A wise leader values the wisdom of good counselors.  Solomon advised, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15: 22).  Only arrogant leaders flippantly discount the advice of others and trust totally in their own instincts.

On the other hand a good leader recognizes “the buck stops here” and discerns between wise and foolish counsel.

Twice while hiding from King Saul, David had the opportunity to kill his jealous enemy and both times he was wrongly advised to do so by his closest supporters.

Right decisions may be unpopular

The first incident occurred when Saul entered the mouth of the cave where David and his men were hiding.  Saul entered alone, unprotected, and David’s men, huddled in the dark recesses of the cave, whispered, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'”

David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe but refused to kill the king.

Afterward, he explained to his men, “‘The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.’

With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way” (1 Samuel 24:6-7).

Some time later David and his companion, Abishai, sneaked into Saul’s camp while the king and his soldiers were fast asleep.  Abishai counseled David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear.”

But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?  As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.”  (1 Samuel 26:8-11)

Bad counsel can come from good people who are loyal to you and want the best for you.  David’s men were devoted to him but they gave him bad advice, in part because they desperately wanted David to be king.

A good leader doesn’t just blindly follow the counsel of his advisors but responds to God’s will even though it may be unpopular and difficult at the time.

Bad counsel can come from a majority of advisors

There is no record of any of David’s men suggesting he not kill Saul.  King Ahab once had all 400 of his religious leaders advise him to go to war when it was not God’s will to do so.

J. Vernon McGee once said, “Majority opinion sometimes means you’ve got a lot of fools in one place.”

Bad counsel can come from people who insist their advice is God’s will

David’s men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands.’  (1 Sam 24:4) Abishai told David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hands”.  You can get bad counsel from people who quote Scripture and claim they know God’s will because they’ve prayed about it.

David compared what he heard with what he knew about God’s character and concluded if God wanted Saul dead, He would orchestrate it. Therefore, no matter how many of his military leaders advised him to kill Saul, he would not do so, nor would he let any of them attack the king.

Patience should not be mistaken as weakness

David’s men probably felt unappreciated and grumbled that David was weak and indecisive.

But a short time later when Saul was killed in battle and David was crowned king, David’s advisors must have admired the patience, character and wisdom of the new king.

But it took a while to get there.  No wonder David was called, “A man after God’s heart” and was regarded as Israel’s greatest king.
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Bob Russell retired from his position as the senior minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky where he served for 40 years. During his tenure, Southeast grew to become one of the ten largest churches in America. Russell is nationally known and respected for his clear, biblical preaching. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including When God Builds a Church and When God Answers Prayer.