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Leadership Models from the Bible Preface In my previous work, God Calls A Different Kind of Leader, I identified and briefly described the characteristics that I believe Godly leaders should possess. The process begins with our conversion, for without that, we cannot truly be a different kind of leader in the eyes of God. These seven elements were listed: + A Different Kind of Leader has a heart for
God. These seven characteristics are clearly important to both leaders and followers of Christ. They are especially important for leaders, however, because leaders are models for followers. If leaders set a bad example, the followers cannot be expected to develop these seven characteristics on their own. Leaders set a good example when they demonstrate these characteristics: + A Different Kind of Leader seeks counsel
from the Spirit of God at Rick Warren has written a wonderful book entitled The Purpose Driven Life. This book has helped millions of people understand that God has a purpose for their life. Our life’s purpose is to accomplish something for God. It is not our life’s purpose to fulfill our own desires. In this vein, + A Different Kind of Leader brings glory
and honor to God. God works with us as He establishes these seven characteristics in us. God’s plan for each individual is unique. He takes as much time as is necessary to develop His traits in us. This is also a life-long process where God works in us to increasingly conform us to the image and actions of Jesus. At some point, God calls out individual leaders. Regardless of our leadership aspirations, if God calls us to lead, it is a call worth obeying. Nehemiah aspired to be used of God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. He fasted and prayed until he was sure that he heard God’s call. Moses didn’t want to be a leader of God’s children in Egypt, yet he was used by God in many special ways. If we believe that God is all-powerful (Omnipotent), shouldn’t we respond positively if He calls us to a particular service? Here are some of the leadership principles that were identified: + A Different Kind of Leader seeks after God
for a vision. We should never assume that when God calls us to leadership that it means an end to all of our problems. Nehemiah’s example shows us that the enemy will continually cause trouble at nearly every step along the way. God uses these difficulties in our life for our best interests and to insure that He gets the deserved glory when a leader successfully completes a God-given assignment. Since things can go wrong, it is wise to remember: + A Different Kind of Leader prays about all
things. These 26 characteristics are relatively self-explanatory, but additional descriptive material is available from the work mentioned above: God Calls A Different Kind of Leader. How can we become a different kind of leader? What lessons can we learn from history, specifically from leaders in the Bible? The previous work addressed some of the issues involved, but it is instructive to provide additional amplification. This work is designed to assist people implement a leadership call from God. The information here may also be useful to those who would like to become equipped to serve God in a leadership role in the future. Introduction God calls people to leadership. Some individuals may be completely unaware of God’s call while others may sense it. Some people have a desire to lead and ask God how that desire can be fulfilled. Sometimes circumstances (arranged by God) arise in a way that we can see that God is moving us into a position of leadership. We should be excited, grateful and thankful that God has chosen us to lead, yet we may not know why God has selected us. Apparently Moses wasn’t a very likely leadership candidate, yet God used Moses in a mighty way throughout his life. You may not understand exactly what you are supposed to do, when or how, yet you realize that God is moving you into leadership. Moses was given a glimpse of God’s overall objective in the exodus from Egypt, yet the details of the journey were a surprise to Moses. This lack of details provided to Moses was a blessing to him because it forced him to stay in constant communication with God. You may not want to be a leader. Moses didn’t want to be one and tried more than once to get out of leading God’s people. You may think that others are more qualified than you to lead in a specific instance, and while that may be true, God always has a plan. God’s plans always work. It is good for us to trust God when it comes to moving us into a position of leadership. Some people seem to have innate skills or desires for leadership, while others do not. Regardless of our skills or desires, God will equip us to lead. When God wants to accomplish something through us He will bring it to pass. Since God is all-powerful, Omnipotent, He can and does use exactly the proper methods to train us and direct us on His assigned missions. We should not be anxious about our lack (of skills, insight, experience, resources, etc.), because our lack provides God with an opportunity to be glorified. When God accomplishes something through an unlikely person, or in an unlikely way, then God is glorified, not the person. Regardless of our experience, intellect, or resources, we should be confident of God’s ability to use us for His purposes. The Spirit of God will provide us with everything we need to know. The Spirit will guide us, encourage us, strengthen us, and provide us with an assurance of God’s call. God will provide whatever resources are needed to accomplish our assigned task(s). We can most assuredly count on God. He wants us to trust in Him. He is glorified when we completely trust Him. What should we do if we are anxious about God’s call? The answer is the same as for any anxiety: turn it over to God. We know that God will never leave us or forsake us. He will be with us always. God doesn’t want us to be anxious because it is a sign that we don’t completely trust Him. Since God is Sovereign over all things, we have no good reason to be anxious. God is glorified when we turn all of our anxieties over to Him. Could we fail in our mission? Sure, but this doesn’t mean that God let us down. Remember the time that Joshua sent several thousand troops to Ai, but they were defeated? That defeat was not the consequence of, or fault in Joshua’s leadership, but of the sin of Achan (Joshua 7:1+). God needed to teach all of the people an important lesson and the military defeat was the method that God chose. It is good to remember that the things of this world are temporary, while the things of God’s kingdom to come