It’s impossible to tell the story of David without telling
that of Jonathan. As seen in giantkiller#2 Jonathan was a selfless leader, a
rare model of what it means to be humble. He lives the words of his mentor
David who would later say, “my heart is
not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great
matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quietened my
soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul
within me.”(Psa. 131:1-2).
David began to model sound character early in life. When he
killed Goliath everybody termed him a hero but he knew where to put all those
ululations, all the thumb ups, the attention and the fame. The victory over
Goliath placed him on a pedestal but after he was done with it, he climbed all
the way down to servant-hood and faithfulness. He knew he had began a long
winding road to his destiny and the battles ahead were greater far more
complicated than the giant who now lay dead. As Proverbs attests, the crucible
is for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he
receives (Prov. 27:21).
When Saul tried to get him to marry his daughter David
proved that he had passed this test. He said, “Do you think it’s a small matter to become the kings son in-law? I’m only
a poor man and little known” (1Sam 18:23). Really David? Did you just say
you are, little known? What about those women who raised their voices to give
you a hero’s welcome? Did you gather them to welcome you so you could make a
political statement, as any clever, cunning politician would do? Did they not
gather on their own volition? Did they not compose that song and sung it anyway
although it rubbed some people the wrong way?
But you were not a cheap politician. You were different. You
had the spirit of a giant killer. You were focused, determined, fearless,
selfless, hardworking, humble and godly. You understood leadership is the game
of the mature, of the temperate, those that can handle heat without boiling and
exploding to the detriment of their followers. Leadership to you was the
preserve of those who would never misuse their influence for personal gain.
Even when your life was threatened, you did not take the law in your own hands
and destroy your enemies before they destroyed you. Like Abraham Lincoln, you
knew and perfected the art of destroying your enemies by making them your
friends, as wisdom would dictate.
When the rendition, “Saul
has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands,” rend the air, it
never occurred to you that an old man in the name of a prophet had visited your
home and poured oil on you and had said you would be king over Israel. You were
a perfect interpreter of times.
Except that the blood of the tribe of Judah ran through your veins, you
could have passed for a son of Issachar, men who understood the times and who knew
what Israel should do. No wonder they too identified with you and came to help
you when you needed it most (1Chron 12:32).
Rejection and suffering never made you bitter but better,
and for this reason like a magnet you attracted all those who were distressed,
in debt and discontented. If you lived in our time, leadership consultants
would have told you, you goofed by picking the wrong men! They would have told
you that these men will ruin your prospects. But you were different. You
received them and did not turn them into a butch of hooligans. No, you passed
them through the crucible of your leadership training and produced warriors,
men of valor, giant killers like you. You taught them the hard lesson of
respect for authority because you reckoned that the same prophet who anointed
you with oil had anointed you predecessor.
You are a true giant killer not an imposter. The picture
circulated on social and mainstream media of you stepping on Goliath and
cutting off his head was not the work of a computer wiz. It was not the power
of photo-shop as we see it today. You were real, and you engaged real giants,
floored them all and raised a generation of giant killers.
In our time may
we find people like you, Real leaders not opportunists, men of honor, giant
killers that Kenya terribly needs and we shall fearlessly forge forward to destiny.
