One of the best gifts that God gave to King Saul was a band of men. Saul had just been made king over the nation of Israel; a young man who had gone with his father’s servant in search of his father’s lost ass had ended up prophesying with the prophets by the Spirit of God. He had no formal training in the affairs of government nor in proper administration of people and resources. But the God who had chosen him king made arrangements for a smooth sail.
God placed Samuel to be Saul’s mentor and to guide him in the issues of governance. But for the kingdom administration to start, Saul needed administrators in various sectors. Choosing who handles what in the new kingdom would have been a herculean task. Unlike the prophet whose family members (read male children) grow up learning from their father, a proper kingdom needed proper structures, and Saul could not recruit his inexperienced family members to such heavy roles. He needed wise men and, more importantly, men of like minds to set up the management and administration of the nascent kingdom.
How did Saul get these men? Before Saul could pop the question, God touched the hearts of a band of men, and they immediately followed Saul after his coronation.
God will always send men who will work with the one he has chosen. He doesn’t leave you to struggle alone.
This pattern of choosing like-minded and capable men to work with His chosen is repeated a few other times in the scriptures. When Moses complained about his speech impediment, God sent Aaron. When the work of leading millions became unbearable, God took of the spirit that was upon Moses and gave it to the other seventy elders. And as the administrative processes got more demanding, Moses, heeding Jethro’s counsel, appointed leaders over different numbers of people.
We see the same thing during the earthly ministry of our Saviour Jesus Christ. He was God and had unlimited abilities to execute his functions. But He was also man and needed men whom He would disciple to serve in various ministerial and administrative roles. The selection process, though divine, was not casual. Jesus had fishermen, a physician, a tax collector, a Zealot, etc, and for administration, Jesus had a treasurer.
Apostle Paul didn’t have complex structures as he travelled for evangelistic outreaches, but he had assistants everywhere: Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Onesimus, etc. However, for the sake of proper administration of the churches that sprang up, Apostle Paul had to set up elders in all the places, and he counselled Timothy to do the same.
So, having men and women who assist leaders in dispensing their God-given assignments is a condictio sine qua non in the accomplishment of such assignments. The burden of leadership is too heavy to be borne by a single individual, and to avoid making the burden worse, God can handpick the men as in the case of King Saul and Moses, or he guides the leader to make this choice as in the case of the deacons.
Therefore, one of the best prayers a leader should make is, “Oh, Lord, send me men whose hearts you have touched to work with me – 1 Samuel 10:26.
