This Kind of Leadership Doesn’t Make Sense - Part 2

As we continue diving into Psalm 23, we learn more about leadership that doesn’t make sense through the way God’s presence affects David’s life. Verse 3 shows just how much we need Jesus Christ, but more importantly, that everything He does for us is for the sake of His name. In other words, it’s not about us! It’s about Him.

That understanding is essential for every leader, because it reveals who God is and who we are. We are under His leadership. It’s a positional dilemma, one of the greatest dilemmas leaders face.

Verse 4: "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil." Once again, the context is essential to understanding David’s mindset. The shepherd had to look for green pastures and, in the process, had to travel dangerous paths. Sometimes the sheep had to go one after another through that narrow and dangerous way. That is why he mentions the rod and the staff. These were the tools the shepherd used to protect and discipline the sheep — once again revealing the sheep’s dependence on the shepherd.

Verses 5 and 6 reveal how great Jesus Christ is in any circumstance. He is with us, which brings us to verse 5. His presence is enough. David is not talking about provision; he is talking about the presence of Jesus Christ. Verse 6 closes by saying that, through His presence, goodness and love will always be with us and, one day, we will dwell in His house forever. David is revealing the hope he has in God through His daily presence.

This psalm helps us understand our total dependence on Jesus Christ. We see this in Scripture through people God used for His glory despite (and sometimes through) their failures. It’s not about those people, nor about you and me; it’s about Him, Jesus Christ.

This psalm reveals how much we need Jesus Christ in our lives. Salvation is about understanding that you and I cannot pay for God’s wrath; only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can we find hope. A leader that doesn’t make sense leads not from his own strength, but from the strength of Christ. It is the opposite of the world’s view of leadership. It is a kind of leadership that doesn’t make sense.