Wise Guys (4)
“you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.” Exodus 18:21
Dishonest Gain – Watch out! Don’t get ripped off! The last thing we want in a leader is someone who uses position and power to rip us off. That’s the picture behind this word. It’s about taking advantage of authority to line your own pockets. Anyone who would do this cannot be God’s chosen, and anyone who would follow such a person is a fool.
Once we see the other occurrences of the Hebrew word besa’, we recognize precisely why leaders who indulge in the temptation for dishonest gain are to be avoided at all costs. Besa’ is also the word for covet and greed. So, a leader who succumbs to the temptation to take advantage of position breaks several commandments: not to steal, not to covet and dishonoring God. The Bible tells us that God will severely judge leaders who lust for personal profit. They will be destroyed. If we choose to follow men or women like this, we too will reap disaster. Sin has communal consequences.
Besa’ links the temptation for personal gain at the expense of others with opposing the character of God. God never takes advantage of His position and power. Compassion and mercy are essential attributes of His character. Since all those who receive authority under His banner are to reflect His character, compassion and mercy must flow from the heart of a leader. Leadership is the privilege of representing God’s moral government. When Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father,” He provided the critical measurement of leadership. In God’s moral government of the universe, the people must be able to say, “When we see our leader, we see the Father.”
How tragic that the world no longer expects leaders to run from the temptation for dishonest gain! We live under the authority of those who routinely use their position for personal advantage (Listen to the candidates. This is not a party-politics issue. It is an issue of sinful desire; an insult to God). God will surely judge them for such total disregard of their privileged status. But that is only part of the tragedy. The rest of the story is the disastrous consequences for those who follow such covetous, dishonest and idolatrous men and women. If we march to their tune, we will also meet God’s judgment. And it won’t be pretty.
Israel followed kings who lined their own pockets. The kings were destroyed, but the entire nation went into captivity. Judgment fell on all the people, even the ones who were ripped off. There is a kind of reciprocity between the leaders and the led. God’s law covers the entire community, and the sin of one affects the many. You might want to carefully consider this universal principle of leadership before you endorse the next candidate.
Topical Index: Leadership
