisdom: “He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, ‘If it

seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel…” (13:2a)

2. Spiritual Wisdom: “…and also to the priests and Levites who are

with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. Let us bring the ark of our God back to us…So David assembled all the Israelites…to bring the ark of God…who is enthroned between the cherubim – the ark that is called by the Name” (11:2b, 3,5-6)

Introduction

F. What we see David wisely doing here early in his reign is consensus building. Even though he is “God’s man” – he does not go rushing off to battle without first building consensus among the people. He gains as wide a base of support among the people as possible. The leader who does not take time to build consensus among his followers – soon has no followers!

G. Note also that David makes his “rallying point” a spiritual one: “Let us bring the ark of our God back to us…” (11:3). This reminds us that all great leaders begin with a spiritual cause.

Introduction

H. With the wisdom and support of his commanders…priests…people, he could move forward with wide popular support:

“The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people” (13:4)

I. We read more about the various levels of wisdom that David drew around him as a leader:

“Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight… Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai, the Arkite was the king’s friend” (27:32-33).

Introduction

J. So just like the Lord Jesus has his inner circle, David had the same. He had an inner circle of warriors through the “Three mighty men”; and an inner circle of wisdom through Jonathan, Ahithophel, and Hushai.

K. The question for every leader is: “Who is your inner circle of wise counselors?”

Introduction

L. Successful leaders always seek as much wisdom as possible before taking action. That’s because:

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov. 15:22).

M. It is important to see how these two groups balance each other. Here we can also see the balance between the youth and the elderly. The two balance out each other’s extremes. As the old expression goes:

“Young minds are for war; old minds are for wisdom.”

Introduction

N. So a successful leader needs both around him. If he only has warriors around him will always be fighting – constantly going off to war! And the leader who only has the wise around him – who tend to be older in years, will do nothing but sit around in council meetings and committee meetings consulting…discussing… debating…philosophizing!

1. Warriors without wisdom of the elders often fight the wrong battle! As a result, they end up shedding a lot of unnecessary blood!

2. Wisdom without the passion of the warriors seldom goes to war – but spend all their time negotiating.

O. But David did not stop with the warriors and the wise, he also drew around himself the…

Introduction

3. WorkersA. No kingdom can be built by warriors and wise

men alone. They must have workers. This group of people generally compose the majority in any kingdom, organization, movement, ministry, or church.

B. Strategic battles can be won by a few “mighty men.” Timely wisdom can be gained from a small “inner circle” of counselors. But it takes a lot of workers to accomplish any great task. So King David drew many diverse workers around him.

Introduction

C. As every kingdom builder must do, David practiced a “division of labor” among his many workers. Generally speaking, he divided his workers into two divisions: the secular and sacred. However, in Jewish thinking, “all work is spiritual” because it is “done unto God.” So in one sense, there is no real division between the sacred and the secular in the Bible. But there was a division between those who worked primarily inside the tabernacle -- and those who worked primarily outside it. So there were the tabernacle workers and the temporal workers. So n his kingdom, David needed both laborers and Levites. While the laborers focused on the temporal, the Levites focused on the spiritual..

Introduction

1. Levites “After David had constructed buildings for

himself (secular workers) in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it (sacred workers). Then David said, ‘No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever” (15:1-2).

So one of the first things David did was to called all of Israel together to re-institute the Levitical priesthood:

Introduction

“He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites…’You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it…So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God …in accordance with the word of the Lord” (15:4, 12-15)

Note: There was a special group of Levites set aside to “handle the money” – a real problem area for most leaders! So David wisely set aside a group of treasurers to handle the money – especially God’s money related to the tabernacle.

Introduction

“Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things… they were in charge of the treasuries of the temple of the Lord” (26:20-22)

It is because of our concern to be absolutely transparent financially before God and man, that NDI is a member in good standing with the Evangelical Council For Financial Accountability (ECFA).

The minimum financial commitment for every Christian worker should be that of the Apostle Paul, when he wrote:

“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men” (II Cor. 8:20-21).

Introduction

2. Laborers But as vital as priests and Levites are for the spiritual well-being of a

Kingdom – there must still be many other workers to build a well-balanced nation. So we read further about the other division of workers that King David raised up and called around himself. And just as the priests and Levites were sanctified, or “set apart” for the spiritual work of the kingdom; these other secular workers were also sanctified and “set apart” for the temporal work of the kingdom.

