Leaders - 4 October 2007

Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons …and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment … will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers… will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves …will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage…Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take… He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 1 Samuel 8:10-19 (NIV)
So what was God’s will for Israel about leadership? To begin with that God Himself would lead them with decisions made through Leaders such as Moses or Joshua.
The first leaders were the Judges, wise people or powerful people who came to power when they were needed and recognized for their gifts of wisdom, justice and leadership and their ability to listen to the voice of God. They were men or women who were anointed by God as leaders.
But this was not good enough, the Israelites wanted kings and they got Kings, and they were all that God had predicted they would be. Sometimes the only thing that stopped them from total and utter selfish self-destruction was the voice of the prophets. Some were good but increasingly more were bad, chosen not because of their wisdom and attributes but by succession and their ability to claim power for themselves sometimes by murdering their own relatives. The books of Kings and Chronicles tell the sad tale.
At the end of this story as the bad management of Israel and Judah spiraled into a complete take over by the Assyrians the voice of the prophet Isaiah is heard predicting a servant king who would not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, a suffering servant who would be willing to die for sin and conquer death.
When we are young our heroes are the rich and influential, the popular and beautiful but as we grow older and wiser we see that there are attributes more important than these and we prefer our leaders to be honest, reliable and just – and possibly godly.
Sometimes like a parent who wants to believe that His child is ready for responsibility God lets us suffer the consequences of our own actions so that we can learn. But for us as for Israel salvation is just around the corner and a time will come when all flesh will see the glory of God.
Pray for the leaders in our churches and our world and think carefully whose example you will follow today.