He wasn’t “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” In fact, he was actually born with “a knife against his throat.” Yet, in divine irony, the man who was holding the knife top his throat wound up feeding him with his silver spoon. This is the beginning of the story of one of history’s greatest leaders – Moses. He was born to a family in slavery to the Egyptian pharaoh at a time when genocide had been declared against his people with a mandate directed by the pharaoh that all male babies were to be executed as soon as they were born. Yet, in the providence of God, his parents decided to defy the royal decree and attempted to save their baby’s life by setting him sail on the Nile River in a little raft. The daughter of the man who had dictated that no boy’s life should be spared discovered the baby’s lifeboat and adopted him as her own. Even though his circumcision mark clearly identified him as a Hebrew, his life was spared, he was taken into the royal household, raised in the “lap of luxury,” given the finest education that money can afford, and launched on the path that would determine the destiny of his people and the course of history.
After living in the royal palace for forty years, Moses essentially committed treason by defending one of the members of his ethnic group and had to abandon his position and escape into the desert where he began a totally new life as a shepherd. It was in this new position that he had the divine encounter that brought meaning and purpose into his life – a literal theophany in which God spoke to him from the flames of a burning bush that was miraculously on fire without being incinerated. This conversation led to a bit of dickering between Moses and God over Moses’ inadequacies for the task that God had assigned to him. But, as always, God won the argument by giving Moses miraculous signs and supernatural power to fulfill the mission before him.
Before we go any further with the story of Moses, allow me to introduce you to another great leader who had a similar encounter with the All Mighty. This gentleman was understandably concerned with the future of his nation as one long-term administration was ending and the people were faced with an uncertain future because their history had proven that it was almost a given that a bad, corrupt administration would rush into the void left by every good leader. In his concern for his country’s fate, Isaiah had gone into the nation’s sacred place – the temple in Jerusalem – to pray. The record of his experience is one of the most dramatic depictions of a human-divine interface ever penned. The walls shook, the building was filled with the glory of God, angels proclaiming the glory of God appeared out of nowhere, and God Himself was revealed as sitting on the throne over the universe – indicating that the real concern for the destiny of not only the people of Israel but the whole of humanity was determined not by who was on the throne in Jerusalem but Who was on the throne in heaven. In response to the Lord’s question as to who would be His spokesman, Isaiah responded that he was not qualified for such a task because he had “unclean lips.” However, one of the angels purged his lips with a coal from the altar in the temple, and Isaiah – at this point, a prophet of God – cried out Here am I; send me.
Pardon me for leaving you hanging a second time, but I need to introduce yet another individual before we draw any conclusions from the experiences we have discussed in the lives of Moses and Isaiah. The third individual I’d like for you to meet is the prophet Jeremiah. We have almost no background about our third new friend other than a detailed calendar that pinpoints when his encounter with God occurred. It was a timeframe in which the empires of the world were in dramatic transition and an entire upheaval of political power was looming over the nations. Although we know nothing about Jeremiah’s background or his position within his nation – whether he already had a voice or if he had the slightest interest in politics and power. All we know is that God unexpectedly showed up and declared, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. What an assignment and responsibility to be suddenly thrust upon an unsuspecting subject! As did Moses and Isaiah, Jeremiah came up with an excuse, but God countered with the explanation that He had destined Jeremiah’s future when all he had was the future because He had determined that this assignment was his even while Jeremiah was in his mother’s womb. The Lord then declared to him, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth – essentially backing Jeremiah “into a corner” with no excuse because the words he was called to speak were not from the prophet but from God and the mouth that was to speak them had been formed in the womb of his mother by God Himself.
By this point, you are probably getting accustomed to being left wondering when I am going to get back to the point I’m trying to make; so, I’ll toss in a couple more biblical characters before we eventually circle back. For the minute, just settle in and don’t get too anxious while we move from the Old Testament and focus on some New Testament examples. The stories of Jesus’ disciples are intriguing in that all the apostles seemed to be going about their normal daily routines when Jesus showed up and commanded, Follow me. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were fishing; Matthew was collecting taxes; Nathanael was lounging under a fig tree; even more dramatic was the encounter of Saul of Tarsus who was on his way to arrest Christians when Jesus showed up, asking, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? and transformed him into Paul the apostle.