(Building workers): “David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted…” (22:2-4)

Introduction

(David’s farm & agricultural workers): Azmavethh…was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan…was in charge of the store-houses in the outlying districts…Ezri…was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land. Shimei…was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi…was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats. Baal-Hanan…was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills. Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil. Shitrai…was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat…was in charge of the herds in the valleys. Obil…was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah…was in charge of the donkeys. Jaziz…was in charge of the flocks. All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property” (27:25-31);

Note: There is very clear job descriptions for each worker!

Introduction

We can see this pattern throughout the entire Bible. Moses “set apart” Bezalel and Oholaib to supervise all of the building of the tabernacle (Ex. 31). Likewise, the Holy Spirit “set apart” 7 deacons to supervision the daily feeding of the widows and orphans in the early Church (Acts 6:1-7).

So every worthy work requires many willing workers. So in addition to the warriors and the wise, David surrounded himself with many workers.

But there was a fourth group of people that David surrounded himself with to strengthen his leadership. They were a special group of spiritual workers who were the…

Introduction

4. Worhipers

A. Since Israel was more of a theocracy than a democracy, worship was central to the life of the nation. Worship was not a secondary, peripheral issue in Israel – it was the very heart of their national identity. Worship of the true and living God was the one thing that distinguished Israel from all of the nations that surrounded them. Therefore, worship was not the activity of a few spiritual fanatics -- but rather the privilege and responsibility of every person in the nation.

B. So to help keep the people focused on God, David set aside a special group of Levitical workers. They were to lead the people in worship – which was to permeate every aspect of their personal and national life. These worshipers were divided into the singers and the musicians.

Introduction

1. Singers

“David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals” 15:16)

“David…set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals…All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God…all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord – they numbered 288. Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties” (25:1, 6-7)

Note: Each of the fathers were to mentor their sons in the ministry of music and in worship leading! This is a lesson that many of us fathers need to learn from today.

Introduction

1. Musicians

“He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph was the chief…They were to play the lyres and harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God” (16:4-6)

Note: Even though the worshipers were to lead the people of Israel in the praise and adoration of God, their worship was to result in missions and evangelism to the surrounding nations. In the psalm of thanks-giving that David wrote and committed to Asaph, there was a clear evangelistic thrust that was to spread to the entire world.

Introduction

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name…Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim His salvation day after day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heaven…Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name…worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Tremble before Him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Then all the people said, ‘Amen’ and ‘Praise the Lord.’” (16:7-36)

Introduction

Once again we see the principle at work: “Like begats like.” As we have seen, David was not only a warrior, he was also a worshiper – specifically a worshiper through music. So he not only attracted warriors, he also attracted musicians. He is referred to in the Bible as “Israel’s singer of songs” (II Sam. 23:1). So because he had a musical heart – he made sure there was a permanent place for musicians in his kingdom. So by the time of his death there were “…four thousand to praise the Lord with the musical instruments…” (23:5) – which is a pretty large “praise band” or “worship orchestra!”

The church today needs to learn from this musical model and also make sure that music and musicians play a prominent role in our worship of God.

Introduction

It is instructive to remember that every great spiritual revival and reformation in Christian history has been accompanied by a corresponding revival of music! When people are renewed in their worship of God – music always plays an iatrical part. When people are forgiven of their sins…reconciled to God…filled with the Holy Spirit – they cannot keep from singing! When there is an inflow of the Spirit – there is always an overflow of music. Christian history reveals that salvation always produces singing! As David wrote: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God” (Ps. 40:3)

C. But there were a fifth group of people that King David surrounded himself with that we too need today. They were the…

Introduction

5. Watchers Just as was the case with the warriors, wise,

workers, and worshipers – the watchers were also divided into two groups. There were the gatekeepers and the doorkeepers. Let’s look at each individually…

A. Gatekeepers1. These were the special group of watchers who stood

guard at the city gates and temple gates. They were the ones who especially guarded the “going out” and “coming in” at the city gates and temple gates.

Introduction

2. As Levites, these gatekeepers were to guard the people, sacrifices, and offerings that came in and out of the temple precinct. They were to keep out unworthy people…unacceptable sacrifices…unworthy offerings from the temple. In other words, they were to safe-guard the holiness of the temple. They were not to allow anything profane to enter the temple area.

