Leadership-Dt 1:9-18

Deuteronomy 1:9-18 (Ex 18:13-26); Key Verse: Ex 18:24-25a

“Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people…”

Theme: What does a good leader do?A good leader delegates (Dt 1:15) and practices justice; he/she judges fairly without showing partiality or favoritism (Dt 1:16-17).

Recap: Last week’s sermon on Sin reveals that sin brings dire consequences. Jude 5 expresses how their sin found them: “the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.” What can we do? Confess your sins to one another (Jas 5:16). Unconfessed sin rots our bones and drains our strength and energy (Ps 32:2-3). Bonhoeffer wrote about Christians’ unconfessed sin in Life Together: “The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy.” May God bless you and I to confess our sins to one another in 2014.

Spurgeon on leadership: “Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be lowly. The best man in the church is the one who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother who does not mind what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified.” [From his sermon: Micah’s Message for Today (Micah 6:8)]

My favorite quote on leadership is by John Maxwell: “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” Another quote with multiple attributions is “You don’t need a title to be a leader.” These great influential “leaders” had no titles: Mandela, Gandhi, Buddha, Joseph the slave and prisoner, and Jesus.

My practice of leadership since West Loop UBF (WL) started in 2008. My leadership style is laissez faire. I am most happy and elated about recommending Rhoel as the chapter director of WL in 2013. Rhoel–on his own initiative–took the practical leadership and stewardship of all things WL since our inception in 2008 (even though I got the credit for being the leader!). With Tim’s help, he set up our WL website, which is continually improved upon. He, Arthur and our second gens serve the music every Sun. Thank God that presently we have four pairs of siblings in our WL band (Sarah and Christy [the power sisters], Becky and Joshua, Steve and Gail, David and Mary). Rhoel and Jim have prepared our documents for our elders, deacons and members of WL. Henry and Jim are our primary astute resident theologians who make sure that I do not say or teach anything heretical! Angie, Michelle, and now Christy Peace, along with Jenny, are excellent stewards of our offerings and finances. (I thank God that I do not have to be concerned with or involved with our delicate WL mammon!) Tim leads our special events on various themes and topics on Sat morning. Len has a gift for moderating official meetings, and is our MC for special events. Elena, Grace, Chris and Whitney lead our young adults and college students each week. Every year Jenny organizes several events for our mercy ministires. The Cooks serve our HBF ministry. We are never lacking in teachers and leaders for CBF. Christy, my dear wife does everything needed for our home and my medical practice, so much so that I am practically (semi-)retired. Because of countless stewards and leaders that God has provided us at WL, God has allowed me to spend most of my time with my head in the clouds! What a life I have, where everyone else does everything, and I do whatever I want!! Only by God’s mercy, what I want may primarily be reading, studying, thinking, praying, meditating, contemplating, reflecting, problem solving, planning, writing, teaching, counselling, preaching, and finally annoying others from time to time unintentionally.

Moses’ leadership: Many consider Moses to be the greatest national leader in history. So the story of Moses would be a good source of learning about great leadership. This second sermon on Deuteronomy will address:

1. The problem of leadership (Dt 1:9-12; Ex 18:18; 2 Cor 11:28): Stress.
2. The solution of leadership (Dt 1:13-15; Ex 18:21, 25): Delegation.
3. The practice of leadership (Dt 1:16-18; Ex 18:22): Justice.
4. The character of leadership (Dt 3:23-27; Num 12:3; Ex 18:24): Humility.
5. The success of leadership (Dt 3:21-22, 28-29): Succession.

The parallel account of Dt 1:9-18 is Ex 18:13-26. Regarding delegation, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, initiated the idea, and Moses fully accepted it and made it his own. Jethro is not mentioned in the Deuteronomy account because the focus is on Moses and his relationship with the people.

