Strategic Leadership Academy

WHEN SAUL STILL SITS ON THE THRONE: Discerning the Vulnerability of Emerging Leaders in Life and Ministry

By Ebenezer O. Oke

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

— 1 Samuel 16:7

Introduction: The Crisis Beneath the Surface

Across Nigeria and the wider African Church, a quiet but dangerous crisis is unfolding—not necessarily in the absence of leadership, but in the misalignment of leadership with divine authority. Many emerging leaders, sincere in their desire to grow, unknowingly place themselves under the influence of those who appear seasoned, established, and authoritative, yet are spiritually deficient.

There is a recurring pattern—almost a “recurring decimal”—in the lives of many emerging leaders: the uncritical assumption that age automatically confers wisdom, accuracy, and divine endorsement. While Scripture honours elders and recognises the dignity of age, as seen in Job’s affirmation that wisdom is often found among the aged (Job 12:12), it never equates longevity with spiritual authenticity. The Bible consistently reveals that God’s endorsement is not a function of age, but of obedience.

The danger, therefore, is not mentorship itself. Indeed, biblical leadership is inherently relational, generational, and covenantal in nature. Moses had Joshua, Elijah had Elisha, and Paul had Timothy. The danger lies in misplaced mentorship, where influence is submitted to individuals whose lives are no longer aligned with the Spirit and truth of God. In such cases, mentorship becomes not a channel of impartation, but a conduit of corruption.

The Tragedy of Saul: Leadership Without God’s Presence

The life of Saul stands as one of Scripture’s most sobering warnings. He began well—chosen, anointed, and publicly affirmed (1 Samuel 10:1). Yet, his story did not end in glory but in decline, confusion, and eventual ruin.

The turning point is captured with chilling clarity: “Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14).

The Hebrew phrase rûaḥ rā‘â, as noted in the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (p. 948), refers to a distressing or troubling spirit permitted under God’s sovereign judgment. This was not merely emotional instability; it was the spiritual consequence of persistent disobedience. Saul had rejected God’s word (1 Samuel 15:23), and in response, God rejected Saul’s kingship.

What emerges here is a deeply unsettling reality: a man can remain in office long after he has been removed from divine approval.

This is the essence of what may be described as “Saul’s anointing”—a condition where position is retained but presence is lost, where title persists but truth is absent, where influence continues but intimacy with God is broken. Walter Brueggemann captures this degeneration vividly when he writes that Saul’s kingship became “a shell of power without the substance of obedience,” eventually collapsing into paranoia and violence (First and Second Samuel, p. 123).

This reality must be confronted with honesty. Not every visible leader is spiritually valid. Not every established voice is divinely endorsed.

The Psychology of a Displaced Leader

Once the Spirit of God departed from Saul, his internal world began to unravel. His leadership became increasingly defined by jealousy, fear, and insecurity. When the women of Israel sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7), the issue was not the song—it was Saul’s heart.

Scripture records that “Saul eyed David from that day and forward” (1 Samuel 18:9). The Hebrew nuance suggests suspicion, hostility, and a constant sense of threat. Saul was no longer leading from purpose but reacting from insecurity.

This psychological shift is not incidental—it is inevitable when leadership is divorced from God’s presence. A leader who is no longer secure in God will seek security in control, comparison, and suppression.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s observation is piercingly relevant: “Where there is envy, rivalry, and ambition, the fellowship is destroyed because Christ is no longer the centre.” (Life Together, p. 95)

Such leaders do not merely stagnate; they become adversarial to emerging voices. Every David becomes a rival. Every rising leader becomes a threat. Instead of raising sons, they resist successors.

The Vulnerability of Emerging Leaders

Emerging leaders, particularly in environments like Nigeria where respect for elders is deeply ingrained in the culture, often find themselves in a delicate position. They are hungry for guidance, eager for validation, and still developing the discernment required to navigate complex spiritual realities.

This vulnerability is not a weakness—it is a stage of growth. However, it becomes dangerous when it is not guarded by truth.

An emerging Christian leader once shared a deeply troubling experience. He recounted a night vision in which he saw a bishop he regarded as a spiritual father and mentor. In that vision, the bishop pointed him to a tree—yet this was no ordinary tree. Instead of bearing natural fruit, it produced biscuits. The bishop then offered to teach him how to produce such “fruit,” assuring him that ministry need not be difficult if he followed this alternative path.