Okay, now you can breathe. We are finally ready to get to the point. The first thing that makes a leader is divine designation. Each of the individuals we have met to this point had a God-given purpose in life – even if they didn’t recognize it. Because Moses was destined to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage, God orchestrated his life so that he would be uniquely qualified for the task. In a stranger-than-fiction scenario, God placed him in the royal household so he could be intimately acquainted with the innerworkings of the kingdom and the men who orchestrated them. His education in the imperial academy distinctively prepared him to understand the role of a leader and the strategies involved in governance. The seemingly unfortunate event of murdering a harsh Egyptian taskmaster actually played an important part in his qualification in that it gave him experience in defying the system so that, when the time came for him stand up against the pharaoh and demand the release of his people, he could do so confidently. Finally, his years of leading sheep to watering holes and patches of grass in the desert equipped him with a different understanding of leadership than he could never have gained in the Egyptian schools where leaders were trained to rule with totalitarian authority – the compassion needed to humanely deal with the needs of those whom he was to lead. Isaiah’s epiphany awakened him to the revelation that God was supremely in charge, affording him the unique insight to direct not only his generation but all to come in the future – including our own. Jeremiah, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul all were able to lead with authority because they understood that God had personally hand-picked them for the specific tasks that He assigned to them.
Allow me to share a couple stories from my own personal experience about these supernatural directions from God.
My first mission trip was to Japan with a Japanese friend from seminary. Each summer break when he went home to minster, he always asked me to join him. The first summer I politely nodded when he extended the invitation and promptly dismissed the idea. The second summer I also politely thanked him for the invitation and ignored the request. You must understand that I was working as a chaplain in Yosemite National Park each summer; so, I had good reason to forego his invitation. When he made the offer the third summer, there was something different about his invitation, he concluded the request with, “and I’ve already booked your tickets.” (No, he didn’t pay for them; he simply put them on hold under my name.) Well, that was enough to make me decide to be serious about the request. As I prayed about it, I gave God all the excuses I could think of as to why I shouldn’t go. When I got to, “I’m not adequate,” He responded with such a distinctly clear reply that to this day I still wonder if it might have been an actual audible voice. When God speaks, He can say just a few words but convey volumes of meaning. That is exactly what He did that day. His words were, “I know that you’re not adequate. That’s why I’m sending you.” The commentary on the actual words communicated that, if I were adequate, I’d go in my own ability rather than relying upon His ability working through me. At that, I did go to Japan that summer and had one of the most unusual experiences imaginable. I was scheduled to speak for a week at a youth camp in a rather remote area where no one spoke English. Of course, that many years ago, very few Japanese outside the major cities were bilingual. My friend was to serve as my translator; however, his wife fell seriously ill, and he had to take her back to the hospital in Tokyo. The result was that I was stranded for the full week and couldn’t minister in any of the sessions. When my friend came back at the end of the week to pick me up, the director of the camp asked him to translate a message of thanks to me for being with them for the week. In the salutation, he said, “We’ve learned so much from you.” I interrupted to ask how, since I had not ministered. The response was that they had learned from the Spirit in me. Thank God, I was inadequate!
On another occasion, I had a dream in which I saw myself preaching to a large crowd of brown faces – making me think of regions of the world like Nepal where the people are dark complexioned. But as the dream continued, the faces miraculously turned from brown to black – suggesting Africa. Then the faces took on an Oriental appearance. At any rate, I was certain that the Lord’s plan was much more far-reaching than I had ever envisioned. I realized that the vision was becoming a reality on the day that the US passport control officer was looking through the visa pages in my passport to find a spot to stamp my reentry imprint and looked up at me to ask, “Are you trying to visit every nation in the world?”
Of course, there are many other leaders that we could – and should – consider; so, let’s revisit the Old Testament and consider how some of the kings and prophets found their places. There is an interesting story about the selection of first king of Israel – King Saul. Before the time of kings, the people were led by judges. When it came time for a transition in the leadership model, Samuel, the last of the judges, was reluctant to relinquish the old system; however, God made it unquestionably clear that he was to do so and confirmed to him that He would show him the right man to appoint to the position. In an intriguing story of divinely orchestrated coincidences, a young man wound up in Samuel’s village. As soon as Samuel laid eyes upon him, the Lord showed him that he had crossed paths with the man that he should anoint for the position of king. Saul filled the royal post excellently until he committed an inexcusable error which we’ll look at later, resulting in the need for him to be replaced. Samuel was again called upon to identify the next king. The story of how he was directed to select one of sons from the family of a man by the name of Jesse is a familiar one. Jesse presented seven of his eight sons before Samuel, all of whom were rejected. Eventually, the prophet asked if there might be yet another boy that he could interview. When the father called his final son, the Lord spoke to Samuel that, even though he didn’t seem to appear qualified for the position, it was his internal qualifications that made him the right choice. At that point, Samuel opened his horn of anointing oil and poured it upon the young shepherd boy, and the Bible records that the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. In fact, David actually became such an excellent leader that he became the “yardstick” by which all subsequent kings would be measured. One final example I’d like to examine at this point, is Elisha, who was busy plowing a field when the prophet Elijah found him and threw his mantel across his shoulders and demanded that he immediately respond to the call to follow him and be groomed as his replacement as God’s prophetic spokesman to the nation.