I. The Problem of Leadership (Dt 1:9-12; Ex 18:18; 2 Cor 11:28): Stress

Experiencing stress is inevitable for any leader. The stress would be even worse when the movement or ministry is growing. In a sense, our level of stress in a small community church like WL is minimal. Nonetheless, large or small, the problem with any church of any size is that it has people! Sorry to say, all people, to whatever degree, will always cause some stress and distress to other people. All husbands and wives likely understand this more than they might care to admit, and wisely so. Paul, as a travelling evangelist, missionary and church planter, experienced stress (2 Cor 11:28-29). He loved the people of God under his stewardship and he experienced stress over their imperfections and slow progress (1 Tim 4:15).

Unecessary stress: Bearing it alone without sharing the pain with others. Moses’ unnecessary stress was to bear all of the people’s burden by himself (Dt 1:9, 12; Ex 18:14, 17-18). Leaders who do not sincerly share their stress with others do not make good leaders because they become angry with the people with whom they work and with the people they should love and serve. Unshared stress and anger soon turns to bitterness, which is always destructive to people and organizations, including churches. A bitter person will say things verbally or with their body language that will hurt others or dampen their enthusiasm. They become not only bad leaders but bad Christians because they lack the joy of the Lord (Phil 4:4), which is a key ingredient of Christian character (Gal 5:22).

How do good leaders deal with stress?

II. The Solution of Leadership (Dt 1:13-15; Ex 18:21, 25): Delegation

The difference between “gopher” delegation and stewardship delegation. The key to understanding delegation is to understand the two ways that leaders delegate. The leader who wants to be in control will invariably practice what Stephen Covey calls “gopher” delegation (in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People): “Go for this. Go for that.” The one delegated to does not grow as a leader nor find satisfaction as a leader because practically they are a slave to the leader’s whims and preferences. They are still expected to jump through hoops and to always defer to and to seek approval from the controlling leader. How then should a good leader delegate?

Good leaders do not just delegate tasks but they also surrender their authority and control. When two people prophesyied in their own camp apart from the group that met under Moses, Joshua said to Moses, “Stop them” (Num 11:28). But Moses showed that he did not have to have authority and control over them. He said, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” (Num 11:29). Eight verses later, Num 12:3 says that Moses was “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” An expression of humility is to allow success by others that is not directly under the leader’s authority and control.

Good leaders give their leaders the freedom to do things their way. Yes, good leaders let go of their authority and control. They also let delegated leaders do things differently from them. Because personalities differ, leadership styles and methods will also differ. Great leaders focus on the big picture and impart their vision to others. Then they allow them to implement the vision in the way that they think is best.

Are we raising leaders or followers? A leader who wants control and have the final say may say that they are raising leaders. In actuality and reality they are raising followers and clones in their own image. But a leader who is truly raising leaders will trust their young leaders and entrust them to God to mold them to be a leader in their own right by the work of the Holy Spirit.

III. The Practice of Leadership (Dt 1:16-18; Ex 18:22): Justice

A good leader must always judge fairly without partiality. In judging fairly who the person is should not matter. A good leader’s judgment should never be affected by any consideration other than the truth. Practically, it should not matter in the least if one person is an Israelite and the other is a foreigner (Dt 1:16). Ajith Fernando writes eloquently:

“Applying this to the life of the church or nation today, it would mean that sometimes a judgment may be made against a loyal member for the benefit of an outsider. In our cultures there is a strong sense of community solidarity that goes to the extreme of protecting one’s own when outsiders are involved. To do otherwise is considered an act of disloyalty and betrayal. But Moses instructs the judges to judge against members of their own group if necessary.”

“Pronouncing judgment against one’s own and in favor of an outsider is very hard for leaders as sometimes it looks like ingratitude and disloyalty to one who has worked so loyally and hard. But though there will be hurt at first, in the long run such thoroughgoing commitment to justice will reap good results.”

