Reluctant Leaders (Rewind)
If it is the anointed priest who has incurred guilt, so that blame falls upon the people, . . . Leviticus 4:3 Sefaria
Blame– The principle characteristic of a biblical leader is reluctance. Men and women marked by God for leadership roles almost always wish they were not chosen. When you meet people who desire to lead, you would be wise to run the other way. Those who want the job are more than likely to let ego and pride determine their choices. When that happens, the people suffer—sometimes greatly. No one can truly lead without the Lord’s guidance and those who lead with Him are constantly reminded of their insufficiency. Watch out for the ones who think they can handle the job! Anyone who wants to make history will probably break the people doing so.
In this passage in Leviticus, we see one of the reasons why leadership is so terrifying. If the high priest (the anointed priest) accidentally or unintentionally sins, there is a direct consequence for the people. Read that again. When the leader falls, even unintentionally, all the assembly bears the consequences. We see this principle played out over and over in Scripture. The sin of one affects many. Sha’ul builds an entire theology on this connection. But somehow we don’t think it applies to us today. Oh, we are quite happy to cite the connection with David’s sins or recall the passage in Romans 5. But apparently we believe that God set aside this principle of the universe when Yeshua died on the cross. Or maybe we are so dull in our discernment that we don’t see what’s happening until it’s too late. But the principle remains true. Leadership bears enormous responsibility. A leader who displeases the Lord will cause great harm to all who follow him. His actions, even his accidental offenses, can bring ‘ashmah (guilt) upon the people. It follows that no man or woman can hope to lead unless they have lives of intense obedience and continuous examination. Even the smallest error can bring wrath. Who would want to carry such a burden?
Of course, God does call men and women to these roles. They may resist, as Moses clearly demonstrates, but God knows the hearts of His leaders and He is willing to take the risk. That is all the more reason why leadership should be treated with the greatest of care. God trusts those He calls to lead. To fail in the task is not simply to cause guilt to fall on the people. It is also to violate God’s trust. There is a good reason why Moses is described as the most humble man who walked the earth. He knew he wasn’t up to the job.
Today leadership is often seen as a prize to be gained. Today we hold up celebrity leaders as if they were a little less than Olympian gods. Today we think that everyone should become a leader. We live among a generation of incalculable hubris. And we will undoubtedly pay the price for such folly. Payment is written into the fabric of the universe. Our leaders crave leadership. “In that day, flee to the hills” would be an appropriate warning. No man can serve two masters. The hubris of leadership certainly stands opposed to the way of the Lord.
Do you desire to be called “Boss,” “Chief,” “Chairman,” or “President”? Do you realize what you are asking? Are you reluctant, or are you anxious to rise to the top? Perhaps a good dose of Leviticus will bring you to your senses.
Topical Index: hubris, leadership, Leviticus 4:3
This is a question more than a comment really: can today’s study on the responsibilities of leadership encompass “secular” leadership? Or are we only applying this to “spiritual” leaders?
Both.
Thanks Skip – I thought that might be the case, but just wanted to be sure.
This evokes the history of the “moderate” Danton and the extremist Robespierre, two leaders of the French Revolution who started and ended the notorious year of Terror that guillotined thousands of people unjustly and ended with their own demise in the same fashion within weeks of each other.
Leadership. Be careful what you wish for. It may not be shalom.
The world looks for ways to avoid the responsibility it cannot take because of sin. I think it creates leaders as straw men to hide behind. Without the Holy Spirit, we are like the blind, looking for someone to tag along behind in the dark. Because we lack identity, we seek a replacement for it.
A fully realized (connected) person can league correctly with others without needing direction FROM others. In the Kingdom, it is perfectly ok for one to sow, and another to reap, for there is spontaneous harmony and mutual submission; not unilateral submission! Moses was not crowned a king, and Joshua was not replaced after the initial military invasion. I think the Jewish economy was initially set up for the greatest amount of individual autonomy possible in a cooperating unit, with temporary leaders spontaneously arising in response to particular needs.
I think because the world seeks autonomy at the EXPENSE of the cooperation it is not free to enjoy, it is left with the ‘need’ for an override on that system of individual responsibility/autonomy. At that point, I think we ‘need’ someone to ‘make’ us do right (cooperate), for we lack the internal compass we were designed to come with, but there can never be enough leaders to provide that lack.
Because we install leaders for the wrong reasons, we tie ourselves to their choices in unhealthy ways. The nation of Israel was given the priesthood for their original leadership – not a king (for, unbeknownst to it, it already had been assigned one!) – and that priesthood was only temporary until the promised One came “whose right it is”. I thank YHVH that our great Priest/King officiates now for us in heaven. I am tied to a winner! Halleluah!
Gets me thinking of Israel’s choice for a king… A leader on earth to serve…
We often want leaders with authority or to take away our responsibility when in fact the true leader the Spirit of God we cannot identify or relate to as we do not know how.
Maybe that is where the problem lies. Instead of us seeking how to identify God’s Spirit we want to seek out a ‘man of God…’
The question we need to answer.
