Readings for today: Judges 2-5
One cannot overstate the importance of leadership. Specifically, godly leadership. Leaders who seek the mind and heart of Christ. Leaders who seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Leaders who put God first, others second, and themselves third. Leaders who are humble yet bold. Meek yet strong. Peaceful yet not afraid to take action. When an organization or community or a church has such leaders in abundance, they thrive. When they lack such leaders, they struggle. I’ve been in leadership in churches and Christian organizations for almost thirty years now and have seen the impact of godly leadership - or the lack thereof - firsthand.
The Book of Judges is a test case for leadership. When a godly judge is raised up to lead God’s people - Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, etc. - they thrive. They throw off the yoke of their oppressors. They defeat their enemies. They achieve peace in the land for many decades. When these godly leaders die with no one to replace them, God’s people suffer. They are defeated in battle. They are conquered and enslaved by their enemies. They turn to all kinds of sin and idolatry. God Himself promised this would happen. “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the Lord was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The Lord was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways.” (Judges 2:7, 18-19 CSB)
This same dynamic holds true for us today. We see it in politics, business, schools, churches, basically any organization where people gather to accomplish something together. If there is strong, godly leadership, the plan almost always succeeds. If there is weak or no leadership, the plan often fails. All of us are leaders in our own way. It could be in our homes. In our extended families. At school or at work. In our community or church. One of the biggest lessons we can learn from the Book of Judges is how to be a godly leader and make an impact for the Kingdom in our sphere of influence.
Readings for tomorrow: Judges 6-9