are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our job is to be obedient to God. We must avoid the temptation to measure our leadership experiences by the world’s standards. Just as our salvation has caused us to be different from the world, so our leadership experiences may also set us further apart from the world. Remember, first and foremost, that we must respond to God’s call for salvation. After we have repented and believed, we will be ready for God’s assignment. Your response to God’s call for salvation is proof (to yourself) that you can and will listen to God. The Holy Spirit desires to have continual fellowship with us, but we need to learn to listen to Him. The Spirit’s call to repentance demonstrates that we can listen. The Spirit will continue to speak to us about other things after our salvation. God wants to change us for the better, to conform us more into the image of Christ and to be less like the image of success in the world. The Spirit speaks to us about these things. God empowers us to change and is glorified as He effects these changes in us. Prayer is another mechanism that God uses to help us learn how to listen more effectively to Him. Prayer is designed to be two-way communication. Remember Paul praying for a “thorn in his flesh to be removed” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)? God told Paul that the thorn would not be removed because God’s grace was sufficient for him. This experience of Paul is an example of two-way communication. Paul asked and listened for an answer. We also are told to ask, and keep on asking, yet we also must learn to listen. Beyond listening, we must also be accepting of God’s answer. God may answer in a way that we don’t like or understand, but we must trust God that He knows best. The more we pray, that is ask and listen, the better equipped we become at knowing when God is speaking to us as well as understanding what He is saying to us. This two-way communication process draws us closer to God. We become more trusting of God and His workings in us as we draw closer to Him. This is a very personalized process. The way that God works in one individual may not be repeated in another. God knows our every strength and weakness. He knows our gifts, because He gave them to us. He knows exactly what needs to be done in us, in His perfect timing, in the essential manner, so that we can carry out God’s mission. What a wonderful God we serve! The Bible is another important tool that God uses to communicate with us, especially as the Holy Spirit works in us to provide understanding. God opens the eyes of His children to impart special insights from His Word, which is eternal (Psalm 119:89). I suspect that you have been given such clear insights and you have recognized them as a special gift from God. This work on leadership focuses on how God worked through four men in the Bible: Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. The depth of coverage of leadership traits of these four is not meant to be exhaustive, but to be used as a starting point to delve deeper into God’s Word. As you read about the lives of these four men, God will give you special insight and understanding for use in your life so that you can work out the plan that God has set before you. The starting point for our study must be God’s objective for us: what does God intend to do through us? If we don’t know, we can’t and shouldn’t assume some objective that perhaps “feels” good. The process of determining our role in God’s overall plan can be referred to as getting our “vision” from God. This is not meant to be mystical, mysterious or spiritual, rather a vision is a clear sense of what God intends to accomplish through us. It is helpful to remember that our role in God’s plan is important, yet it is only one aspect of God’s “Big Picture” for His creation. Our role may seem huge, like the way God has used Billy Graham, or it might seem small: like writing these leadership papers, being an encourager, or a prayer warrior. Yet in God’s eyes all roles are important and significant because every plan that we complete means that Jesus is that much closer to coming again. God has chosen to accomplish many things through people. It may seem inefficient at times, perhaps frustrating too, yet God’s ways are beyond our understanding. In heaven we will all be able to see how our role contributed to God’s eternal plan – and we shall be able to rejoice in what we accomplished together through God’s empowerment. Consider the works that God accomplished through Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. Each of them was given a task (or tasks) to complete, and each man completed their mission. We can learn from their leadership successes (or even their failures) and apply the good to our own leadership call from God. We could look at other leaders from the Bible as well, such as we see in the life of Nehemiah. He was an excellent leader and books have been written about important lessons that we can learn from his experiences. Yet our purpose in this study is not to be exhaustively thorough in our analysis of leadership in the Bible. My own experience is that I see new things as I read through God’s Word each time through. If I waited to compile everything that I have I learned in my reading, I would never be able to write anything. Our objective should be to see God’s Word as an inexhaustible resource to be carefully studied over our lifetime. God is faithful and He will show us exactly what we need as we study the Bible. I trust that as we examine the lives of four leaders that you would be encouraged to dig deeper into their experiences in order to learn even more. Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon had very different personalities and giftedness. No one was ever more humble than Moses and no one was ever more wise and wealthy than Solomon. Joshua and David were fearless warriors. David was very emotional; perhaps in today’s jargon we would call him sensitive. David shared his emotional highs and lows with us honestly in the Psalms. All four of these men were chosen and called by God for a mission. All four accepted their assignment and accomplished their part of God’s plan. None were perfect, but this did not stop God from using them perfectly to accomplish great things. We should be greatly encouraged by God’s choice of these men. None of them were leaders before God called them. None of them were equipped perfectly for their jobs before their call to lead. None of them lead perfectly. Yet because God had called each one, He prepared each for their assigned tasks and worked through their imperfections in order to accomplish tasks worthy of being recorded in the Bible. If God used such as