These three leaders represent the second method by which leaders are identified – the anointing by an individual with a recognized prophetic gift. Whereas the leaders in the first group that we examined all had personal encounters with God, there is no indication that the men in our second group had any individual revelation of their futures until they were singled out by an existing authority who divinely discerned the call of God upon their lives.
I can testify to the validity of such prophetic revelation through two events in my own life. When I was a college student, I visited a church in a little beach town where I was spending the weekend. As I walked through the door of the church, I was welcomed by one of the ushers who grabbed me in a Pentecostal bear hug of a greeting. Since he was a very tall and rotund man, when he pulled me to himself, he actually picked me up off the floor. There I hang – suspended between heaven and earth – when suddenly the anointing of the Holy Spirit fell upon this man. He began to dance and spin, and – as I was being whirled about in midair by this total stranger – he began to tell me my life story. He proclaimed that I was to go around the world to teach the gospel. My ears really perked up at that because I had never been out of the country except short excursions into Canada and Mexico! Since that time, I have visited over seventy nations around the world and in most of them I have held teaching sessions to help establish the local believers in their Christian faith. About mid-way through graduate school, the Lord directed me to switch from my chemical engineering career plans to teaching in a Bible school. I knew that I would have to have a degree from an accredited theological school in order to fulfill this directive; however, there were no recognized Full Gospel schools back then. Because a Baptist seminary was just a few miles from my home and their tuition was incredibly reasonable for off-campus students, I decided to check out the school. I applied and was accepted; but I never told anyone what I was up to. About this time, I was invited to be interviewed on a Christian television talk show. After the interview, the program host and I went to the chapel to pray over the prayer requests which had been called in during the program. One of the engineers from the studio joined us, but instead of praying over the call-ins, he wanted to pray over me. He began to prophesy and spoke out, “Do what’s in your heart and don’t be afraid of the doctrines of men.” This was a genuine word from God because – as a tongue-talking, devil chasing fanatic – I was concerned about sitting under Baptist doctrines for the next several years. On orientation day at the campus, I sat in the balcony of the chapel and counted a dozen students whom I had led to the Lord, prayed for to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or discipled through the Full Gospel Student Fellowship ministry that I had done on their secular college campuses. Long story short – I was able to initiate a charismatic movement on campus that even involved some of the faculty by the time I finished my degree.
Now, let’s get back the Bible and take a minute and back up to look at the gentleman who anointed Saul and David as the first two kings of Israel. There is an especially interesting story behind how he came to the position of a leader who was qualified for such a task – a narrative that actually begins with his mother. Hannah, severely grieved because she had been childless for many years, was so emotional in her intercession for a child that the priest mistook her for being drunk and rebuked her for coming into the sanctuary in such a condition. After she explained herself, Eli prophesied that she would have a son within the next year. In her jubilation over the answer to her prayers, Hannah promised to devote that child to God. The outcome of that consecration was that Samuel became the premier judge and prophet in the history of the nation – an example of the power of godly parents dedicating their children to God. My on personal testimony bears witness to this principle. After my sister’s birth, my mother wanted to have her second child but was heartbroken when months that turned into years passed without her conceiving again. Finally, after five years of disappointment, she prayed that, if God would give her a son, she would dedicate him to God. The next month, she discovered that she was pregnant with me!
