A Leader Who Treasures God

Benefits of Godly Direction

INTRODUCTION: In a world where we are lambasted with philosophy from social media, from TV, from the current of socio-political upheaval, and when you find a leader who asks for the right things, it is not always such an often thing. It is rather the opposite. It is a rare thing! What we find here, is a Psalm written by David, but it is also a prophetic psalm. A psalm that is also reflective of the reign of Jesus the Lord. And aspects of the kingship of David, reflected the likeness of God’s and Christ’s reign.

Eternal, no enemies can get in and conquer., the majesty!

READ Pslam 21:1-7, “

  O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,

and in your salvation how greatly he exults!

2  You have given him his heart’s desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3  For you meet him with rich blessings;

you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.

4  He asked life of you; you gave it to him,

length of days forever and ever.

5  His glory is great through your salvation;

splendor and majesty you bestow on him.

6  For you make him most blessed forever;

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.

7  For the king trusts in the LORD,

and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

a. If the glory of a country, or county or state is the state of the heart of the leader, then it’s best living conditions, is when the ruler(s) of the respective country find their strength in God.

Asking for life shows a heart for God

he didn’t ask for money

he didn’t even ask for a wife and children

he didn’t ask for civil success

But God may give him all these other things. But the issue here, is that the heart of the king is satisfied in:

Life that is lived in the life of God, and the glory of God. Once having tasted this, he sees everything else as subservient to this.

b. Verse 4 is also a prophecy of the abiding kingship of Jesus Christ: “He asked life of you, you gave it to him, length of days, forever and ever.”

c. If there ever was a good leader, it was and is Jesus.

What can we make of this:

i even leaders are led.

ii. Even shepherds have a shepherd.

iii.. Even Jesus became a man, to identify with us, and placed his trust and found his dependence on the Father, on the Spirit and on God, if you may, even though he was God. He also was truly human, and submitted himself to human food, human experiences such as being tired, and exhaustion. He was a son, and being a son, also relied on his Father.

The Trinity has to be believed an understood to make these truths precious. As seen in Hebrews 1:9, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

d. It is stated and affirmed that because the presiding king of Israel, is trusting in the Lord, that his trust in the Lord is what will make his kingship unmovable, from God’s will.

e. If we can be like Jesus and if we can be renewed to reflect his image, the image that we lost in the garden of Eden, it also means that we can become like Jesus in our leadership. If we suffer to do right, like he did, we will also reign with him. We will also be like him in this life, in our leadership. It does not mean the world will treat us fine, quite the contrary, but it means we can reflect him. And his values and share in his glory due to the reward. Forever blessings, majesty and glory.

Benefits of Wise Direction

Read Psalm 21: 8-13,

Your hand will find out all your enemies;

your right hand will find out those who hate you.

9  You will make them as a blazing oven

when you appear.

The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,

and fire will consume them.

10  You will destroy their descendants from the earth,

and their offspring from among the children of man.

11  Though they plan evil against you,

though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.

12  For you will put them to flight;

you will aim at their faces with your bows.

13  Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

Sometimes, because we are not omniscient, because we are not God, we do not see every enemy that can be lurking and even pretending to be with us. And the same with leaders, and kings, and those in power. The trust of the king here, being king David, is in the Lord, but as we know, it is the more that we are sanctified, and the more holy and set apart, the more we will be able to reflect and to represent, the ways and offices of God’s person and the Spirit. If we are like Jesus, enemies will be found out, because the kingdom is advancing through us his people, and his servants, together.

Evil plans will come to ruin

The servants of God will put to flight the enemies of God and the church.

Evil plans, though planned out well, and with precision, will not prevail against this leader and this type of leadership. (again, based on the sanctification of the person)

Wrath will be executed and seen against those who oppose God and his people and his servants.

*** It is similar to the promise that we see in Isaiah 54:

Isaiah 54:17, “17  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,

and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication

from me, declares the Lord.”

Lord Jesus, we look to you. We ask you to change our hearts. We ask you for life, and to cause us to have a query like this king of Israel, like David, that in the midst of anything that we can approach you and ask you for, that it would be that your presence and your life and to enjoy it, that this is what our request would be of you. Help us never to be sidetracked and to think that life can be found in the benefits, rather than the benefit giver. We thank you for the benefits, and the blessing, but we want to have a heart like David, and to be like Jesus, and to say, Lord, give us life - because it is you that we will have!

God bless!