these, why can’t He use us? He can and wants to and will, if we let Him. How do I get started? God loves His children. God can and does use those who aren’t His children, but His heart is most tender towards those He loves. God loves us “as high as the heavens are above the earth” (Psalm 103:11): a love so enormous that we can’t fully understand or appreciate it. God desires that His children accomplish certain tasks on earth. God has a plan for the universe as well as for each of us – a very personalized plan for each of us. We can’t and won’t fully understand all of the elements of our personal plan before God. What can we do to learn more about what God intends for us? A good way of learning more about God’s plan for us is to ask God what He wants us to do and then wait for His answer. This sounds simple, but how do we know when God has answered us? Since God doesn’t seem to speak to us as directly as we may like, we have to learn to listen in ways that are different from what we learn in school. A starting place is to carefully examine our desires: what do we want to do for God? What are we passionate about in God’s kingdom? As we reflect on our desires and God-given passions, we most likely will get an inkling of how or where God may choose to use us. + It is good to learn to ask God questions and then to wait for answers. Another way of seeking God’s direction in our life is to try different things in order to expand our horizons in the possibilities of service to God. We could go on a helping-hands mission trip (it could be down the block or thousands of miles away), get trained in evangelism and put that training to work with a targeted group. We could visit a hospital or ask people we know how we could pray for them. We could learn a new language, or develop a Christ-centered drama presentation. We could enhance our music abilities through practice and then play for some group. There are millions more things to try, but the point is this: we may find something we really love by trying a number of different things. + It is wise to volunteer in several
ministries so that we can learn how The Bible encourages us to seek advice from others. This may be harder for men than women, but the Bible makes no allowances for men. All matters must be confirmed by the testimony or two or more witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1). While we must learn to ask advice, we must also learn how to process that advice. We must learn to sort through the recommendations offered in order to determine what God intends. Just because someone says that God told them something that they think is for your use, doesn’t mean that God sent it to you. God does speak through others to help us, but we must learn to discern which advice is from the heart of God and which is not. + Ask for advice, but also ask God how to process that advice. If you diligently seek for God’s plan and purpose in your life you will find it. God’s Word promises that you will find it (Matthew 7:7-8). It may take time, effort and perhaps even money, but eventually you will learn what God desires for you to accomplish in your life. This process can’t be described in analytical terms, yet God wants you to glorify Him as you accomplish His purposes. If you want to truly experience the joy of the Lord then you would be best served to learn what God wants to empower you to do. + True joy comes from implementing God’s plan. The Importance of a Leadership Plan A leader without a plan is like a boat without a captain. The captain is needed to direct the boat along a specific course. A leader without a plan is like a horse and rider, but without a bridle. The bridle is the means by which the rider directs the horse to move in a particular direction. Leaders are needed to provide direction. Leadership can be defined as the accomplishing of tasks through others. We can do some things, but not everything. Some projects are too large for one person to accomplish on their own. Leaders are needed to direct the work of groups of people in order to accomplish the objective of these large projects. Leaders must have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish and how their followers should be mobilized. Leaders need to have a goal or objective as well as a clear sense of how the goal or objective can be achieved. Leaders need to know what needs to be done, how, when and by whom. All of these things can be grouped under the idea that leaders need to have a vision. This is true for secular leadership as well as Godly leadership. The only difference on the vision is the source: Godly leaders get their vision from God. + Leaders need a vision. God provides the leaders He calls with specific information to enable them to accomplish His purposes. God gave Noah a very specific plan and enabled Noah to be successful in carrying out the details of that plan. God gave Moses very explicit instructions on the building of the tabernacle as well as its contents. Other examples could be given, but the point is that when God wants us to do something, He will give us the “what”, “when”, “how”, “where”, and by “whom”. He may or may not give us the “why”. Sometimes we just need to trust God by faith on the “why”. + God supplies His vision to His leaders. God may give us a detailed plan for a project before we commence or He may impart the details as we progress. The process may change from assignment to assignment, but God will always be faithful to insure that we have the necessary insight to carry out His plan for any specific project. God will also provide us with the ability to communicate God’s plan to others, assuming that others will be involved or affected. God’s Holy Spirit will empower us. God will also move in the hearts of those that we communicate with in order to insure that we receive the necessary cooperation of others. There could be opposition as well, but never enough to block God’s plans. The example of Nehemiah is an excellent one to substantiate these points. God moved in the hearts of Nehemiah’s followers and empowered Nehemiah to persevere in the face of opposition. + Leadership visions are clear and
