Leadership from Moses to David

Christian Religious Studies · WAEC and JAMB · SS2 and SS3

This topic traces Israel from slavery to monarchy through five leaders, and WAEC uses it to test both narration and the qualities that make or break a leader. Questions often pair a named leader with a named incident, such as Saul at Gilgal or David and Bathsheba, and ask what lessons modern leaders can draw.

What you need to know

Moses was born in Egypt while Pharaoh was ordering Hebrew male infants killed. Hidden for three months, placed in an ark of bulrushes on the Nile and drawn out by Pharaoh's daughter, he was nursed by his own mother and raised in the palace.
As a grown man he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, learned the next day that the deed was known, and fled to Midian, where he married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro and kept his father-in-law's flock.
At the burning bush on Horeb God revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, gave His name as I AM WHO I AM, and commissioned Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt. Moses offered five excuses, and God answered each, finally giving Aaron as his mouthpiece and the rod as a sign.
After the ten plagues and the first Passover, Israel left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground and received the covenant at Sinai, including the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Moses interceded for the people after the golden calf, pleading that God spare them for His own name's sake.
Moses forfeited entry into Canaan at the waters of Meribah, where he was told to speak to the rock but struck it twice and spoke angrily to the people. He died on Mount Nebo after viewing the land, and God buried him.
Joshua son of Nun had been Moses' assistant and one of the twelve spies; with Caleb he brought back a report of faith while the other ten spread fear. His commission in Joshua 1 repeats the charge to be strong and of good courage and to meditate on the book of the law day and night.
Under Joshua the Jordan was crossed when the priests carrying the ark stepped into the water, Jericho fell after the people marched round it once daily for six days and seven times on the seventh with trumpets and a shout, and the first attack on Ai failed because Achan had taken the devoted things.
At Shechem Joshua renewed the covenant and challenged Israel to choose whom they would serve, declaring that he and his house would serve the LORD. He had already divided the land among the tribes by lot.
Samuel was born to Hannah after her vow at Shiloh and was given to Eli for the LORD's service. God called him by name at night while the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and his first message was the judgement coming on Eli's house because of Hophni and Phinehas.
As the last judge Samuel led Israel to victory over the Philistines at Mizpah and set up the stone Ebenezer. When his own sons Joel and Abijah took bribes and perverted judgement, the elders demanded a king, and Samuel warned them of the burdens a king would impose before anointing Saul at God's direction.
Saul son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin was anointed privately, chosen publicly by lot at Mizpah, and confirmed by his rescue of Jabesh-Gilead from the Ammonites. He was tall, courageous and initially modest.
Saul fell through two acts of disobedience. At Gilgal he offered the burnt offering himself rather than wait the appointed days for Samuel, and after the campaign against Amalek he spared King Agag and the best of the livestock, prompting Samuel's rebuke that to obey is better than sacrifice. He ended his life consulting a medium at Endor and dying on Mount Gilboa.
David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, was anointed after God told Samuel that man looks on the outward appearance but the LORD looks on the heart. He killed Goliath with a sling and a stone in the name of the LORD of hosts, and his success provoked Saul's jealousy, yet he twice spared Saul's life when he had the chance.
David reigned seven years at Hebron over Judah and then over all Israel from Jerusalem, which he captured from the Jebusites, and brought the ark there. Nathan delivered God's promise of an enduring dynasty, but David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged Uriah's death; Nathan's parable of the poor man's lamb brought him to genuine repentance, though the sword never departed from his house, as Absalom's rebellion showed.

Key terms

Theocracy: A system in which God Himself is recognised as the ruler and governs through chosen agents such as judges and prophets.
Judge: A charismatic leader raised by God in the period before the monarchy to deliver Israel from oppressors and settle disputes.
Anointing: The pouring of oil on a person's head to set him apart for an office such as king or priest, signifying God's choice and the giving of His Spirit.
Decalogue: The Ten Commandments given to Moses at Mount Sinai, covering duties to God and duties to neighbour.
Monarchy: Rule by a king, adopted in Israel at the people's request so they could be like the surrounding nations.
Intercession: Pleading with God on behalf of others, as Moses did after the golden calf.
Repentance: Honest acknowledgement of sin accompanied by sorrow and a turning back to God, shown by David after Nathan's rebuke.

Worked example

Narrate the circumstances that led to the rejection of Saul as king, and state four lessons from his fall.

Set out briefly how Saul came to the throne so the examiner sees you know the background.
Give the Gilgal incident in full: the waiting period, the scattering army, the unlawful offering, Samuel's rebuke.
Give the Amalek incident in full: the instruction, what Saul spared, his excuse about sacrifice, Samuel's reply.
Close with four numbered lessons tied to what actually happened, not general moral statements.

Answer: Saul son of Kish was anointed by Samuel, confirmed by lot at Mizpah and established by his victory over the Ammonites at Jabesh-Gilead. His first serious failure came at Gilgal. Facing a Philistine force while his own men deserted, he waited the seven days Samuel had appointed, and when Samuel still had not come he offered the burnt offering himself. Samuel arrived as he finished and told him he had acted foolishly and had not kept the commandment of the LORD, so his kingdom would not continue. The decisive failure came after the campaign against the Amalekites. God had commanded total destruction, but Saul spared Agag their king and the best of the sheep and oxen. When Samuel confronted him Saul claimed the people had kept the animals for sacrifice to the LORD, and Samuel answered that obedience is better than sacrifice and that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Samuel told him that because he had rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD had rejected him from being king, and Samuel himself killed Agag. Lessons: (i) partial obedience is disobedience, because God measures compliance by His own instruction and not by our good intentions; (ii) religious activity cannot cover a disobedient heart; (iii) a leader must not take on duties that belong to another office; and (iv) blaming followers, as Saul blamed the people, is the mark of a leader who will not accept responsibility.

The mistake to avoid

Candidates mix up the two leaders in a pair and the two incidents in a career. The commonest confusions are attributing the Jericho march to Moses, saying Samuel anointed Saul at Gilgal rather than privately in Ramah and publicly at Mizpah, and merging Saul's Gilgal offering with his sparing of Agag into one event. Another frequent loss of marks is writing about David's greatness while forgetting that the question asked about his sin or his repentance.

In the exam

Expect a question naming one leader and one episode, with a second part on qualities or lessons for leaders today. Answer only on the leader named; writing about all five wastes time and earns nothing extra. Where the question says 'state the lessons', give short, separate, numbered sentences, and make at least two of them about leadership specifically, such as accountability, obedience and willingness to be corrected.