Which would really be the true leader God has chosen for that moment in time in our life…
God wants us to live in the moment. Lead now, be a silent testimony now so that we can be in the new covenant. But it is easier to follow another more informed person than a Spirit we do not know…
Your comments sparks my thinking. True followers of Christ, I believe, learn to know the voice of the Shepherd, Leader, Overseer. But this “knowing” the voice of the shepherd takes time and effort/intent. Most people, Christians, tend toward laziness or complacency, so instead of getting to know the Shepherd we run to read or listen to descriptions of him. It’s like secondhand knowledge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not demeaning teachers, preachers, professors, scholars etc. I’m just saying they’re not a replacement for the Spirit of God. We learn to say things, like a parrot will learn to say words. So we play follow the leader, because we’re too lazy, too disinterested or too insecure to find him for ourselves. I refer to First John 2:27. God gave us his Holy Spirit. Christ said that it was essential that he leaves because when he leaves the Holy Spirit would come and teach us all things. Please understand, I am not negating the need for teachers, preachers etc. it’s just that there comes a time when you need to begin to feed yourself, and begin to hear for yourself. We all need parents up to a certain point, but if we’re still dependent on them for our daily sustenance when were 30 years old, there’s a little problem. Another good verse in this regard is Hebrews 5:12. I guess what I’m saying here through my abundance of words is that there’s comes a point when we begin to hear. Like I said this takes time, effort and intentionality. It takes time in meditation and contemplation. Listening. Not speaking. It’s amazing what you hear when you learn to listen. Maybe listening in silence, is True worship?! To me the goal or the ultimate is to not only hear the voice of God by the Holy Spirit but to then follow(obey, you know the old song, trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey) after him. You can have all knowledge but have nothing. First Corinthian’s 13. It’s all about relationship.
Ministry flows out of intimacy, not the other way around. I have been soaking lately in First Corinthian’s 13. Listening to it over and over and recognizing God in it. Amazing to begin to find out who God is through his Word. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
Godly leadership is another world from worldly leadership.
No one seeks it — it is ego-less. Rather, it is God who determines
and prepares the candidates. It does not work any other way.
If there’s ever a worldly reason why anyone would try to step into
Godly leadership, they’ll eventually be exposed and likely crash
and burn as a result.
You can’t fake a Godly call.
Initially, and at least at one level, I so agree with everything you say here. However, I think it may only be at the gut level, because of my personal undesirable experiences with certain leaders I have known who seemed to have been overly ambitious. I think I also agree in part, though, just because of my understanding of the common psychological make up of man having the tendencies which you have described here.
I think the only problem I have with what you’re saying is because you seem to be making such an absolute statement, and it seems somewhat alarmist. Upon further thought, I have not only thought of people that I have known who seem to have been exceptions to this, having been very humble people and yet confident, ready, and wholeheartedly desiring to serve in leadership, and seemingly without selfish ambition, but also this statement of Paul’s to Timothy that came to mind:
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” [1Ti 3:1]
Now I know this could just be emphasizing the nobility of the task, but, as far as I know, neither Paul nor any other writers of scripture that I can think of have ever made such a statement in such absolute terms, suggesting that anyone desiring to be in a position of leadership is necessarily selfishly ambitious.
Therefore, I personally think that it is very possible for people to desire leadership and have a godly ambition. I don’t think people should run if they encounter someone desiring to be a leader of others, I think they should pray and discern the character and gifting and fruitfulness of the person, and the will of YHVH. Otherwise, they might not only miss out on the opportunity for godly leadership, but they may also disobey the Almighty.
Perhaps there is a difference between a desire to lead and a call to lead.
No perhaps about it. The difference is immense, desire to lead is borne of gratification, a call to lead is borne of necessity.
Yes, but what I’m thinking is that they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Do you think that is possible?
I suppose it’s how you want to define it. If the desire to lead is simply out of ones desire to “be the leader”, then yes, I would say that it’s mutually exclusive. If ones “desire” to step up to a position of leadership is due to a need that has to be met, then no, they’re not. But again it goes back to intent and if you don’t see a certain degree of reluctance (not from a lack of ability, but because of the influence a leader holds over others) I agree with Skip, go another direction. The desire to be a leader just for its own sake is a big red flag, it displays as the major concern, self rather than others.
A “desire to lead” is an overwhelming burden to lighten the loads of others: to carry crosses and hold hands and take the blows meant for those around us, and to stand with all suffering as one; unconditionally and without judgment or differentiation: “as one with those in bonds” of those in error and sin, as our Example did with us on that cross. The “call to lead” is the call to pick up our crosses -as well as the crosses of others -and follow Him. I think there is a wrong way and a right way to deal with the bondage that is sin: condemnation and judgment and the spirit of division and hairsplitting vs. brotherhood and cohesion no matter what. Sin can be defined as the lack of brotherhood and cohesion, so that is what we must do to fix the problem. We all walk out together.
No one is really worthy to lead, but when God calls, we must respond. I, like Paul, am the least worthy, but at times God has called me to lead. Pray for Branden (my son) as he leads his church that he won’t rely on doctrine only, but on the word of God as meant in the original text. That’s asking a lot of imperfect humans, but God provides. Hang in there!