leaders clearly articulate them to These leadership concepts can be illustrated from some Biblical examples. For example, it is interesting to examine God’s “Big Picture” for His creation. As we make this examination we can see God’s initial purpose for man, man’s rebellion against that purpose, and that God will accomplish His purpose in the end. Leadership concepts can also be gleaned from the lives of such people as Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon. Each of these men had flaws and shortcomings (like us), but God used each to accomplish His purposes. We can use these and other examples as models to help us see how God may be working in and through us. God’s “Big Picture” Have you ever wondered why God created the universe? Why did He create us and the things in the world around us? What is our intended purpose on earth? Will God ever be able to accomplish His intended purpose on earth? These and many other questions are certainly legitimate to ask of God, although we may not get answers to every question while we are on earth. The Bible teaches that God created us (through all generations) for His pleasure so that we could have fellowship together with Him. God’s plan called for man to rule over God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-31). Man sinned which resulted in man’s rule being relegated to rule over animals, including other men. Part of the curse from God for man’s sin was losing the right to rule over God’s creation. + Man was designed by God to rule over God’s creation. Jesus came from heaven to earth to break the curse. He set His children free from sin and its penalty. Jesus’ successful mission on earth also reclaimed control of creation, which He will share with us in the new heaven and earth. God has empowered and enabled us to perform various purposes during our life on earth, but everything we do for the kingdom of God relates in some way to bringing people to God through Christ. We will rule and reign with Jesus in heaven, but only because God ordained that we would do so from the very beginning. + Man will rule and reign over
God’s creation, with Christ, but only We can learn of God’s “Big Picture”, but probably not many of the details of the plan. The prophet Isaiah explains to us that we will never be able to fully understand God’s plan because our mind is limited. Some may rebel at this notion. You may be smart, even a genius, but your thoughts are much lower than God’s thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We should strive to understand everything that God may desire for us to know, but should never think that we will ever have thoughts on the same level as God. Initially God intended for man to rule over creation, but that plan was temporarily postponed until after Jesus completed His work on earth. God has used the intervening generations from Adam to us to show us how we can find peace with God. Our sin, from Adam on down, blocks our ability to find peace apart from God. Any joy that we experience is fleeting unless and until we become a child of God. + God has always wanted to have
fellowship with man, but it must God used many different approaches to draw all men to Himself through the ages. We will briefly examine the progression of rule systems that God used from the time of Adam, to Noah, to Moses, to the judges and kings, through the prophecy of Jeremiah, to John the Baptist, Jesus, and Paul. We will see that God used many approaches to get people to see that they had a very real need for God, yet none of the rule systems ever brought people peace with God. Peace with God only comes from God and cannot be achieved through the efforts of rule following. God used a “one rule” approach with Adam: don’t eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam couldn’t follow that one rule. God used four simple rules with the generations of Noah up until Moses. The four rules for Noah were: animals were to be used for food (up until this time the people were vegetarians), animals must be killed before being eaten (and drain out the blood), do not murder, and, be fruitful as a family to increase the population. We aren’t told how well the people of Noah and his descendents followed these rules. However, the next major section of scripture deals with a people that became so proud and self-centered that they built a tower to reach the heavens to declare their own glory (tower of Babel). We probably all remember that God gave Moses Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), along with many other health, hygiene, dietary, personal relationship, and celebratory regulations. The people were not able to follow this myriad of rules. Many animals were sacrificed because of sin in breaking these rules, yet these sacrifices didn’t bring people closer to God. It appears that the opposite happened: the more sin, the more the people moved away from God and following His commands. Shouldn’t the people have cried out to God asking Him how they could escape His wrath (because they couldn’t follow God’s laws and decrees)? Shouldn’t the system of sacrifice have caused the Israelites to ask God how they could find peace with God? God promised temporal blessing to the Jews if they would follow His commands (blessings: Deuteronomy 28:1-14; curses: Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and Leviticus 1:1-46). God added judges and then kings to enforce the rules, but that didn’t work either. None of these measures caused the people to come closer to God. We learn from extra-biblical sources that the religious leaders of the time continually made up new and more intricate laws for health, hygiene, diet, etc., yet these leaders were headed in the wrong direction. Why make up more laws if people can’t follow the ones already in place? The Ten Commandments are very simple in form and easy to understand, yet none of us has ever been able to follow all of them (either the people of Moses’ time or down through the ages to the present). The prophet Jeremiah indicated that God’s people in the future would be given knowledge of God in their heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34). We are the people that have this knowledge of God in our hearts. We have been gifted with spiritual gifts under the control of the Holy Spirit, yet we are not able to stop sinning. We experience a foretaste of heaven from time to time as God’s Spirit touches us in a special way at certain times, but we are quick to sin. Christians have the Spirit of God in them at all times, so we are without excuse for our sin, yet we continue to do wrong. John the Baptist is highlighted as the New Testament opens. I believe he is mentioned prominently and before the ministry of Jesus is described because he dealt with the issue of how to get right with God. John dealt with sin and the need for forgiveness from God. People listened to him, but there is no indication that masses of people believed that what he said was applicable to them. Jesus ministry started by reinforcing John’s concept of the need for lifestyle change: “repent for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). Later in His ministry, Jesus gave us a simplified set of rules to follow: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40). We are not able