Leadership Worth Following

7And his armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul." 1 Samuel 14:7

To be with someone heart and soul really requires a depth of devotion and commitment that can never be superficial.  We could easily think that because this is the armor bearer to the king’s son, he is obligated to do this, but that would be a mistake.  We only need to look at the story of Gideon and see that when given the opportunity to go home, most of Gideon’s army chose not to stand behind him in his hour of need.  They left the minute they could, but the reality is that they would have done the same thing even in the thick of battle.

Devotion itself is quite rare and the object of its affection fuels it.  The more enamored we are with the person, the more committed and devoted we are.  Many tyrants have demanded devotion, but when the rubber meets the road, the devotee will not willingly give their life for the cause of their ruler. 

Jonathan’s relationship with his armor bearer was different.  He was completely and totally sold out to Jonathan, which implies that there was something about Jonathan’s character that this man felt worthy of devoting his life to – even to the point of death. 

That is the earmark of a leader.  They have the ability to bring out the absolute depth of commitment in another human being.  And it has everything to do with character.  It is why men were drawn to Jesus.  The Bible says he was not really that attractive; in fact, He was quite ordinary.  So it wasn’t his good looks that mesmerized the crowd.  It was the inner strength and quality of His character.  It was because people knew that He was a man of conviction, fearful of nothing, and One who did not put His own life first. 

And in the sentence right before this verse, we see that Jonathan’s character is built upon an unwavering faith in God’s sovereignty.  Jonathan was so fixed upon God’s plan for his life, that he was able to abandon all care for himself and devote his own attention to the bigger picture of what God was doing.  And that kind of faith was contagious enough to pierce the heart of his armor bearer.

If I am to lead others, I must myself first have the kind of faith in Christ and walk with Him that is deep enough that others have the confidence to follow me – even when it looks like a suicide mission.