At first glance, the imagery may appear strange, even harmless. But upon closer reflection, it carries profound theological weight. In Scripture, fruit is never artificial; it is always the organic outworking of a life connected to God. The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 5:22–23, describes the fruit of the Spirit as the natural evidence of divine life at work within a believer—something cultivated, grown, and sustained by the Spirit, not manufactured by human effort.

Biscuits, on the other hand, are produced through human processes. They are assembled, engineered, and refined to appear attractive and desirable. Yet, for all their appeal, they lack the essence of life that characterises true fruit. They do not grow; they are made.

This contrast is deeply instructive. It reveals a critical spiritual principle: what God produces flows from life, but what man manufactures is driven by method. One is the result of abiding in God; the other is the outcome of human ingenuity attempting to replace divine process.

Jesus warned with unmistakable clarity: “Beware of false prophets… by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:15–16).

The test is not activity, but authenticity. Not expansion, but origin.

The Temptation of Shortcut Christianity

The offer of shortcuts is one of Satan’s oldest strategies. In the wilderness, he presented Jesus with a proposition: receive the kingdoms of the world without the suffering of the cross (Matthew 4:8–9).

This temptation has not changed; it has only been repackaged.

Today, it appears as: A ministry without process
A platform without character
Influence without submission
Results without righteousness

John Stott rightly observes: “The devil’s shortcuts always bypass the will of God and the way of the cross.” (The Cross of Christ, p. 78)

Any system, method, or mentorship that promises growth without godliness is fundamentally flawed. It may produce crowds, but it cannot produce Christlikeness.

Thus, the insistence that Jesus is not merely a way but the Way (John 14:6) is not theological rigidity—it is spiritual accuracy.

When Experience Replaces Scripture

One of the most subtle but destructive shifts in leadership occurs when experience begins to override Scripture. Experience, though valuable, is not infallible. It must always remain subject to the authority of God’s Word.

Paul’s charge to Timothy is instructive: “Preach the Word… for the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2–3).

F.F. Bruce reinforces this by stating that the authority of Christian leadership rests not in personal experience but in fidelity to the apostolic message (Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, p. 436).

This is where many emerging leaders falter. They encounter seasoned voices whose confidence is persuasive, whose results are visible, and whose narratives are compelling. Yet, when examined against Scripture, their methods and teachings reveal inconsistencies.

The Bereans provide the correct model: “They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

Discernment is not rebellion; it is responsibility.

David: A Model for Emerging Leaders

In contrast to Saul, David embodies God’s pattern for leadership formation. His journey defies modern expectations. He was anointed in obscurity, tested in adversity, and enthroned only after prolonged preparation.

His restraint is particularly instructive. Despite multiple opportunities to eliminate Saul, David refused, declaring: “I will not stretch out my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10).

This was not weakness; it was spiritual maturity. David understood that divine promotion cannot be secured through human manipulation.

A.W. Tozer’s words illuminate this process: “God cannot use a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” (The Root of the Righteous, p. 39)

David’s wilderness was not a detour—it was a divine classroom. It produced humility, dependence, and reverence for God’s order.

The Call to Discernment in a Confusing Age

In a generation marked by noise, influence, and competing voices, discernment has become indispensable. It is no longer enough to be sincere; one must also be spiritually perceptive.

Emerging leaders must learn to evaluate not just what is said, but what is lived. They must look beyond charisma to character, beyond results to righteousness, beyond position to presence.

Jesus’ warning remains urgent: “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).

Discernment is cultivated through intimacy with God, saturation in Scripture, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. It is not developed overnight, but it is essential for survival and effectiveness.

A Prophetic Warning and Pastoral Encouragement

There is a tragic reality that must be acknowledged: God can move on from a leader while people continue to follow them. Samuel mourned Saul, but God’s question was both corrective and revealing: “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him?” (1 Samuel 16:1).

This question echoes into our time. How long will emerging leaders remain attached to systems, structures, and voices that God has departed from?

Yet, this is not a message of despair—it is a call to alignment.

God is still raising Davids. Men and women whose hearts are yielded, whose lives are consecrated, and whose leadership flows not from ambition but from devotion.

The Scripture says, “I have found David… a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” (Acts 13:22).

The future does not belong to the most visible, but to the most aligned.

To be continued...

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