"So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands." [Psa 78:72]
In whatever area of life one may find himself, there is always a higher power. Even for those men who are the topmost branch as it were, this remains true; “for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.” [Ecc 5:8] In this broken world, things are not as they ought to be; and leadership is not excused from this rule. Jesus says, “ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.” [Mt 20:25] Those who have been appointed of God to be leaders in this world, (for, “there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” [Rom 13:1]), are so often unideal; though many of them speak well of themselves and of their policies, those unregenerated leaders of this world most often fulfil that which Jesus spoke of, in exercising harsh authority over their subjects. This comes as no surprise. We have all experienced bad leadership, and have all surely longed for the benefits and blessedness of a good leader. Proverbs speaks of the ideal king, saying,
“In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.” [Prov 16:15]
God’s desire for leadership is that the authority in place acts and lives in such a way as to promote growth and life in those below. A king and leader of any kind ought to behave themselves in such a good manner that they are to their people as sunshine and fresh rain. Unfortunately, this world has not seen many leaders who have attained to such heights. Instead, by large, the leaders of our world have oppressed and subjugated those given to them, submerging them further into depravity and sorrow, spreading rot instead of blessing, evil in place of good. They are much like those wicked shepherds God placed over Israel, who went astray and erred from the truth and from sound living. The LORD speaks of them saying,
“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” [Ezek 34:2-4]
The shepherds which Ezekiel speaks of “feed not the flock,” neither did they strengthen the diseased nor “healed that which was sick,” or “bound up that which was broken.” Nay, but instead “with force and with cruelty” they ruled God’s people, feeding themselves and making merchandise off those less fortunate than they. And truly, these men of whom The LORD spoke still exist today in spirit, though not in flesh.
Truly, the desire for a pure and benevolent leader is common among men; and still further true, this reality and completeness will only be found in Jesus Christ when He comes to rule the earth, “and He is the governor among the nations.” [Psa 22:28] When Christ rules, the entire world and all that dwell therein shall be blessed. He shall be a Great Light and Glorious King upon earth. The Spirit testifies to this, saying,
“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” [Psa 72:6-8]
And,
“For He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in His sight….His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call him blessed.” [Psa 72:12-14, 17]
When Jesus returns to receive the kingdom and rule over earth, His bride faithfully by His side, He shall rule with great tenderness and care; not only will men be blessed through His strong leadership, but also the earth: for when Jesus returns, “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing,” and, “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” [Isa 35:1-2, 5] There has never been a king like Christ, neither shall there be. He alone stands in supreme magnificence, above all – “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.” [Dan 4:3]
But let us come now to our verse for today, which in context speaks of David. God says,
“He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: from following the ewes great with young, He brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel His inheritance. So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.” [Psa 78:70-72]
David, “the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel,” [2 Sam 23:1] was chosen by God not for his stature nor strength nor countenance but for his heart, “for The LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but The LORD looketh on the heart.” [1 Sam 16:7] Surely, among biblical leaders, David rises to the top as one of the greatest; even God said of him that he was “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” [Acts 13:22] And so, when we see what is written in our passage, that David fed the people of Israel “according to the integrity of His heart, and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands,” we can confidently assume that his rule was well received by the people and to be desired, a rulership which many of us long for – for David’s heart was pure toward God and His hands strong, skilled, and protecting. Yea, even he himself said, regarding his heart, “one thing have I desired of The LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of The LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of The LORD, and to look at Him in His temple.” [Psa 27:4] The best of leaders has a heart as this, which purely and genuinely desires to know God. A heart similar also to Paul, whose “earnest expectation and hope” was that “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” [Phil 1:20]
And though David was an excellent king, yet Christ, “who is the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,” [1 Tim 6:15] is and will be a far greater king. But as with many kings and figures in Scripture, David especially was a figure and type of The Christ who was to come: that is, of Jesus. In many ways, passages which speak of David, are most fully understood when Christ is placed in the center, for He is the ultimate fulfillment of them. And so it is with our passage today in Psalms; for just as David led and shepherded the people by his good qualities given to Him of God, so too Christ, by His exceeding good qualities, leads and shepherds us.
