Proverbs 8.14-16
“I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.”
Leadership is emotionally demanding. This is true for CEO’s, supervisors, coaches, teachers, and parents. If you are going to be an effective leader, you must be emotionally strong. Many a leader has been brought to their knees because of stress.
Solomon tells us here in Proverbs that the Lord’s wisdom provides strength for leadership. As we saw yesterday, it is the Hebrew word geburah, which refers to “strength, might, and courage.” It carries the idea of “capability,” that is, the capacity and stamina to accomplish a difficult and challenging task.
Leadership — real leadership — is difficult and challenging.
The prophet Elijah provides us with an example. Elijah was a courageous and heroic prophet. A man of strong faith. In addition, he was a man of great humility. However, he was also just a man, subject to the human condition. After dramatically defeating the priests of Baal at Mt Carmel, Elijah found out that wicked Queen Jezebel was seeking to kill him.
“Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” (1 Kings 19.1-3)
For several years Elijah had stood strong against almost insurmountable odds and circumstances. But now, after a great victory, he falls under a cloud of discouragement and despair. He gets caught in the grip of fear. He was courageous and strong when he did battle and defeated the prophets of Baal, but now, confronted with the wrath of Jezebel, Elijah is afraid and runs for his life.
How did Elijah shift so quickly from faith to fear?
Following the defeat of the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel, Elijah expected the battle to be over. He thought Ahab would repent and the people of Israel would return to worshiping the Lord God. It had been three and a half years of trusting God: the first confrontation with Ahab, the drought, the training and miracles east of the Jordan, the battle on Mt Carmel, fire from heaven, the return of rain … surely the battle was now over!
But it was far from over.
Unfortunately, Elijah underestimated the tenacity of the enemy, and he let down his guard and made himself emotionally and spiritually vulnerable. Elijah had also forgotten about Jezebel. She was thoroughly committed to the worship of Baal, and the killing of the prophets of Baal only infuriated her. Therefore she sought to exact revenge on Elijah.
But mentally Elijah was not prepared to do battle with Jezebel. Her defiance and vindictiveness caught him by surprise, and he reacted based on fear, not faith. He stopped trusting God and instead focused on himself and his circumstances. It is that shift of focus that caused his fear and his weakness.
Elijah teaches us a critically important lesson about life and leadership: Faith empowers us and makes us stronger. Fear enslaves us and makes us weaker.
We will continue with Elijah’s story tomorrow.
“God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam,though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” (Psalm 46.1-3)
