Today, we are talking about what makes a good leader. Something to shoot for. Yesterday, we examined the characteristics of a bad leader. Something to avoid.
So, we have four characteristics of a bad leader from Moses' instructions to the children of Israel as they are preparing to enter the promised land. They know the type of man not to choose as their king (even if they didn't follow the advice), but who should they choose? What characteristics should be evident in a man suited to be their king?
In Deuteronomy 17:18-20, Moses describes the what the good kings, the righteous leaders would be like. He gives two fairly simple rules that flesh themselves out in a few ways, but they come back to only two basic principles for being the leader that God wants for Israel.
1. Responsible - Not only was the king to read God's law, know God's law and obey God's law, he was to make his own personal copy. It was no one, but the kings responsibility to make sure the king knew and lived according to God's word.
What do leaders so often do? Blame someone else. Politicians rarely ever, unless dictated by polling numbers, take responsibilities for mistakes. It is always the fault of the opposing party or your predecessor in office. It's not just politicians, however, that shift the blame to someone else. Leaders in ever sphere of influence seek to avoid responsibility. That's not a good leader.
A good leader takes responsibility for his own actions and for those under him. President Harry Truman was famous for the sign on his Oval Office desk that read "The buck stops here." Ultimately, the leader must accept more than the credit when things go well, he must endure the blame when things end poorly (and they will sometimes).
2. Humble - Even though the king was the ruler over all Israel, his heart should not be lifted above his fellow countrymen. His time in God's word was meant to keep him humble and prevent a collapse of his kingdom due to the eroding nature of pride.
Is this not the least common characteristic in leaders? Do we not fail in evaluating the humility of those we elevate to leadership positions? I've already picked on politicians, so how about pastors? Too many pastors, be their church large or small, feel as if they can lord over the flock God has given them. Some long for recognition and to have others serve them -- because they're the pastor. How contrary to Christ.
The best leaders are able to remain humble despite their position. They recognize that the power that has been entrusted to them is not their own and does not fundamentally alter who they are as a person. Husbands, as leaders of the home, we are to be servant leaders, not demanding bosses. Godly leaders will remain humble in regards to themselves and respectful of the position they have and the people they lead.
When you read through the lives of Israel's kings, you find that each of them, even the "good" ones failed in these areas. Even David, the man after God's own heart, displayed many of the negative characteristics and failed to live out the positive traits at times in his life.
No Old Testament king could look at this list and say, "I've lived out God commands perfectly as king. I'm the perfect leader that Moses told you about." The Old Testament leaves us with an unfulfilled longing. We see the obvious need for a leader who is responsible and humble, a king who is not detached, selfish, myopic or foolish. There's just no one there who can match these qualities.
No one matched them ... until One comes in ultimate humility, taking the responsibility to solve a problem that was not His own. He refused to be detached from the situation. Instead of being selfish, He provided a solution at great personal cost. This King was not myopic, but rather looked to provide a long term answer instead of temporary patches. He refused to be a part of the religious foolishness of His day, instead He showed Himself to be exceeding in wisdom.
There is no king who could ever live up to these standards until Jesus. When we seek to be good leaders, we seek to be like Christ. Only in His power, can we become the leader we need to be -- no matter the venue in which we are exercising leadership.
You need Christ to be a leader at your job. You need Him to empower you to lead your family. You desperately need Jesus in every moment to enable you to be the leader those around you need you to be.
Pursue responsibility and humility. Avoid detachment, selfishness, myopia and foolishness. But in all of it seek to do so in the strength of Christ, the only leader who could ever perfectly fulfill the requirements of a good leader.
So, we have four characteristics of a bad leader from Moses' instructions to the children of Israel as they are preparing to enter the promised land. They know the type of man not to choose as their king (even if they didn't follow the advice), but who should they choose? What characteristics should be evident in a man suited to be their king?
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| Photo from RGBstock.com by Sanja Gjenero |
In Deuteronomy 17:18-20, Moses describes the what the good kings, the righteous leaders would be like. He gives two fairly simple rules that flesh themselves out in a few ways, but they come back to only two basic principles for being the leader that God wants for Israel.
1. Responsible - Not only was the king to read God's law, know God's law and obey God's law, he was to make his own personal copy. It was no one, but the kings responsibility to make sure the king knew and lived according to God's word.
What do leaders so often do? Blame someone else. Politicians rarely ever, unless dictated by polling numbers, take responsibilities for mistakes. It is always the fault of the opposing party or your predecessor in office. It's not just politicians, however, that shift the blame to someone else. Leaders in ever sphere of influence seek to avoid responsibility. That's not a good leader.
A good leader takes responsibility for his own actions and for those under him. President Harry Truman was famous for the sign on his Oval Office desk that read "The buck stops here." Ultimately, the leader must accept more than the credit when things go well, he must endure the blame when things end poorly (and they will sometimes).
2. Humble - Even though the king was the ruler over all Israel, his heart should not be lifted above his fellow countrymen. His time in God's word was meant to keep him humble and prevent a collapse of his kingdom due to the eroding nature of pride.
Is this not the least common characteristic in leaders? Do we not fail in evaluating the humility of those we elevate to leadership positions? I've already picked on politicians, so how about pastors? Too many pastors, be their church large or small, feel as if they can lord over the flock God has given them. Some long for recognition and to have others serve them -- because they're the pastor. How contrary to Christ.
The best leaders are able to remain humble despite their position. They recognize that the power that has been entrusted to them is not their own and does not fundamentally alter who they are as a person. Husbands, as leaders of the home, we are to be servant leaders, not demanding bosses. Godly leaders will remain humble in regards to themselves and respectful of the position they have and the people they lead.
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When you read through the lives of Israel's kings, you find that each of them, even the "good" ones failed in these areas. Even David, the man after God's own heart, displayed many of the negative characteristics and failed to live out the positive traits at times in his life.
No Old Testament king could look at this list and say, "I've lived out God commands perfectly as king. I'm the perfect leader that Moses told you about." The Old Testament leaves us with an unfulfilled longing. We see the obvious need for a leader who is responsible and humble, a king who is not detached, selfish, myopic or foolish. There's just no one there who can match these qualities.
No one matched them ... until One comes in ultimate humility, taking the responsibility to solve a problem that was not His own. He refused to be detached from the situation. Instead of being selfish, He provided a solution at great personal cost. This King was not myopic, but rather looked to provide a long term answer instead of temporary patches. He refused to be a part of the religious foolishness of His day, instead He showed Himself to be exceeding in wisdom.
There is no king who could ever live up to these standards until Jesus. When we seek to be good leaders, we seek to be like Christ. Only in His power, can we become the leader we need to be -- no matter the venue in which we are exercising leadership.
You need Christ to be a leader at your job. You need Him to empower you to lead your family. You desperately need Jesus in every moment to enable you to be the leader those around you need you to be.
Pursue responsibility and humility. Avoid detachment, selfishness, myopia and foolishness. But in all of it seek to do so in the strength of Christ, the only leader who could ever perfectly fulfill the requirements of a good leader.