to follow even two simple rules. Toward the end of Jesus’ life on earth He tells us of the importance of finding peace with God, but on God’s terms (John 14:6 and 16:33). Paul told us in Galatians 5:14 that “the entire law could be summed up in a single command to love our neighbor as our self.” Yet we do not do this. We do not follow this one simple rule. So we see from the one rule for Adam to the one rule from Paul, we are unable to follow God‘s rules. All of the systems of rules, along with our consistent drive to break them, should help us to see our predicament before God. Apart from God and His mercy, we are doomed. Our faith in Jesus gives us the promise of eternal life with Christ. Those without faith in Christ are doomed to eternal separation from God. Our only hope of following God’s rules is to be empowered and enabled to do so by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26). The Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:27). The Spirit speaks to and through us (Mark 12:36-37, 13:11, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Spirit guides us (John 16:13). The Spirit teaches us (1 Corinthians 2:13-15). God, through the Spirit, is our ever-present Help (Psalm 46:1). As God uses us for His purposes we can be assured that the Spirit of God is with us every step along our way. + We can only consistently follow
God’s rules as we are empowered Another part of God’s plan can be gleaned from the lives of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. All of these men sacrificed in order that future generations might be better off. Noah gave up every friendship except those with his immediate family in order that we might have life. Abraham left his family and comforts of life to go camping in a land he didn’t know. He lived the life of a nomad that we might have life. Moses gave up the life of royalty (albeit through adoption) and walked through a barren land for 40 years, that we might have life. The life of Jesus was the most important. He gave up His life on earth that we might have life with Him forever. All of these people had to leave the life they knew. All were obedient to God’s call to leave and lead. All were blessed as a result of their faith and obedience. This should provide us with another example of God’s plan for our life. As far as we know, Noah, Abraham and Moses had no clear sense of what God was doing in their lives, how He would go about doing it, or exactly when it would come to pass. Yet all three stepped out in faith, just as God wants us to step out in faith when He calls us to serve Him. + God calls us to live our life with
faith in Christ and in obedience to There are things that we should remember about God and His purposes: + God has a plan for His
creation. There are things that we should remember about our purposes in life: + We must become a child of God through
Christ. The Lessons of Moses and Joshua It is critical to remain close to God throughout our leadership call, as we learn from the examples of Moses and Joshua. Moses was given a task to lead God’s people out of Egypt. God didn’t give Moses all of the detailed instructions, nor did God warn Moses of all of the obstacles that he would face. God required Moses to continually ask God for direction. Moses developed an extremely close relationship with God as a result of their continual interactions. + Continually seek God’s direction, advice, counsel, and wisdom. One of the first things we learn about Moses’ adult life is that he had a passion for justice. We could argue about the benefit of balancing passion for justice with cool-headed restraint, but we see that Moses was a man of convictions and action. He killed an Egyptian that was mistreating one of his people (Exodus 2:11-12). We see that same passion for justice a while later when Moses intervened to rescue some female shepherds and watered their flocks for them (Exodus 2:15-17). + Foster a passion for justice – doing what
is right, not just talking God used Moses’ passion for justice as a motivator during the entire exodus event. Moses could see that his people were mistreated. He knew that that this was wrong. Perhaps he didn’t think that God could or would use him to end the persecution, but Moses followed God’s plan. We see that Moses continually sought God’s counsel during the entire time leading up to the exodus (Exodus 3-13), and after the exodus too. God gave Moses a very detailed plan of what to do, when and how, albeit the instructions that God gave were very short-term oriented. Moses had to trust God for the long-term solution. God also never explained the “why” of all of the plagues to Moses. Moses must have been satisfied that God knew what He was doing because he continually followed God’s steps throughout nearly all of his life. I find the complaining that Moses engaged in to God about the people to be very compelling. How would you react if all of the people in your community rebelled against your leadership? + We should listen carefully to God in order
to do all that God wants Moses was an encourager to his people, even though he experienced discouragement from time to time. When the Israelites were being pursued by the Egyptian army, Moses told them not to be afraid because God would deliver them (Exodus 14:13-31). + We should be an encourager to those around
us, regardless of our Moses took the problems that he encountered along the exodus trail to God. Moses asked God to supply food and water. When the people complained to Moses, Moses went to God for instruction. God gave Moses direction and when necessary, spoke directly to the people (Exodus 15:22-16:8). + We should take complaints to God. God can
either deal with them Moses demonstrated that he could learn from others – even though he was the overall leader. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, made a suggestion to Moses about the dispute resolution process. Jethro suggested that Moses recruit others to help resolve disputes. This suggestion was a major change, not a small “tweaking” towards improvement. Jethro’s suggestions were clear and concise: Moses should select capable leaders that had a fear of God, were trustworthy and hated dishonest gain (Exodus 18:21). The leaders should be trained by Moses, that is, Moses should show them the laws, explain their duties, and model proper behavior to his subordinates (Exodus 18:20). The most capable leaders were to be given more responsibility and the least capable were assigned less responsibility. Moses must have realized that these suggestions came from God through Jethro because they were adopted very quickly. There are a number of lessons for us in these verses. + Listen closely to advice from others.