The third method of identifying leadership is similar to being anointed by an already recognized leader yet has some distinct differences in that being appointed to a position doesn’t require the divine discernment that Samuel demonstrated when anointing Saul and David or when Elijah tossed his cloak on Elisha. To understand this aspect, let’s look at the experience of the early church. As the congregations grew and began to reflect ethnic and socio-economic diversity, some inherent squabbles began to come to the surface. The apostles recognized that these issues needed to be dealt with but also recognized that they could become distractions that would divert their attention to the spiritual leadership of the church that they were responsible for. Therefore, they instructed the church members to identify seven men of honest report who were full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom to appoint over the matter. After the first church council in which it was decided that messages should be sent to the congregations that were being planted throughout the diaspora, Paul chose Silas to be his traveling partner because he had been recommended by those who knew him. Later, Paul also called Timothy to travel with him and be mentored for his future ministry because he had a report from the local church members. In all these situations, there is no mention of supernatural revelation – just the human perspicacity of the church members.
Yet another nuance of the selection of leaders is demonstrated in the positioning of Daniel into leadership in the court of the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar commissioned the master of his eunuchs to look for young men in whom there was no blemish, well-favored, skillful in wisdom, cunning in knowledge, understanding in science, and graceful enough to handle themselves in the royal palace. Daniel was selected as one of the candidates to be trained in the school of the Chaldeans to be qualified to serve as an advisor to the king not because there was a divine revelation or even the discernment of godly believers. In fact, he was chosen by a pagan consultant who likely used incantations in his selection process. Essentially, Daniel was at the right place at the right time with the right qualifications to be picked for the right job – a selection that eventually landed him in the position of top advisor to the king.
My personal experience is not unlike that of Daniel in that I landed my first position in a very similar way. After completing seminary, I began applying for positions in Bible schools all over the country received essentially the same response to each application – they were impressed with my credentials but needed someone with previous experience. In the meantime, I took a job in a chemistry lab because my undergraduate training was in that field. As the new schoolyear approached, I figured that nothing was going to happen that year since it was so close to time for schools to open. Two weeks before the new term was to begin, I received a phone call, inviting me to come for an interview. When I arrived for the conference, I discovered that I was being considered not just for a teaching position but for the dean’s office – to actually run the whole school! When I questioned why they had waited until the last minute to fill such a key position, my interviewer began to spin a most amazing story. There had actually been another person hired for the position – a man with years of experience. Everything was in order for him to step into the position, but he never showed up. When someone called to see if there was a problem, he responded that he had decided not to take the job – without even had the common courtesy to let anyone know! Essentially, I got the position simply because, like Daniel, I was at the right place at the right time with the right qualifications to be picked for the right job.
Now that we have considered the wide variety of ways that individuals can find themselves in leadership, let’s turn our attention to the characteristics that qualify these individuals for the leadership roles they are destined to fill.
Let’s begin this study, as we did our first investigation with Moses. One interesting evaluation that the Bible makes about Moses is that he was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Wow, what a statement – that, out of the entire human population on the earth, there was no one more humble than he was. To put this statement in perspective, we must remember that we are talking about the man who led an entire nation to freedom, commanded the Red Sea to open up a create a highway for millions of people to cross, went to the top of Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments and all the rest of the Levitical laws, was accustomed to having face-to-face conversations with God Himself, and wrote the first five books of the Bible. In spite of all these accolades and accomplishments, he still held the position as the humblest man on the planet.
As we have already learned, when the nation of people that Moses led out of captivity was ready for their first king many centuries later, Samuel anointed Saul. But when the day came for his coronation, Saul was missing. After a thorough search, someone discovered the king-elect hiding behind some baggage. Although I don’t think that Saul deserves any commendations for trying to hide from the God-ordained position that he had been called to fulfill, I do think that this episode demonstrates the humility that made him a great leader that he proved to be in his early years on the throne. In fact, when Samuel had to reprimand Saul and announce to Saul that he had disqualified himself from his position, he clearly linked his original success directly to his humility, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? Saul’s reign is validation of the leadership principle that humility is the epicenter of leadership effectiveness while arrogance is the root of a leader’s undoing.
Saul’s successor, David, became a household name in Israel because he took on and slew the giant Goliath when none of the supposedly brave warriors in Saul’s army would step forward in spite of the king’s offer of a monetary reward, his daughter’s hand in marriage, and tax-exempt status for his whole family. David had legitimately earned this compensation; yet, when Saul offered his daughter to him, David responded with the question, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? Later, he asked a similar question of God Himself, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? Because of his humility, David refused to claim credit for himself no matter how much he accomplished.
