Saturday, February 4, 2017

HOW TO SPOT A BAD LEADER



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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel. Should you not embrace justice, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?”

Then they will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them. At that time, He will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.

Micah 3:1-4

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Live long enough and you’ll end up having a leader. It seems we all get to have the experience of being followers at some time or another and if we are fortunate enough, maybe we even get to become a leader and have others following our direction.

Given this is a general truth in life, here’s a question for you:

How do you spot a bad leader?

I know I have my answers to this question, answers drawn from more than 28 years in the United States Navy where I served under good leaders and bad. The same has applied after retirement in the two jobs I have worked. Maybe you have your own responses to the question but perhaps we shouldn’t be coming up with our own assessment points before we look into the word of God and see what the scriptures have to say on the subject. We find some guidance in these opening verses from Micah, Chapter 3:

Then I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel. Should you not embrace justice, you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?”

Then they will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them. At that time, He will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done. Micah 3:1-4

As the chapter opens, we hear the voice of the prophet Micah rebuking the leaders of Israel as a whole.

What were the indicators that they were bad leaders?

Micah gives us

1. The leaders were not just in the way they led the Israelites.

We have read on more than a few occasions in the Old Testament where the people of God were mistreated and unfairly judged by those who were put in positions with the power of administering justice. These unfair legal practices by those placed by the Lord in positions of authority were included in the long list of indictments against Israel that led to God sending judgment upon the nation.

2. The leaders had lost their bearings in regard to right and wrong.

Sometimes I look at leadership in the world today and think that there have been little to no lessons learned since the Old Testament days of Micah. Ever more it seems that wrong is the new right and what used to be right isn’t even considered. This was certainly true of Israel’s leaders who Micah called out for hating good and loving evil.

3. The leaders used their positions of power to abuse those under them.

In today’s passage, Micah uses pretty vivid and horrific imagery to depict the mistreatment of the Israelites by their leaders.

“Who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones; who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?”

All this adds up to the lack of regard the Israelite leaders had for the people they were entrusted to care for. Micah paints a picture of the Israelites being no more than meat to the leaders, meat that could be used for their bidding and gain. The leaders of Israel devalued and disenfranchised the people of God that were entrusted to them and obviously, the Lord was not going to stand for that.

4. The leaders failed to lead the people to God’s righteousness.

Followers tend to follow the ways of their leaders. This goes for their actions and attitudes.

So if a leader chooses to live in sin, not knowing right from wrong, then you can expect the people under that leader to follow their lead. Essentially, this is what happened in Israel, across the board. Take a look at the Books of 1 and 2 Kings or 1 and 2 Chronicles, and you will find an accounting of rulers who reigned over the northern kingdom of Israel and southern kingdom of Judah. And at the beginning of each account, you will find out whether the king was good or evil in the sight of the Lord.

Guess what you find out?

Most of the kings were evil and subsequently, it should be of no surprise that the Israelites were sinful as well. Through their wickedness, they drove a wedge between God and themselves, creating such a separation that God would no longer answer their cries or come to their service. Indeed, when the Assyrians and Babylonians came to carry out God’s judgment, the people cried out to the Lord but He did not respond. They would go into a seventy-year captivity in a foreign land where they would have plenty of time to think about just how bad life can be apart from God.

As we remember what happened in the days of Micah, one has to wonder how the history in Old Testament Israel would have been different had the leaders fully committed themselves to God and His righteousness, setting the tone of obedience to God’s word and way. The outcome would have been so much different.

But that didn’t happen and thanks be to God that we have this documented for us to study today. For we don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past. We can learn, especially those in leadership positions, and choose to not go down the same path of judgment, destruction, and separation from God experienced by the Old Testament Israelites.

Change is going to start one leader at a time as they dedicate themselves to not being unjust, valuing their followers and realizing their obligation to care for them, and having a concept of right and wrong, always deciding to do what is right and leading their people to do the same.

It’s the only right way to lead because it’s the way God desires.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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