Don’t be afraid to implement Moses had many opportunities to handle adversity as the leader of Israel. His actions during difficult times provide us with important lessons on how we should handle adversity. Exodus 14 records one such incident where the people complained about leaving Egypt. The people threatened to choose a leader and go back to Egypt. The reaction of Moses and Aaron was remarkable – they said nothing as they fell facedown in front of the people (Exodus 14:5). Joshua came to their defense, but the people threatened him as well. God intervened to keep the leaders alive (Exodus 14:10-23). + There are times when we shouldn’t justify
our actions – let others, Another example of Moses restraint in justifying his actions can be seen in Korah’s rebellion (Exodus 16). When Korah and his followers accused Moses of setting himself above others, Moses reaction demonstrated great humility and restraint as he fell facedown before the people. + It is good for us to exercise restraint
and be humble during trying Joshua is another excellent role model for us to follow in order to learn more about Godly leadership. Almost all of Joshua’s life is a positive example of how to stay close to God. Joshua sought God’s direction for most everything, but there was one time when he did not and the consequences were severe. Joshua led the successful crossing of the Jordan River and the taking of Jericho. The people must have been ecstatic and rejoicing in the Lord. Could there have been any prideful thoughts involved? Could some of the people have thought they were better than the people of Jericho? Could some people have felt they were great soldiers after they defeated the forces in Jericho? We don’t know the answers to these questions, but we do know that Joshua and the other leaders took their eyes off of God temporarily. A group of people showed up claiming to have come from a distant country (Joshua 9:1+). They wanted a peace treaty with Israel, something that God had forbidden. Joshua agreed to this treaty without consulting with God. These people turned out to be neighbors, but because of the vow Joshua made to them, he couldn’t kill them. These people became slaves to Israel, but also were an ungodly influence on the Jews. Our lesson should be to never assume that we know what to do, rather seek God’s direction in everything. God delights in our communion with Him, so we should take everything to Him: small (in our eyes) or large. + Seek God’s counsel in every matter. Joshua started and finished strong. We are told that he was “filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him” (Deuteronomy 34:9). What a great testimony to Joshua. The one event with the Gibeonites should not diminish our respect for him. This one lapse by Joshua should remind all of us that pitfalls and problems await us if we take our eyes off of God (or stop listening to Him) and His plan. Virtually all of Joshua’s life is a picture of strength and insight. God gave Joshua the mantle of leadership and a plan to conquer the land. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous, implying that Joshua’s role as leader of Israel would be difficult. Joshua followed God’s plan carefully. Joshua was exalted by God in front of the people – that was a measure of Joshua’s faithfulness to God. + God may honor us before others when we
model faithfulness to Joshua was concerned with leadership succession as can be seen in Joshua 23-24. He reminded the people to follow God’s laws. He also gave the people an admonition from God: be strong and courageous. The implication from Joshua to the people was that difficult times were ahead and the only solution lay in staying close to God. Joshua blessed the people and warned them of straying away from God’s care. + Ask God about His leadership succession
plan. David’s Example King David provides an excellent example to study because he was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-14). We can learn from both the good and bad in David’s life: both in terms of character and leadership. David was instructed by God to rule over man in righteousness. What does that mean and does it apply to us as well? We can gain an insight into God’s leadership development strategy as we examine David’s example. In 2 Samuel 23:1-7 we see that David was told by God to “rule over men in righteousness.” There are at least two things in view with this term. First, David was to rule the people on behalf of God, that is, David should remember that the people were children of God, not slaves to David. This mindset would have radically different from other kings and rulers of that day. A second view of this scripture is prophetic, looking to the ultimate reign of King Jesus at a future time. David knew that the Messiah would come through his family line. David knew that his rule and reign should reflect that of the Ultimate King, not a worldly king. David also realized that not all people would follow the Messiah and that those that didn’t would suffer the consequences. + We are God’s representative on earth. We
should model Jesus’ David had life experiences that prepared him to lead God’s people. We learn about some of these experiences in 1 Samuel 16:1-13. David learned to be humble early on in his life because he, as the youngest son, tended the sheep. He was considered to be the lowest in rank in his family. He was content in his job, not looking to change careers, advance in stature or achieve notoriety. God selected him and “from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” When God called David, the Holy Spirit was upon David to enable and empower him to accomplish God’s purposes. We learn of an interesting contrast between David and Saul (verse 23) where the Spirit of the Lord touched Saul for intervals, but not permanently as in David’s case. + We must be humble. God will raise us up in
His good and perfect David knew that God was with him and the Spirit of the Lord upon him (1 Samuel 17:32-51). This is probably why David was fearless regarding fighting the Philistine (Goliath). God had always been faithful in protecting David while David was tending (leading) his sheep, so David could trust God to protect him in the current situation. David demonstrated his complete trust in God when David attacked Goliath. David ran down to battle (verse 48). David knew no fear other than the fear of God. David was enthusiastic to accomplish the mission God had assigned to him. Perhaps David also had a sense that God had uniquely gifted him for this task. Perhaps David knew from the Spirit of the Lord being upon him that God had called him to defend God’s people. + We should listen to the Spirit of God and