“The divisions of the gatekeepers (then they are named individually and by families and tribes)…These divisions of the gatekeepers…had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had. Lots were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike…Guard was alongside of guard: There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse. As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself. These were the divisions of the gatekeepers…” (26:1, 12-19)

Introduction

3. As This group of watchers had grown to the degree that by the end of David’s reign, there were “…four thousand gatekeepers…” (23:5);

4. Jerusalem, or the “City of David” to this very day is surrounded by ancient walls – all with gates within them. The primary ones are the: Zion Gate…Damascus Gate…Herod’s Gate…Jaffa Gate…Lion’s Gate…Sheep Gate…Dung Gate…Eastern Gate – which is closed, only to be opened by the Messiah when He returns.

Introduction

B. Doorkeepers

1. These were the ones who guarded the entrance to the temple area. They were the ones who were “…doorkeepers for the ark” (15:23)

 2. Should any unworthy person get past the

gatekeepers, they would have to confront the doorkeepers. It is easy to see the importance of this role – because the door is crucial for the home…for the temple…for the church.

Introduction

3. As a Jew, Jesus clearly understood the significance of the door or gate when He said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice…Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (Jn. 10:1, 8-9; NASV)

Introduction

4. Even though some would demean the importance of watching at the door of the temple – the Psalmist understood the spiritual significance, and wrote

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Ps. 84:10)

Introduction

C. There are obviously many illusions and applications of this principle of watchers at the gates and doors of our homes and churches. These exhortations are timely for parents…pastors…prophets…priests:

In the Home: (Shema) “He, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deut. 6:4-9)

Introduction

In the Nation: (To Ezekiel) “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the work I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself” (Ezek. 3:16-19)

Introduction

Ezekiel 33 is an exhortation to God’s watchman:

“When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.

Introduction

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself”

(Ezek. 33:1-9)

Introduction

God ordained the parents as the watchers over the physical family. They are to zealously guard the gates and doors of their home to make sure that nothing unclean…unholy…unworthy enters in – whether through radio, TV, video games, music, books, magazines – to contaminate their family. Tragically, most parents to day are either not “standing guard,” or are themselves allowing much garbage to enter their homes. As a result, their children are constantly being spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically violated by the world! Without parents standing guard as the sentinels of the home – the world, the flesh and the devil will have open access to the hearts and minds of the children, and have free reign in their family!

Introduction

Likewise, the pastors are to be the watchers in the church, or in the spiritual family. They are to watch over the family of God. They are to systematically feed and nourish God’s children on the milk and meat of the Word (I Pet. 2:2; Heb. 5:12). And they are to guard them from the heresies of the false prophets who will lead them astray (II Cor. 11:1-15; Jude 8-13). Tragically, it has often been the theologians…philosophers…preachers…teachers…seminary professors who have allowed much false doctrine to infiltrate the church – or have brought it in themselves!

So there is still a great need for gatekeepers and doorkeepers in both the physical family and the spiritual family! Like Ezekiel, all of us who have been called by God to be “watchman on the wall” will one day have to give strict account for our service! What a sobering reminder of the privilege and responsibility of being a leader in the home or in the church!

Introduction

Like David then, every leader today needs to have watchmen around him. Watchman who will help him guard his ministry…guard his message… guard his marriage… guard his morals…guard his money. Surrounded by gatekeepers and doorkeepers, a leader will ultimately guard his integrity and thus give him a long and fruitful ministry!

But there is one final group of people that David surrounded himself with. They were the…

Introduction

6. Wealthy

A. First of all, David dedicated back to God the “spoils of battle” from the many military victories God had given him.

“King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek” (18:11)

Introduction

B. But David did not stop with the financial spoils of battle. He also gave from his own personal wealth that God had blessed him with as King

“With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God – gold…silver…bronze…iron…wood…onyx…turquoise…fine stones and marble – all these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple” (29:2-3)

Introduction

C. This example of giving that David personally set – quickly spread throughout his kingdom. After personally pledging his own “personal treasures of gold and silver,” he then challenged the people: “Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?” The people then followed their leader’s example of generosity

“Then the leaders of families, thee officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders…the officials…gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God…The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly” (29:6-9)

Introduction

D. As a result of this great outpouring of giving, great wealth was released for the purposes of God. But once again, the example of giving must start from the top! King David took the leadership in giving. So if the parent and pastor does not first set the example of giving – even sacrificially at times, the physical and spiritual children will never be consistent givers! And the result will be that great wealth – all provided by God’s sovereign benevolence – will be hoarded and misdirected by his people!