The third king of Israel demonstrates a second quality that defines good leadership – honesty. When Solomon was to be installed as his father’s successor, he made a special pilgrimage to one of Israel’s sacred sites to seek God’s blessing upon his upcoming reign. This prayer clearly characterized his personal opinion of himself, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. Rather than feeling that he was qualified simply because his father had named him for the position, Solomon was honest enough with himself, his subjects, and God to admit that he didn’t know how to handle the responsibilities that were about to be placed on his shoulders. God answered Solomon by commending him for his wise choice of praying for wisdom rather than wealth, long life, or victory over his enemies. The Lord went on to promise that He would grant all those unspoken requests as well. In fact, Solomon’s prayer demonstrated that he actually already possessed wisdom in that knowledge is proud that it knows so much while wisdom is humble that it knows no more.
We have visited Moses a number of times already in our study; so, it is only right that we take time to look at the successor that Moses raised up to take his place – Joshua. When God was ready to take Moses from the earthly scene, He directed him to lay hands on Joshua and ordain him to step “into his sandals” with the admonition, Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. No one can fulfill the responsibilities of genuine leadership without courage to face the unknow and still march forward, to confront seemingly impossible odds and not shrink back, to risk failure without cowering down – all hurdles that can only be cleared because that God is with you even when you can’t see Him there.
Servanthood is the hallmark quality of good leadership. Unfortunately, it is all too common that leaders become enamored by their position and turn their followers into their servants to tend to their every whim and wish – a surefire trademark of their sense of self-importance. True leaders are always looking for ways to serve their followers rather than ways that their followers can care for them. In the same way that a quality businessman runs his operation for his employees rather than running his employees for his operation, a true leader does everything for the benefit of his followers rather than using his followers to benefit his self-esteem.
By now, I’m sure that you are anticipating that I will draw upon Moses as an example; so, I’ll not disappoint you. The author of the book of Hebrews spoke of Moses, saying when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. This statement is a reference to the day that Moses left the royal palace to check on the condition of his people. When he saw how they were being oppressed, he knew that he had to do something. Even though his action was ill-advised, it demonstrated that he put the welfare of his people above is own well- being, making him a genuine servant leader.
I also assume that you are anticipating that I’ll reference David; so, let’s look at the Apostle Paul’s sermon in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers. Although David is referred to repeatedly as the servant of God, Paul made it clear that the way he served God was through serving His people.
Of course, it is essentially a “no-brainer” to say that the deacons where charactered by servanthood in that the whole purpose for their appointment was to serve tables. On the other hand, it might be legitimate to question if they were actually considered leaders because their role was exactly that – serving tables without being in the limelight of public ministry. However, all we need to do is think of the words of Jesus that those who are faithful over a few things will be made masters over many things – the principle of advancement based on faithfulness. Obviously, this principle was manifested among the deacons. Stephen became a fiery evangelist – in fact, so fiery that his message cut his hearers to the heart and enraged them to the point that they rushed on him, biting him with their teeth before stoning to death as the first martyr. Philip also became an evangelist and went Samaria where he sparked a citywide revival.
The Apostle Paul demonstrated servant leadership in that he cared so much for the churches that he worked with his own hands to support himself so that he would not be a financial burden upon those to whom he ministered.
One final quality of a true leader is that he is reputable – not just among those who look up to him as their leader but among the general populus – even those who have no respect for God or the ministry. If a man’s enemies have respect for him, he is unquestionably qualified as a good leader for those who consider him their role model. To really know the character of a man, talk to his landlord to find out if he pays his rent on time every month, to his neighbors to find out if he hears him yelling at his wife, and to the liquor store owner to see if he ever comes in his establishment. Paul said that deacons must be proven so that they will serve in their office blamelessly. Concerning the position of an elder, he said that the one in that role must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil – which brings us directly to our next topic, the signs that indicate that a leader is in danger of being trapped by the devil.