respond enthusiastically, Throughout the life of David, even in his time of egregious sin (murder), he remained faithful to God. David experienced victories, suffering, punishment for personal sin, and abundant joy. He remained faithful to God to the end. + We must remain faithful to God, in spite of our sin. David received his orders from God. We do not know exactly what the communication mechanism was, but since the Spirit of the Lord was upon David, we can imagine that God could easily provide David with the insight and encouragement that he needed for each situation. David also modeled the ability to seek counsel from God, and then took action upon that counsel. David completed the assignments God gave him. (for example 2 Samuel 2:1, 5:17-20). + We should strive to complete God-given
assignments as God David was obviously a great warrior and leader. An important characteristic of his leadership style was to seek counsel from God and to listen to his followers. David sought God’s direction from the beginning of his reign (for example, 2 Samuel 5:17-19). David also sought advice from others (1 Chronicles 13:1-4). + We should seek counsel from God as well as from others. David desired to build a temple for God in Jerusalem, but was told that he should only assemble the materials for a son that would build the temple later. David was obedient to this instruction. We learn that David enthusiastically set upon the task of collecting gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone (2 Chronicles 22:1-19). We learn that David contributed large amounts of gold and silver from his personal wealth (1 Chronicles 22:14). David set an example in giving rather than simply requiring the country’s treasury be used for the project. He assembled workman: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, skilled workers in gold, silver, bronze, and iron. David implemented the process that was necessary in order to construct the temple. David compiled detailed plans for the temple workers and servers. He assigned leaders to oversee very specific tasks (1 Chronicles 27:25-31). He wrote all of this down so that his son would be able to construct the temple according to the plans and purposes that God gave to David (2 Chronicles 28:11-21). + God may call us to plan and/or to
implement a plan. David wrote many psalms. The content of these works demonstrates why he was called a “man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:13-14). A sampling of the psalms that David wrote reveals that they are prayers that address all aspects of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). These psalms clearly reflect what was in David’s heart as he spoke plainly of his feelings (positive and negative). The psalms also show that God lifted him from depression, reminded him of the ultimate winner, encouraged him to seek God and ask that his needs be met, and blessed him with knowledge of heaven. The psalms are a wonderful example of how we should approach God (with our true feelings, not the feelings we think God wants us to have). We should learn from David’s example that when we approach God honestly, God will bless us abundantly. + We should approach God honestly. Psalms 11, 14, 15, 27, 28, 53, 103, and 138 show David’s knowledge and certainty of God being in heaven. This shows David’s strong faith. David realized that he would go to heaven after his years on earth. + God is in heaven, and through faith, we will meet Him there. David wrote about God’s attributes in many psalms, for example, Psalms 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 29, 62, 63, 103, 108, 138, 144, and 145. While David experienced many problems, including those of his own making, David was always reminded that God was more than able to accomplish His purposes through David. A number of the Psalms show David’s bouts with depression, but they also show (and more importantly) that God always encouraged David in ways that removed his depression. God was consistently faithful to remind David of His goodness, power and purposes. + We should revere God: the Attributes and
Names that describe David believed that God would establish an eternal Kingdom from David lineage. He was humbled by this, as well as grateful for God’s promise to bless David in this way. Psalms 28, 110, 141, 144, and 145 are representative of David’s knowledge that God would come to rule and reign on earth. + God will come to rule and reign on earth. God revealed some of His plans to David. David was shown that God had a plan and would bring it to pass precisely according to God’s specifications and timing. Psalms 16, 25, 37, 86, 103, 133, and 139 demonstrate David’s understanding of God, insuring that His will (plan) would be carried out on earth. + God’s work on earth will be accomplished
according to His David expected that God would meet his needs. David knew of, and experienced, God’s love for him. David had confidence in God’s provision, as demonstrated in Psalms 4, 20 and 103. + God will meet our needs. David sinned and realized that his sin separated himself from God. David might have been impulsive, which caused him to do things he would later regret. Yet David also knew of God’s unlimited forgiveness and often went before the Lord to ask for restoration (forgiveness). Psalms 19, 32, 51, and 103 are examples of David’s attitude toward asking God for forgiveness. + We need to ask God for forgiveness. Finally, David recognized that God would keep him from trouble stirred up by Satan and his forces. A majority of his psalms concerned his safety, which David knew would only happen by God’s intervention. Psalms 3, 4, 6, 7, 16, 18, 22, 34, 41, 59, 103, 138, 140, 141, and 143 are examples of David asking God to protect him and deliver him from his enemies. + We should ask God to protect us. David knew God and continually sought God’s direction for his life (1 Samuel 23:6). David was blessed as he followed God’s instructions. David got off track when he indulged his flesh rather than God and His Purposes. + We need to keep our eyes and ears on God
in order to enjoy The Example of Solomon David’s son Solomon inherited more than the throne from his father, Solomon also inherited many of David’s traits. Solomon might have lost his way later in life, but his early years as king provide us with some wonderful examples of how to lead in a Godly way. Solomon wanted to be an effective king and he realized that this would only happen if God directed him. Perhaps Solomon had seen evidence of the Spirit of the Lord resting upon his father. Solomon might not have completely understood the process, but he would have been able to see the results. God’s tasks had been accomplished through his father in a consistent way. + We should always be on the lookout for God’s role models. Solomon might have been able to distinguish another difference between his rule and that of his father. We know that the Spirit of the Lord rested on David for his life. There is no mention of the Spirit of the Lord resting on Solomon in the consistent way that his father experienced. Perhaps Solomon realized that he would be at a great disadvantage in ruling since he had seen how the Spirit helped David. In any event, Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule over the people (1 Kings 3:5). We are told that God told Solomon that he could have anything that he wanted to rule over his people. Solomon could have asked for riches or power or honor, but