Ordained to Lead
“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being Lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” -- I Peter 5:2-3
The Bible provides many compelling examples of leadership, that have been recorded in books and sermons for centuries. Many of the examples and lessons relate to how leaders should support saints in the body of Christ. Outside of the context of the Church, Biblical leadership principles can and should be applied in our everyday spheres of influence.
I want to reflect on some examples from Moses‘s journey through leadership. I will consider some events from the time of his birth and selection to lead God’s people, until his departure to be with God. There is often a debate about whether or not leaders are born or made. Your perspective would depend on whether or not you have a concept of God’s design for the body of Christ and the allocation of spiritual gift for example. Paul’s exposition on the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12, explains the purpose and the function of different parts of the body.
If we consider Paul’s text, this would suggest that not everyone is called to lead, as some people are synonymous with the head, while others are figuratively hands and feet. In the case of Moses we would assume from his life journey, that he was predestined to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He was born at a time when Pharaoh had ordered the execution of all male children, born to the Jews. His mother defied Pharaoh’s orders, hid Moses and put him in a basket and sent him down the River Nile. What happened next was also preordained circumstances, as the daughter of Pharaoh found Moses and decided to raise him as her son. Consequently, his sister who continued to watch him, was on hand and provided his mother as a solution when Pharaoh’s daughter asked for a nurse to look after Moses until the time of weaning. His eventual upbringing in the household of Pharaoh prepared him for his assignment (Exodus 2:1-10).
Moses was impatient and hot tempered and was outraged at the treatment of his people by the Egyptians. His immaturity led him to murder an Egyptian and when he was exposed, he ran away to live in the wilderness. His time in the wilderness of 40 years was another season of preparation for his assignment. This culminated with God speaking to him through a burning bush and laying out instructions for his assignment. He was fearful and insecure about speaking to Pharaoh and God agreed for Aaron to go with him to help boost his confidence. God also gave him the ability to perform signs and wonders. We don’t see a lot of timidity in Moses’s encounters with Pharaoh and perhaps having Aaron by his side, did in fact boost his confidence. His key strength was his ability to hear the voice of God with more remarkable accuracy than has never been recorded in the Old Testament. Despite being armed with signs and wonders and his intimate relationship with God, the people were extremely rebellious.
In fact, I would argue that the people were so rebellious that it caused Moses to retaliate by striking the rock, when God told him to speak to it. This led to him missing out on entering the promised land (Numbers 20:12). Most of us can empathize with Moses given how rebellious the people were, but his punishment came as a result of his disobedience God. This relates to the concept of ‘to whom much is given much is required.’ Given how accurately Moses could hear God, he had no excuse in saying that he had not heard God clearly and did not know what he was instructed to do. The paradox would be, how to lead a rebellious set of people while maintaining obedience to God. Did God take Moses to heaven to preserve him, given how difficult the people were to lead? This will take understanding that not all of God‘s decisions are punishment, but many times his actions are done out of love. Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, was another person who supported his leadership and gave him advice about the need to delegate, at a time when the demands of him became overwhelming (Exodus 18:21).
From reflecting on the life of Moses, some of the key lessons relate to the fact that many leaders are ordained by God, to carry out significant assignments on the Earth. The devil also assigns his agents as he always seeks to copy what the Father does and their assignment is contrary to God‘s will and purpose. Having support is a good way to bolster leadership as Moses seemed to have great confidence when he had the support of his brother Aaron. The ability to hear the voice of God and to know His heart and mind are key principles of kingdom leadership. Although not all Christian leaders are prophetic and can hear the voice of God as distinctly as Moses or other Bible prophets, the Word of God is the voice of God. The knowledge of God’s Word helps us to develop a greater understanding of His heart and mind. This helps us to know what He wants us to do. Kingdom leaders can also surround themselves with people who can hear God clearly, to support their ministry and mandate. Moses listened to the council of his father-in-law who gave him sound advice, which prevented potential burnout from exhaustion. As much as Moses could hear the voice of God, the period of overwork and exhaustion could’ve prevented him from hearing God speak. His willingness to heed the advice of his father-in-law may have prevented the collapse of his leadership.
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
Questions for Reflection:
- What are some of the key lessons on leadership that you learned from reflecting on the life of Moses?
- What other Bible characters come to mind when you consider good examples of leadership?
- Why is it important for leaders to surround themselves with counselors and advances?