In judging fairly favoritism and partiality should never be shown to the one with status. Good and fair judgements must treat the small and the great alike (Dt 1:17a). Sadly, in many societies and in some churches too, people with tenure and influence are considered to be above the law or immune to prosecution. But showing favoritism or partiality in judgment toward anyone, regardless of who they are or what they have done, will invariably result in a sick nation or a sick church, because it blurs the fact that God is always fair and just (Gen 18:19, 25; Prov 31:9). Therefore, a good leader fears no one but God (Dt 1:17b; Prov 29:25; Mt 10:28).

IV. The Character of Leadership (Dt 3:23-27; Num 12:3; Ex 18:24): Humility

No one can truly and meaningully understand humility without first realizing and acknowledging just how proud and arrogant we ourselves truly are. We do not just say we are proud because we realize that we should say that we are. Often we are not willing to dig deep to realize the depth of our own pride, because it is too painful, disturbing and humiliating. But until we acknowledge before God and man the depth of our pride, we will remain proud while trying to act humble. Because Moses was a truly humble man (Num 12:3), he could encourage Joshua to lead the people in the midst of his own personal disappointment (Dt 3:23-26).

V. The Success of Leadership (Dt 3:21-22, 28-29): Succession

There is no success without a successor. Moses fully paved the way for Joshua to succeed him.

Jesus, the leader (even if he did not regard himself as such; he was simply being himself). Jesus experienced all of the above attributes and he lived it perfectly as the perfect man without much ado. He was being himself. He was revealing who God is exactly and precisely (Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).

1. Jesus experienced the greatest unfathomable degree of stress by bearing our sins on his body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24).
2. Jesus delegated his authority to us to go and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-19).
3. Jesus showed no favoritism and proclaimed justice to the nations (Mt 12:18).
4. Jesus displayed humility through his incarnation (Jn 1:14), life and condescension unto death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-8).
5. Jesus is the ultimate leader of all time with the greatest successors among men and women–both in quantity and quality–for the last 2,000 years and counting.

Ultimately, the greatness of Jesus is that though he possessed the ultimate authority, power and honor, he gave it all up, so that we might know the depth of his love for us (Rom 8:32). Indeed, the “greatest” man is one who–out of love–gives up his live so that others may live.

Unless you know the God who loves you, the Christ who died for you, and the Spirit who lives in you, nothing about your life would ever meaningfully change. Your so-called “leadership” or influence would still simply be an extension of your pride and ego that refuses to die.

May God bless you to know the heart of Christ and be a man and woman of influence in the image of Jesus.

Questions:

1. Do you agree that “you don’t need a title to be a leader”? Why or why not?
2. How well do you deal with pressure and stress (Dt 1:12; Num 11:14; Ex 18:18)?
3. What is your understanding of delegation (Dt 1:13-15)? From your leader (cf. Mt 20:25; Mk 10:42; Lk 22:25)? To your subordinates? Explain the difference between “gopher delegation” and “stewardship delegation.”
4. Have you experienced justice from your leader(s) (Dt 1:16-17; 16:20; 32:4; Ps 9:8; Isa 42:1; Mt 12:18)? Reflect on this quote by Martin Luther King Jr: “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”
5. Reflect on Charles Spurgeon’s quote regarding the best man (“leader”) in the church: “Do not desire to be the principal man in the church. Be lowly. Be humble. The best man in the church is the one who is willing to be a doormat for all to wipe their boots on, the brother who does not mind what happens to him at all, so long as God is glorified.” How might this relate to Jesus as our Leader (Jn 13:14)?

References:

1. Fernando, Ajith. Deuteronomy: Loving Obedience to a Loving God. Wheaton: Crossway. 2012. Chap. 3: Leadership and Growth (Dt 1:9-15), 45-54. Chap. 4: Basic Training for Judges (Dt 1:16-18), 55-62.
2. Block, Daniel I. Deuteronomy: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2012.
3. Woods, Edward J. Deuteronomy: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press. 2011.
4. Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer. Chicago: Moody Publishers. 2007.