instead asked for wisdom. Specifically, Solomon asked for a discerning heart to govern, and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong (1 Kings 3:6-9). God was obviously pleased with Solomon’s request and granted him wisdom, but added the blessings of riches and honor (1 Kings 3:10-15). + We should ask God for wisdom, and trust Him to meet our needs. Solomon took the plans for the temple that his father had made and added additional plans for a palace for himself. He gathered the necessary materials and began construction. We are told that it took seven years to build the temple (1 Kings 6:37-38) and thirteen years to build the palace (1 Kings 7:1). These were enormous construction projects. Over 150,000 workers were involved in construction (2 Chronicles 2:18). The sanctuary of the temple was about 2700 square feet, or approximately twice the size of a typical American house. There were 3 stories of rooms that surrounded the temple on three sides, about twice the size of the sanctuary. Walls were between twelve and fifteen feet thick! Approximately 300 tons of gold and 635 tons of silver were used for the temple decorations and implements, of which David personally donated about one half of these amounts. + We should give sacrificially as God leads. We know that God gave Solomon great wisdom. Solomon wrote many proverbs which demonstrated his insight and discernment. Less is evident about his heart. Solomon wrote at least two psalms, but these are more pragmatic than emotional. Psalm 72 is prophetic of his reign, but also looks ahead to the reign of the Messiah. Psalm 127 describes life apart from God as senseless. Neither psalm speaks of heart-felt needs, desires or problems as do virtually all of David’s psalms. Comparisons between David and Solomon The writings of Solomon appeal to the head more than the heart. Solomon explored just about everything that the head can imagine, yet he seemed disappointed with his journey (and life) as we see in the Book of Ecclesiastes. David, on the other hand, let his heart be exposed for all to see: his pain, anger, hurt, thirst, lust, joy, love, etc. Most people probably relate more to David because of the difficulties that he experienced. David’s example is an excellent model for us as we experience problems in life. We need to take our problems, difficulties, etc. to God – to draw close to Him and be encouraged by Him. + We should use our head to
comprehend and learn, but not to the As far as we know, God’s Spirit rested on Solomon for intervals of time, but was on David throughout his years of leadership. As Christians, we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit always being with us and in us. We are more like David than Solomon in this regard. + We should be reminded that God is always
with us and thank Him Both David and Solomon completed assignments that God assigned. We are given no examples of uncompleted tasks – some mistakes, but tasks were accomplished. + We should strive to complete whatever God assigns. As we seek God for His plan and purposes in our life we need to compare what we think we want to do with God’s “Big Picture”. Can we clearly see that what we might like to do is related to God’s overall plan? Since everything important must relate to Jesus work on earth, will the direction we are contemplating relate well to drawing others to Christ? Does the counsel of others encourage us to continue on our desired course? Summary Perhaps it would be helpful to summarize the main points
from God Calls a Different Type of Leader and Leadership Models in the Bible.
For simplicity, let’s use five categories for the main points: First and foremost, we must remember that we must become a
child of God. Nothing is more important. Everything in our leadership studies is
predicated on this foundation. After this foundation is established, that is
after we have been converted by God, then we will see more and more of God’s
working in our lives. We will see all of the following and more in our lives as
we grow in Godly maturity. Children of God should be examples of His love towards to
the world. Christian leaders should be especially cognizant of this. It has been
said: “We may be the only Bible that someone reads.” Our example matters.
Leaders must strive to be good role models for the world as we emulate
characteristics such as these: God has a plan for His creation and will bring it to pass.
We need to seek God for what He wants us to do in order to help facilitate
implementation of God’s plan. When we keep God’s overall plan in mind it is
easier for us to be satisfied with our assigned part and to work hard to
accomplish it to the glory of God. Leaders need to demonstrate complete
satisfaction of their assigned role in God’s overall plan. Since God has a plan, and is Omniscient, knowing
everything, He must select His leaders. When God selects and calls a leader, God
will also provide the necessary skills, wisdom and understanding for the task(s).
God has enumerated many leadership principles in His Word. Some of these
principles include: Finally, we should remember that Satan opposes God and will
oppose our work too. Since God is Omnipotent, all powerful, Satan opposition
will never overcome God’s perfect plan. God wants us to be prepared to handle
this adversity. There will be times when God will handle the problems and there
will be other times when God expects us to stand-firm (like Joshua). In both
cases God will be glorified – either He does it or He empowers us to do it! God will show you important issues and concerns in your leadership development. As He does, and if you would like to share those with others, please let me know. In addition, since this is not meant to be a definitive study on leadership of the four Godly men included, perhaps you would be willing to share your insights with others. Please let me know. I would like to learn more about leadership too, so I hope that God will put some things on your heart that you can share with me. It is instructive to be reminded that God has revealed Himself to everyone. Not everyone chooses to follow God, but no one can claim ignorance of God (Romans 1:18-20). God invites us (first) and demands (second) that everyone acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord. Some refuse God’s gift of salvation and redemption, and so will be required to pay for their own sin of unbelief. God intends that we thank Him for this great salvation and to focus our attention and energy on our heavenly future. Everything we do on earth is tainted by our sin as well as the sin of others. If we keep our focus on Jesus all things (that are important) are made clear. The Christmas pin declares: “Jesus is the reason for the season.” This saying is true, yet can be expanded in scope. We are on earth for a season and only through Jesus can we make sense of our season (time) here. May God bless you. May God equip you to lead. May God call you to lead. May you complete each and every assignment as God directs. |
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