Proverbs 14.28
“In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined.”
Throughout the Bible, there is a consistent message: leadership matters. What leaders do and how they do it has a profound impact on the institutions and organizations they lead. The impact of leadership is amplified at the national level. As go leaders, so goes the nation.
This is not an obscure Old Testament notion, as we see this principle at work today. The decisions and actions of people in positions of leadership have an amplified impact in every type of organization: family, team, company, hospital, school, military, and government.
I call it The Performance Pathway, and you can see it at work in every organization, team, and institution in human history.
Leaders create culture.
Culture drives behavior.
Behavior produces results.
Sadly, the leaders of the OT kingdom of Israel created a national culture that rebelled against Israel’s covenant with God. As a result, the people embraced false gods and pagan idols, engaged in deviant and immoral behavior, which in time would lead to God’s judgment.
Leadership matters, much more so than people realize. Yes, leadership makes a difference to the effectiveness and “bottom line” produced by a team/organization. But first and foremost, the belief/behavior of a leader affects a group’s relationship to God and faithfulness to his standards.
Here is a fundamental leadership principle in the kingdom of God: Before you can lead in the world, Christ must first rule in your heart. Leading begins with submitting. The best leaders are first the best followers. The culture of an organization (or a nation) begins with the character of its leaders.
Hosea 4:4-5
“Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother.”
In this passage from the OT prophet Hosea, the Lord confronts the leaders of Israel: specifically the priests and prophets. They were responsible for teaching and holding the people of Israel accountable to the principles and standards of the Mosaic covenant. Unfortunately, the priests and prophets had compromised; they had failed in their responsibility to lead.
Again, the character of leaders sets the tone for the culture.
The “lack of faithfulness, steadfast love, and knowledge of God” from which Israel suffered and for which God was punishing them began with a failure of leadership. The priests and prophets were first to abandon the Mosaic covenant, and they literally led the people of Israel into idolatry and disobedience.
Hosea 4:7-9
“The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.”
Note that the size of the population of Israel was not a sign of God’s blessing; nor was it the result of effective leadership. In fact, Hosea tells us that “the more they increased, the more they sinned against me.”
Israel’s priests fed (literally and figuratively) on the sin offerings that the people brought to their pagan shrines. Since these offerings were offered to pagan idols, it was as though the priests actually fed on the sins of the people. The priests desired these offerings, which meant they wanted the people to practice idolatry so they would bring more sacrifices. The more sacrifices, the more meat the priests could eat. The used the priesthood as a way of personal gain.
This was made worse by the fact that King Jeroboam had appointed as priests people from any tribe and all walks of life in Israel (1 Kings 12:31; 13:33). Rather than following biblical requirements for priesthood, the requirement became power and greed and commitment to the idolatrous agenda of the king.
The most heartbreaking message in this passage is verse 9: “And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.” Rather than lead people into obedience and right living, they led the people into sin. And the people followed.
We see this very same thing in American politics today. What requirements must be met for someone to hold political office at the civic, state, or federal level? What qualifications must a person have? Sadly, character and competence are not the actual requirements for people to hold political office in our country.
*Note: Do not immediately apply this to politicians of the party you oppose. The ugly truth is that our nation is suffering from poor leadership in both parties.*
More than ever, we need leaders in every sector and at every level of American society.
Leaders with character, whose behavior earns the trust of people.
Leaders with the courage to do what is right even if it isn’t popular.
Leaders with the competence to do the hard work of leadership.
Leaders with the wisdom to navigate the complex issues and challenges of our time.
Leaders who connect and engage hearts and minds.
Leaders with a vision and who win people to a better version of themselves.
Leaders who follow the lordship of Christ and inspire people to do the same.
May the Lord raise up leaders in our time … leaders at every level and in every sector of society.
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all the energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1.28-29)