First, let us take some encouragement and strength from the heart of Jesus. For as David “fed [Israel] according to the integrity of his heart,” so too Jesus does with us. Integrity means “wholeness; entireness; [an] unbroken state.” [Webster] We see then for a heart to have integrity, means that in whatever state it exists, it remains unbroken or whole. It cannot be broken or changed, but remains always in its whole and entire state. Therefore, let us see how good Jesus’ heart is: for it will bring us great security to know that the heart which shepherds us is one which is unceasingly and incorruptly good. In Deuteronomy, it is written regarding our Lord, “He is the rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” [Deut 32:4] In order to more fully enjoy the fact that Jesus’ heart and character are good, let us take a closer look at some of the words used here, which speak to us of such things.
Firstly, the word “perfect.” This word means complete or entire. That is, all of God’s works are complete, they are entire; there is not one thing that He has left out, nor failed to account for. In all possible aspects His works are complete. Secondly, “judgment.” This word means “right;”, and right means, “just; equitable; accordant to the standard of truth and justice of the will of God…fit; suitable; proper; becoming…correct.” [Webster] In all of God’s ways He is ever in perfect accordance with the standard of truth and justice which has been revealed in His word. His ways are always suitable and proper – God’s ways are never incorrect, nor are they ever unbecoming: they are always perfectly lawful, rational, and proper for their occasion and intent. Thirdly, “truth.” The word truth here means “faithfulness” and has the basic idea of “firmness;” that is, it means to be steady or firm. The word is used to speak of Moses’ hands, which in intercession for the nation, were “steady until the going down of the sun.” [Ex 17:12] The Lord Jesus Christ is a God of truth: of steadiness. He never falters nor stumbles nor fails in His faithfulness. And finally, “right,” which word means “straight.” The Lord is straight; that is, He is not at all crooked or bent. His word explains and reveals exactly who He is without any bends or fractures. Who and what He proclaims to be is exactly who and what He is: there is nothing hidden or deceptive – The Lord Jesus is in this manner, “straight.” As it says in James, with “The Father of lights” there “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” [Jam 1:17]
Through this exposition we see that our God, and thus Christ His Son, is most assuredly good. In every aspect and at every moment, The Lord Jesus, who “change[s] not,” [Mal 3:6, Heb 13:8] is completely and utterly without deviation from His word or from sound judgment; His ways and works are sound and suitable; and He is perfectly faithful. Therefore, when we read of The LORD, that He is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” [Ex 34:6] we can certainly conclude He is always this way, and in every aspect of His being maintains these attributes. Moreover, having come to this conclusion, we can now take great comfort, encouragement, and strength, in the fact that Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd, as David, cares for us “according to the integrity of his heart.”
Second, let us observe what is also written regarding David, and thus Christ Jesus, that he “guided [Israel] by the skilfulness of his hands.” For this truth, it is most fruitful to our souls when we remember what it is written regarding Jesus’ hands.
“Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands." [Psa 102:25, Heb 1:10]
And,
“The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He established the heavens." [Prov 3:19]
Truly, His hands are most skilled, possessing great wisdom. The same hands which created all of the vast lightyears of space, stars, nebulae, and planets, far above all comprehension, are the very hands which guide us. Therefore, because of this, we can trust God, knowing that He is wise and capable to direct us. If His hands could create the vastness and awesomeness and incomparable detail of heaven and earth, and all that lives therein, surely He can direct the details of our lives, which are small in comparison to all of this.
We serve an awesome God. He is wise and pure, and we can trust that His heart and hands which shepherd and guide us, are true, lovely, and exceedingly able. Let us therefore cast down and put to death every idea, thought, or purpose which goes against these truthful and good notions. As Paul admonishes us in spiritual warfare, that we are to be, “casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” [2 Cor 10:5] so let us be engaged.
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