Today, we will examine the characteristics of a bad leader. Something to avoid. Tomorrow, we will talk about what makes a good leader. Something to shoot for.
Yesterday, we talked about David faithfully leading a ragtag group of men before he became king over Israel. But what made David such a good leader, while virtually every other man failed as king?
You can trace it back to when Israel was on the precipice of the promised land and Moses laid out for them what exactly they should look for in their leader. You can see most, if not all, of these four characteristics in every evil leader in the Bible.
You can see these four character traits in bad leaders today. Want to be a good leader? Make sure not to encourage these vices in your life and leadership.
First of all, let me explain that I'm not looking at Scripture to give me a guidebook on "How to be an Effective Leader in 3 Simple Steps." The Bible directs us to Christ as the hero and the point of its entirety. If I'm reading it as something to give me helpful hints for life, I'm missing everything. It's not a matter of missing the forest for the trees, but missing the forest for a blade of grass.
Having said that, when we read Scripture, we cannot help but see the lives of those who followed God and those who rejected Him. God's word is living and active, according to Hebrews 4. Correctly understood, it is meant to apply to me today.
So, what can we learn about leadership from Moses farewell address to the children of Israel?
In part of Deuteronomy 17, Moses speaks about the Israelites future desire for a king, which will flow out of their longing to be like the nations around them. In an attempt to prevent the kings from turning Israel away from Him, God describes ways in which kings should not behave. Unfortunately, it mirrors so many of their kings.
Looking at the types of things, God commanded them to avoid in Deut. 17:14-17, we can find four characteristics that will be evident in bad leaders.
1. Detached - The king should not be a foreigner. He had to be from Israel. Someone from outside of the nation could have ulterior motives as the leader. It's the same reason the United States requires our presidents to be natural born citizens.
When leaders have no investment, they often have little motivation. If a leader is personally unconcerned about the outcome, do you think they will give it their all? A leader must have a stake in the success or failure. Bad leaders attempt to stay detached, so as to avoid any negative fallout from a failure.
2. Selfish - Moses told Israel that the king should not be concerned about gathering horses for himself or increase his gold and silver. If their ruler was only interested in his material gain, he would sacrifice the good of the nation for his own pocket.
A leader who is selfish is no leader at all. It is impossible to truly lead others if you are only concerned about yourself. Who wants to follow someone that does not care about those following him? Bad leaders only see situations in terms of how it can benefit themselves.
3. Myopic - Israel had been rescued and redeemed from Egypt by God's hand. They were not to return there. It was a bad indication when their king sent people back down into Egypt for his own gain. That leader was ignoring past lessons and future potential blessings.
The leader who has the inability to learn from past mistakes (his or another's) or plan for future situations, is not worth much as a leader. One should be able to look to history as a teacher and the future as potential. A bad leader stays focused only on the present situation, never learning from the past or planning for the future.
4. Foolish - Has it not been the downfall of countless men? Women. The king was not to take numerous wives. Specifically, he was not to take them because they would lead his heart away from God. The king would marry multiple daughters of foreign leaders, forming alliances with other nations. However, these women would bring along their gods and tempt the God-worshipping king of Israel.
For many men, it may be women. (I just wrote a piece for Baptist Press about the tragic suicide of the executive director of Voice of the Martyrs under investigation for molesting a young girl.) For other leaders, it will be another temptation. Good leaders have to display wisdom in recognizing their own weaknesses and taking actions to avoid succumbing to them.
While these verses may give us practical advice on how to be a better leader (work to eliminate these character traits in your life), they speak to something far beyond that. They show us that no Old Testament king lived up to the standard that was set for a godly king. The Old Testament ends with the reader still looking for that King who will avoid the downfalls of all the others. Where is that King? Who is that leader?
Tomorrow, when we examine the two characteristics of a good leader, we will see that once again no Old Testament leader constantly lives up to this standard, but there is One who has. He is the perfect King and ultimate leader.
Yesterday, we talked about David faithfully leading a ragtag group of men before he became king over Israel. But what made David such a good leader, while virtually every other man failed as king?
You can trace it back to when Israel was on the precipice of the promised land and Moses laid out for them what exactly they should look for in their leader. You can see most, if not all, of these four characteristics in every evil leader in the Bible.
You can see these four character traits in bad leaders today. Want to be a good leader? Make sure not to encourage these vices in your life and leadership.
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| Photo from Sxc.hu by Debbie Wogen |
Having said that, when we read Scripture, we cannot help but see the lives of those who followed God and those who rejected Him. God's word is living and active, according to Hebrews 4. Correctly understood, it is meant to apply to me today.
So, what can we learn about leadership from Moses farewell address to the children of Israel?
In part of Deuteronomy 17, Moses speaks about the Israelites future desire for a king, which will flow out of their longing to be like the nations around them. In an attempt to prevent the kings from turning Israel away from Him, God describes ways in which kings should not behave. Unfortunately, it mirrors so many of their kings.
Looking at the types of things, God commanded them to avoid in Deut. 17:14-17, we can find four characteristics that will be evident in bad leaders.
1. Detached - The king should not be a foreigner. He had to be from Israel. Someone from outside of the nation could have ulterior motives as the leader. It's the same reason the United States requires our presidents to be natural born citizens.
When leaders have no investment, they often have little motivation. If a leader is personally unconcerned about the outcome, do you think they will give it their all? A leader must have a stake in the success or failure. Bad leaders attempt to stay detached, so as to avoid any negative fallout from a failure.
2. Selfish - Moses told Israel that the king should not be concerned about gathering horses for himself or increase his gold and silver. If their ruler was only interested in his material gain, he would sacrifice the good of the nation for his own pocket.
A leader who is selfish is no leader at all. It is impossible to truly lead others if you are only concerned about yourself. Who wants to follow someone that does not care about those following him? Bad leaders only see situations in terms of how it can benefit themselves.
3. Myopic - Israel had been rescued and redeemed from Egypt by God's hand. They were not to return there. It was a bad indication when their king sent people back down into Egypt for his own gain. That leader was ignoring past lessons and future potential blessings.
The leader who has the inability to learn from past mistakes (his or another's) or plan for future situations, is not worth much as a leader. One should be able to look to history as a teacher and the future as potential. A bad leader stays focused only on the present situation, never learning from the past or planning for the future.
4. Foolish - Has it not been the downfall of countless men? Women. The king was not to take numerous wives. Specifically, he was not to take them because they would lead his heart away from God. The king would marry multiple daughters of foreign leaders, forming alliances with other nations. However, these women would bring along their gods and tempt the God-worshipping king of Israel.
For many men, it may be women. (I just wrote a piece for Baptist Press about the tragic suicide of the executive director of Voice of the Martyrs under investigation for molesting a young girl.) For other leaders, it will be another temptation. Good leaders have to display wisdom in recognizing their own weaknesses and taking actions to avoid succumbing to them.
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While these verses may give us practical advice on how to be a better leader (work to eliminate these character traits in your life), they speak to something far beyond that. They show us that no Old Testament king lived up to the standard that was set for a godly king. The Old Testament ends with the reader still looking for that King who will avoid the downfalls of all the others. Where is that King? Who is that leader?
Tomorrow, when we examine the two characteristics of a good leader, we will see that once again no Old Testament leader constantly lives up to this standard, but there is One who has. He is the perfect King and ultimate leader.