The Apostle John addressed his followers as being in four categories of maturity – infants, little children, young men, and old men or fathers in the faith. In doing so, he gave the young men a very significant admonition:
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
His preface was that he recognized that they were strong and that they had overcome the wicked one – the devil. Yet, he immediately warned them – in spite of the fact that they were strong and had already overcome the devil – that they were vulnerable to being trapped in his snares. My mentor, Dr. Lester Sumrall, used an alliteration to name these same three dangers – gold, gals, and glory. Significantly, Moses also named these three dangers when he, centuries before the time of Samuel, foresaw the establishment of kings in Israel. He warned that the king should not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold, that he should not multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away, and that he must be cautious that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren. He then went on to add another cautionary directive: It shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them. Imagine handwriting a complete copy of the complete text of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. By the time that such a task was completed, there would be no question that the Word of God would be implanted into the king’s heart. In addition, he was to be constantly reminded of its significance as he kept the voluminous handwritten scrolls always close at hand. When a leader begins to stray away from a concentrated focus on the Word of God, he finds himself walking straight toward the devil’s snares. One other warning sign that leaders should watch out for is the development of self-will, the desire to do things one’s own way rather than following God’s directions which he has received either directly from God, through reading the His Word, or from the wise counsel of godly men.
The Bible is filled with examples of leaders who ignored this warning signs and lost their positions by doing so.
Solomon ignored the warning about the lust of the flesh through taking many wives – seven hundred wives, plus three hundred concubines, to be exact. These marriages and liaisons were his attempt to secure peace with the surrounding nations and tribes by marrying into the royal families as a way to prevent their kings and chiefs from attacking him. After all, even a heathen would be honorable enough not to wage war against his son-in-law. Unfortunately, these women brought their pagan idols with them and eventually enticed Solomon to join them in worshipping them.
Since the pride of life, the quest for glory, was the trap that ensnared the devil himself, it is an instrument of destruction that he clearly understands and, therefore, aptly uses to bring others down. As Lucifer, he was the praise leader in heaven; but he felt that he deserved adoration equal or even superior to that which he rendered to God. This self-exhalation got him kicked out of heaven, transformed from a celestial angel to a hellish devil, and doomed to eternal judgment in hell. Solomon, in his wisdom warned that pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall – advice that would have been well taken by the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar, who arrogantly boasted Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? Even before these prideful words were out of his mouth, he was struck with insanity so that he ate grass like an ox, his hair grew out like an eagles’ feathers, his nails became like a birds’ claws, and he wandered about in the field with his body soaked by the dew and rain.
When Moses laid hands on Joshua and commanded him to be strong and courageous, he added another all-important directive: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. The inverse of this commandment would be understood to say that neglecting diligent focus on the Word of God would negate prosperity and success in one’s life.
We have touched on the fact that King Saul began his reign well but eventually committed a fatal error. This tragic turn in his leadership came because of self-will. Samuel had instructed him to totally obliterate the Amalekites along with all their possessions; however, he decided to save the king and some of the best of their livestock. When Samuel discovered the king’s disobedience, he announced the immediate judgment against his leadership, the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
Fortunately, God has provided a three-tiered prevention system to protect His chosen leaders from needlessly falling into these snares.
On the divine level, He has given His personal presence through the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote that we are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit’s seal is a guarantee that means that we cannot be tampered with as long we do not grieve the Spirit by failing to submit to His promptings when He convicts and reproves sin and error in our lives. Each time we do a wrong thing, think a wrong thought, or have a wrong attitude, the Holy Spirit causes an uneasiness in our spirit man. If we will immediately acknowledge His warning and repent of that error, this layer of our protective barrier remains intact. If we refuse to yield to His wooing, we damage that barrier and, therefore, jeopardize our purity by allowing contaminants into our spirits. If that barrier is damaged, we must have it reapplied in accordance to the promise of that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Once we have made that restitution, we must walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
When David was “called on the carpet” for his affair with Bathsheba and the plot to have Uriah killed, he penned his repentance prayer in the fifty-first Psalm where he declared Against thee only have I sinned – a very puzzling confession since he had just committed adultery, had a man killed, and lied to cover it all up. What happened is that David realized that his real sin was breaking his relationship with God through destroying the fabric of the top tier of protection. His other violations were only manifestations and outgrowths of that one sin.
