We know good leadership does not fall to people by pedigree. Neither does good leadership fall to people through opportunity. David’s first three sons, Amnon, Absalom and Adonijah were royalty...tall, handsome and privileged...and positioned for greatness. Each failed because of of their unwillingness to subordinate their own aspirations to God’s will. King David was eager for his son Solomon to succeed and he knew what that would take because God had told him when Saul’s kingdom passed to him.
So...he passed this charge to his son Solomon: “I am going where every man on earth must some day go. I am counting on you to be a strong and worthy successor. Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn. If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise he gave me, that if my children and their descendants watch their step and are faithful to God, one of them shall always be the king of Israel. Now listen to me. Then David died and was buried in Jerusalem. Solomon became the new king, replacing his father; and his kingdom prospered.
We all face challenges on a regular basis and often lack confidence as to the proper way to address them. I thank God He gave me a father who was always willing to offer godly advice when I asked. It made life much easier. We all don’t enjoy that blessing so, gleaning some general principles from David’s conversation with his son may be helpful. His advice is an exposition on the command God gives us in Micah 6:8
- Do Justice: Joab murdered my two generals. You are a wise man and will know what to do. Remember Shimei cursed me You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.” There are activities and actions in the community that cannot go unaddressed. Failure to exact justice for wickedness send a message to the entire community that people will not be held accountable for their actions. This creates an atmosphere of fear and vengeance. Chaos results. You and I are not given authority to punish others but...we have a responsibility to speak out against activity that violates God’s laws. In a democracy (of the people, by the people, for the people) we have an obligation to demand our elected officials support and defend justice by establishing laws that punish wrong-doers. Within our family structures we must train and discipline our children to do what is right according to God’s expectations.
- Love Mercy: Be kind to the sons of Barzillai for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom. It takes a strong and confident person to show mercy and charity to folks who may have offended us. All it takes to punish somebody is the power to do so. Mercy requires a level of grace that can only be understood in the context of our own sinfulness...and forgiveness. Experience with human nature offers an important lesson here; power engenders fear while mercy engenders love. Any successful leader will tell us devotion (love) is a far more dependable emotion than fear. Devotion implies a desire for our leaders to thrive. Fear constantly seeks avenues of escape.
- Walk obediently with God: “Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn. If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise he gave me.” God’s activity in our lives appropriately reflects our obedience to Him. God is always active. Sometimes we want to claim He is absent because we fail to credit His activity to Him. We call it fate, karma, luck, coincidence or anything other than God’s hand. We can not escape God. We can ignore Him but He is still knocking. But the “if...then” formula is as certain anything we know. If we ignore, or defy. God His activity in our lives will be designed to achieve repentance because “the Lord disciplines those whom He loves” (Heb 12:6).
We all have relational responsibilities...Family, church, friends, work. And, every relationship has an element of leadership requirements attached to it. The quality, satisfaction with, and sustainability of these relationships is as much our responsibility as someone else’s. If we aren’t finding joy in our relationships, if we aren’t feeling God’s pleasure in our relationships it may mean we have failed to step up to our responsibilities. Just remember...leadership doesn’t always look like a hammer. Sometimes it looks a lot like humility.
We may have the pedigree via our education and the opportunity via our professional contacts but those only put us in a position to demonstrate success or failure. The outcome will be determined by God alone. Is He satisfied with our efforts?
Live boldly out there today...
