Qualities
of Good Leaders
We are approaching some very important
elections in our counties, in our states and in our nation. Have you given any thought
to the kind of men and women we need to represent us? I am fully aware that many
Americans will vote
along party lines, regardless of the integrity and capability of the men and
women who are running for office. I
am also aware that we cannot know for certain that the men and women we support
will do what they promise when they are elected. All of us have probably been disappointed in the behavior of some of the
people we honestly believed would be good presidents or senators or governors. While we cannot know for sure how
our representatives will vote, we must make maximum effort to elect the very
best people for public office.
But up front I want to make it clear that
just because a candidate is devoutly religious, faithfully discharging his duties
to his family,
to the community and to the nation
does not mean he will be a good congressman or a good senator. In my judgment, these are essential qualities of a public
servant, but they are not adequate. Men and women who run for public office must have the knowledge and the skills to
succeed in whatever office they
occupy. For example, if a man is running for the office of a sheriff, he should know the law, have experience as a law
enforcement officer, have good human skills
and be honest and dedicated. Good character alone does not qualify a man or a woman for any office.
What, then, are the qualities of good
leaders? That question will serve as the basis for our study today. The Old
Testament records the burdens Moses had to face in leading and judging the
Israelite people. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, knew Moses would exhaust
himself if he did not have help in judging the nation. Jethro said to Moses:
"The thing that you do is not good. You will surely wear away, both you,
and this people that is with you: for this thing is too heavy for you; you are
not able to perform it yourself alone. Listen now unto my voice, I will give
you counsel, and God will be with you: You shall represent the people before God, that you may bring the causes
unto God; and you shall teach them ordinances and laws, and shall show them the
way wherein they must walk, and the
work they must do." Now please listen
carefully to Jethro's wise advice to his
son-in-law. "Moreover you shall provide out of all the
people able men, such as fear God,
men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and ruler of fifties, and rulers of tens:
and let them judge the people at all
seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto you, but every small matter they shall
judge: so it shall be easier for you, and they shall bear the burden with you. If you will do this thing, and God will
direct you, and you shall be able to endure, and all this people shall also go
to their place in peace" (Ex.
Before we examine the arrangement Jethro
recommended to Moses, I must make a few comments about some of the leaders among
the Israelite people. As you no doubt remember, the Jews were dissatisfied with
God's choice of leaders. They did not want to be ruled by judges. They wanted a
king like the nations surrounding
I shall not take the
time to examine in detail three kings of
_
When Uzziah died, his son Jotham became king
over
Jotham's son, Ahaz, succeeded his father as king of
Please take note of how apostasy from the right way often
works. Uzziah was lifted up with pride and usurped the authority of priests by
entering the temple to bum incense on the altar of incense. God punished him by
making him a leper until the day of his death. He was cut off from the house of
the Lord. Jotham, his son, did not even enter the temple of the Lord. His
conduct allowed the Israelites to continue in their corrupt practices. Jotham's
son, Ahaz, behaved like the kings of
But the children of corrupt parents do not have to be
corrupt. Do you remember who reigned when Ahaz died? It was his son Hezekiah
who "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all
that David his father had done." In the very first month of his first
year as king, he "opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them"
(2 Chron. 29:2-3). When Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh became king and reigned
for fifty-five years. He was one of the most abominable kings of
Let us now return to Jethro's advice to his son-in-law
Moses. Jethro seems not to have doubted the God-appointed position of Moses. But he
knew Moses would suffer burnout—to use a modern term—if he did not
delegate some authority to other capable men among the Israelites. He urged Moses to teach the people the
ordinances and laws God had given the
nation. Moses was also to show the people how they were to walk and what they
were to do. Jethro exhorted Moses: "Moreover you shall provide out of all
the people able men, such as fear
God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers
of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of
tens" (Ex. 18:20-21).
