The Fields: Where God Grows Leaders
Before God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel, Saul was out wandering in the wilderness chasing lost donkeys. In 1 Samuel, we see a humble and ironic preview of a king who would soon lead a nation whom God Himself compares to wild donkeys accustomed to roaming in the wilderness (Jeremiah 2:24).
Another humble but iconic preview of Saul’s humility is seen in the private announcement of his anointing as king. Saul argues with Samuel about his unworthiness of being selected by God. He asks, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?” (1Samuel 9:21). With this objection, Saul clearly demonstrates his early iconic posture of humility and self-perceived insignificance.
Even after Samuel privately anointed him king, Saul still was not compelled to seize the moment to publicly announce his calling; He told no one—not even his own uncle—about the royal calling placed on his life (1Sam 10:14–16). He carried the anointing quietly with a striking lack of desire for self‑promotion, refusing to parade his status or leverage it for personal recognition. He simply returned to his humble work of plowing the fields.
And it is in these humble fields behind his oxen doing ordinary farm work where Saul hears the cries from Jabesh‑Gilead, where the Spirit of God rushes upon him, enabling him to empower the tribes of Israel to rescue the inhabitants of Jabesh‑Gilead (1Sam 11:5–11) from imminent disaster.
Saul’s self‑assessment wasn’t false modesty; it was the posture of a man who did not see leadership as a ladder for self‑promotion but as a responsibility entrusted by God. In these early years, Saul embodies the kingdom principle that true leadership begins with a low view of self and a high view of God — empowering others rather than elevating oneself.
Saul’s posture of humility is evident in the rescue of Jabesh‑Gilead because he never made the crisis about himself. Instead of using the moment to prove his power or promote his throne, he responded with quiet obedience (1Sam 11:6). He empowered Israel not for personal glory but to lift a humiliated community out of despair.
And then when the victory at Jabesh‑Gilead was established and all Israel rallied behind Saul, the people were ready to execute the “worthless men” who had previously mocked Saul in disrespect and rejected his kingship (1Sam 10:27). However, Saul, now as king, refused to use his newly acquired authority for personal revenge. Instead, he declared, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel” (1Sam 11:13). He insisted that the day belonged to his Yahweh, not to him (1Sam 11:12–13).
In that moment, Saul embodied the remarkable servant-leadership character for which he was anointed: in humility, he refused to weaponize his crown to settle personal scores or allow his kingship to become a tool for ego or retaliation. His humble restraint was rewarded at Gilgal (1Sam 11:15) and revealed him as a leader who understood that true authority serves God’s purposes, empowers others, protects the vulnerable, and deflects praise back to God.
Saul’s early story reminds us that God entrusts leadership to those who are content to serve others in obscurity, who carry their calling quietly, and who refuse to use their position to serve themselves.
God’s kind of spiritual leader is grown in the fields, not the throne room — in the unseen places where leaders cultivate humility in themselves and cultivate God’s character in others. It is the place where obedience and dependence on the Spirit sprouts and matures.
When God grows a leader, their effectiveness is not evidenced or measured by how candidly they assert their abilities, but in how willingly they are to empower others for success.
Spiritual leadership today must empower others, protect the vulnerable, deflect praise to God, and refuse to make ministry about personal advancement. The Kingdom of God will advance only through leaders who stay small in their own eyes and big in their view of God.
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