Introduction

E. So after God’s people gave so generously, David broke out in prayer and praise to God. And his prayer is a great Biblical study on subject of wealth

“David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, ‘Praise be to you, O Lord…Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours…Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things…Now our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name” (29:10-13)

Introduction

F. But David did not stop with prayer and praise to God. He further expounded on the subject of the stewardship of wealth.

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are aliens and strangers in your sight…Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand and all of it belongs to you.” (29:14-16)

Introduction

G. But then David concludes with these insightful words about the integrity of heart that ultimately pleases God.

“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord…keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you” (29:17-18)

Introduction

H. So David clearly understood that ultimately God is the creator of wealth. He is the Owner and we are only the stewards. We all need to remind ourselves often of the words of the prayer of David: “…everything in heaven and earth is yours…Wealth and honor come from you…everything comes from you…” So whether it is position…power…or possessions – “everything comes from God!”

I. For further study on the subject of wealth coming from God, please study the following references: Gen. 13:1-2; 26:12-13; Deut. 8:17-18; 26:10; 28:4; I Sam. 2:7, 22; Ps. 25:13; 112:3; Prov. 8:18; 10:22; Ecc. 5:19; 6:1-2; 9:11; Hosea 2:8.

Introduction

J. So to build a kingdom…church…ministry…mission…organization…business – money has to be raised. So every successful leader needs to be able to generate wealth, and draw wealth around him. And King David did that personally and corporately.

K. Tragically, many of God’s leaders -- especially in Third World Countries, have a “poverty mentality.” They attract poverty…live in poverty…perpetuate poverty! Therefore, one of the greatest needs for the church in the developing countries of the world is to raise up Christian entrepreneurs…Christian businessmen and women who have the ability to make money and produce wealth. But Christian leaders must first study what the Bible teaches holistically about money and wealth – and then systematically teach their people by precept and example to earn and give. Or to quote John Wesley’s exhortation to his people: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”

Introduction

L. In emphasizing this matter of money, I am certainly not preaching the “Prosperity Gospel” – which is heresy! I have long taught and written against this unbalanced “Gospel of Health and Wealth” – which is little more than “baptized materialism!” (You may order my book on this subject: The Poverty of the Gospel of Wealth, and the Sickness of the Gospel of Health). This “Health & Wealth Gospel” is only an Americanized Gospel suited for the Western consumer-oriented world of materialism and greed! Wise Christian leaders will avoid the extremes of this heresy that equates financial success with spirituality!

M. Having said that, I want to close this point by again emphasizing the need for the Christian church to be on the cutting edge of the honorable creation and disposition of wealth!

Conclusions

1. First of all, David was successful because he was called and anointed by God. That is the starting point for all authentic Christian leadership.

2. Secondly, he was successful because he had a heart after the heart of God. That did not keep him from sinning gravely…failing miserably…making great mistakes. Like every other Christian leader, David was a sinner constantly in need of God’s mercy and grace! But all of his life he remained open to God – and repented in humility when he had sinned and failed. That was the heart attitude that pleased God.

Conclusions

3. Thirdly, David drew around himself a diverse group of supporters. Some were very much like him – such as the warriors and musicians; others were very different from him – like many of his counselors. A good leader needs to surround himself with a healthy mix of different kinds of people – people who have different personalities…different talents…different spiritual gifts…different experiences…different perspectives.

4. Fourthly, David drew the right kind of people at the right time during his reign. In the early days when he was consolidating his kingdom, he needed warriors to go to battle with him and fight the enemies . To establish his kingdom, he needed a lot of wisdom to establish his kingdom on Godly principles. To help his kingdom grow and meet the diverse needs of his people, he needed many different kinds of workers. To safe-guard the spiritual heart of his kingdom, he needed many worshipers to keep the things of God before the people. To guard against the infiltration and corruption of his kingdom, David needed strategically placed watchers – the gatekeepers and doorkeepers of the spiritual and physical families. And finally, to accomplish all that God raised him up to do, David needed a lot of wealth. So God blessed him with personal wealth and national wealth.

Illustrations

David

Warriors

Watchers

Wealthy

Workers

Wise

Worshipers

“The Lord gave David victory everywhere he

went. David reigned over all

Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people”

(I Chron. 18:13-14)“David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. He ruled over Israel forty years… He died at a

good old age, Having enjoyed long life, wealth

and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him

as king”(I Chron. 29:26—28)