Jethro encouraged Moses to provide from the Israelite
people "able men, such as fear God" to be leaders in the nation. Jethro does
not specifically define the term, "able men." Would these not have to
be men who had knowledge of
The United States Constitution does not permit the nation
or any of the states to have a religious test for any office. In other words,
the nation cannot disqualify a man from running for public office if he is not
a Protestant or a Catholic or a Jehovah's Witness or if he belongs to any of
these religious groups. But I have a right to not to vote for a person who does
not qualify according to my standards. For example, if a militant atheist or
secular humanist announces for office, I will not vote for that person. The
reason is very simple: If a person denies the existence of God, he has no
substantial basis for moral values. In the words of Dostoyevsky, the famous
Russian novelist, if God does not exist, everything is permitted. I am not arguing
that all atheists or secular humanists are liars or scoundrels, but they do not
believe in any absolute values. What is to prevent them from changing
their minds and behavior?
Dr. Morris Storer, former professor of philosophy at the
The qualifications of elders of the Lord's church are
different from what we have a right to expect from our elected public
officials. But both 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 stress good moral character
and people skills of men who are to be selected as elders. Paul
lists vigilance, soberness
(literally, sober mindedness), good behavior, given to hospitality, not greedy of money (1 Tim. 3:2-3).
Men who lie, commit adultery and suborn
witnesses ought not to be in public office. When such behavior is found among
public officials, they ought to be indicted and removed from office. There are several
reasons for making that observation. If a man will lie about his sexual escapades, how
do we know he will not lie about other matters? But my greatest concern is the
influence such examples have on the young people of our nation. I wonder how many
young men and women have excused their sexual immorality and lying by saying,
"The president lied and committed adultery." It would be strange indeed if that were not the
case.
President Clinton's behavior brings us to the
next qualification of good leaders. They were to be men of truth. You know as
well as I do that some politicians will promise anything to get elected. Then
when they arrive at the state capitol or in
Men who were to serve the nation of
Do I need to tell you that some of the men
and women in government are the very best public servants money can buy?
Tragically, every state in the union has been embarrassed by legislators,
governors, sheriffs and other public officials who sold out for money. My home state
has been no exception. The Tennessean (
However, political leaders are not only ones who betray
us by taking bribes, although in some cases the payments some receive for their
activities would not be legally regarded as bribes. For example, the woman who
conceived the idea and actually founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving sold
out to the liquor industry. The mother lost a beautiful teenage daughter to a
drunk driver. But when the liquor industry offered her a large sum of money
to go to work for the sleazy liquor manufacturers, she apparently forgot about her
daughter and the thousands of other people drunks have killed and accepted their hush money. I am grateful for the
work the organization, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, does but I have difficulty understanding how a mother can betray her daughter's memory by going to work for the
industry that is, at least, to some extent responsible for her daughter's
death.
The question I am about to ask you may be
troubling, but I must ask it. Do you suppose there are preachers and other
religious leaders who are guilty of accepting bribes? I am not saying that the
payments some preachers receive would legally qualify as bribes. But when the
elders or other church leaders forbid their preacher to discuss controversial
subjects, such as, beverage alcohol, gambling, marriage, divorce and
remarriage, abortion and homosexuality, and he compromises the gospel message
so he "can continue to receive his salary, would that not constitute moral
and spiritual bribery? If there are such preachers—and all of us
know there are—are they not spiritual prostitutes?
There is one other aspect of Jethro's advice
to Moses I would like to discuss briefly in closing. Jethro urged Moses to
delegate authority to capable men among the Israelites. A leader who tries to
keep his eye on every phase of the work will be ineffective and wear himself
out. That was one of the reasons Jimmie Carter was such a poor leader. For
example, he wasted some of his time by supervising who would play on the White House tennis courts.
A president's time should be used more wisely. Incidentally I have known elders who
apparently could not delegate any authority to deacons or to anyone else. If elders want
to be effective leaders of the Lord's people, they must delegate responsibility
to deacons and to other members and then check to see that the work has been done.
I urge you to pray for our local, state and national
leaders. And when you go to the polls
to vote, please keep in mind the welfare of our people. The right changes among
our people are not likely to occur
unless we elect and support capable and honest people.
Winford Claiborne
The
International Gospel Hour
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