On the level where the divine meets the human, God has given us His Word – divine because all scripture is given by inspiration of God; human because we must apply it to our lives so that it will prove profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. After David dealt with the rip in the top tier of protection that God had provide, he applied this second tier to ensure that he would not have future failures, Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
On the human level, He has given us accountability among our peers. Solomon acknowledged the necessity of support from our peers when he wrote, Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. The necessity for leaders to have others to hold them accountable is illustrated in the story of King Saul’s demise. When Samuel confronted him, Saul immediately cried out, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words. Unfortunately, it was too late for he had already sealed his fate. David, on the other hand, was able to repent and find restitution for his debauchery of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband when Nathan called him into question. The one important thing to be cautious about is to ensure that the accountability system that the leader makes himself answerable to is not a group of “yes men” who will not challenge his decisions and actions. Other than Nathan, it seems that David had surrounded himself with such “yes men” who didn’t have the authority to challenge his actions. On the night that he took notice of Bathsheba, he asked his staff if they knew the identity of the lady, and they answered that she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Then he sent one of his servants to bring her to him. There was no question what was happening in that this event occurred after David had retired and woke up in the middle of the night. Since he was already in his nightgown, nobody would have had a second thought about what was on his mind; yet, not one of the men present challenged his request to bring a married woman to his bedroom at this time of night. After the affair, nobody (including Ahithophel, Bathsheba’s grandfather who was one of David’s top advisors) questioned the fact that the baby was due way short of nine months after the wedding. Because David lacked true accountability at the human level, he suffered greatly not only in his own lifetime but has carried the stigma of an adulterer for more than three millennia.
I was once acquainted with a board member of one of the major ministries in the country. One evening at dinner, this gentleman mentioned to me that he was going to resign from his position on the board. Surprised by the news, I questioned him why he would make such a move when the ministry was poised to move into a significant international status. His answer was, “A hundred dollars.” I was puzzled and asked why such a minor amount of money would precipitate his resignation. He explained that the president had a hundred-dollar petty cash fund that he could use at his discretion without submitting receipts and that he could have the fund replenished as often as he wished without any explanation. When this board member questioned him about the lack of financial accountability, he was told to trust the president and never challenge him. My friend said that this lack of liability would eventually be the downfall of the minister and his ministry. Several years later, the evangelist did wind up in prison for embezzlement and financial fraud – a fate that could have been prevented if he had not surrounded himself with “yes men.”
Hopefully, you have begun to question why I have rambled on so far without listing Jesus as an example of a good leader. Well, I’ll easy your concerns at this point by stressing the fact that good leaders are good followers and reminding you that, from the first day that Jesus entered into Peter’s life, He commanded him, Follow Me. On His last discussion with Peter after His resurrection, Jesus had exactly the same directive for him, Follow Me. Paul took this mandate to the next logical level by instructing the people whom he was to lead, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. He realized that he could only be a good leader if he was also a good follower. Jesus is the perfect role model of good leadership, embodying every one of the qualities of good leadership that we have identified.
He so embodied humility that he was comfortable describing Himself as meek and lowly in heart. He displayed His humility by washing the disciples’ feet, but it is significant to notice the context in which the scripture record the account, Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God. It may be easy to do such a humiliating act if you feel that you are inferior and only deserve such a subservient role; however, John made it clear that Jesus was fully aware of His divinity and authority. This understanding made His action to be the ultimate demonstration of humility. The apostle Paul expounded upon the understanding of Jesus’ humility when he wrote that Jesus was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
To illustrate the leadership quality of honesty, we looked at Solomon’s confession that he didn’t know how lead his people, saying that he didn’t even know the difference between coming and going. Yet, Jesus took honest to an exponentially higher level when, at least three times, He declared that He could do nothing except it was directed by His Father. Jesus was totally God, the One who holds all creation together; yet, in His human existence, He was totally dependent upon God the Father – and He was honest enough to admit it.
Courage, the next quality that we examined, was certainly a characteristic of Jesus. He knew exactly what He faced – mocking, scourging, and crucifixion – yet H set His face determinately to go to Jerusalem without hesitation.
Unquestionably, servanthood was Jesus’ hallmark quality. He clearly identified with this as His purpose in life by declaring, The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. He repeatedly instructed His followers that, if they wished to be great in the kingdom of God, they would have to take on the role of a servant and place themselves last in line to bless other.
Jesus was definitely reputable, confirmed by the fact that the priests who wanted to execute Him had to hire liars to bring false accusations against Him and then, when He stood before Pilate, the procurator at least three times confessed that he could not find any fault in Him.
But following Jesus’ example is not true leadership because no one can ever live up to the standard He exemplified. Fortunately, In His last conversation with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus Himself gave them the secret formula to attaining authenticity and validity as a godly leader. In a simple parable, He compared Himself to a vine and those who desire to follow Him to the branches that spout from that vine. As long as the life of the vine flows through the branches, they are productive. As soon as a branch is separated from the vine, that life ceases, and the branch becomes unfruitful. The Apostle Paul encapsulated this principle in a simple testimony, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.