Launch Into LeadershipSample

Moses showed that leaders can be found from the humblest of beginnings. He showed that leadership can be taught and that, most importantly, leaders are not fearful of challenges. David also showed these very same attributes long before he ever became king. In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites are at war with the Philistines. They are suffering casualties, and the outcome is looking bleak. Goliath, a nine-foot-tall Philistine, is taunting and laughing at the Israelites. He issues a challenge, stating that if the Israelites can send a soldier to defeat him, the Philistines would become the servants of the Israelites. David, however, was not a soldier. He was a boy sent out in the field to tend to sheep. He played a harp and was sent as a courier to bring supplies to his brothers, who were Israelite soldiers. Yet, when David was bringing these provisions, he heard Goliath taunt his people. He saw the giant mock God and mock the other soldiers. Whereas many were fearful, David was angered. David answered the challenge. The armor didn’t fit him because he was too small. A boy amongst men, David, picked up his sling and a stone from the ground. As Goliath laughed harder at the sight of a boy coming to fight the battle of a man, David started to swing his sling. And while the Bible does not specify the feeling that David had, I have to believe that there was some level of fear hidden behind his anger. Goliath was a giant, bigger than any man who has walked this Earth even now. He was an accomplished soldier whom the others feared. He was quite literally the not-so-secret weapon of the Philistines. How could a shepherd boy challenge him? How could David win? And yet, David did. He killed Goliath and shortly thereafter was named to be the general of the army. David displayed leadership long before he was given a title. He showed the entire Israelite army that challenges are meant to be faced head-on. Hiding from them only prolongs the issue. He, like any human, had to be afraid. Being brave doesn’t mean that you’re never afraid; it simply means that you press on despite your fear. David, like all truly great leaders, was brave when the time came to be.