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DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
SMARTS from Proverbs
A. BACKGROUND... The election: salvation, Armageddon, utopia? Who knows, and time will tell! Whoever wins, locally and nationally, will have the chance to LEAD, for good or ill. Bad leaders are still leaders if they lead. Our question has been what is BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP? Looking at the Bible, what can we learn about being a GOOD LEADER? What we have seen these 8 weeks is that great leaders are humble enough to know they need help; and bold enough to take charge with conviction.
C. SUMMARY ...PROVERBS was written almost like an instruction manual for the future leaders of Israel. We might wonder whether a "Biblical model of leadership" would work in our modern world, especially in politics or business. Could a St. Paul or a Jesus or a Jeremiah or a Mary be an effective CEO, First Selectman, State Senator, or President? However, Proverbs was written to guide the nation's leaders in politics, business, and governance. Let me summarize 40 chapters of leadership advice: listen carefully, work hard, avoid ego, trust God, and make the poor and needy your priority.
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KEY POINTS:
1. Leaders LISTEN. "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed (Prov. 15:23)... Kings take pleasure in honest lips, they value advisors who tell the truth (16:13)... seek advice obtain guidance (20:18)". At the same time the Bible warns against listening to gossip, liars, mockers, and flatterers. In other words, a good leader picks good advisors who will speak candidly. "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers" (16:20). It take humility AND strength to surround yourself with people worth listening to. Good leadership doesn't come from "yes men/women" or "rubber stamps", but from an open mind in dialogue with other open minds seeking the best way to help others.
2. just leaders, or JUST leaders? Proverbs is crystal clear. Bad leaders are in it for themselves, they lead just because. The Bible wants leaders for a JUST CAUSE. "A King's mouth should not betray justice (16:10)... he who mocks the poor shows contempt for God (7:5)... when justice is done it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers (21:15)." Prioritizing justice has its own reward. "Love and faithfulness keep a King safe" (20:28). Compassionate, just care for people is actually a strategy for political success. I have been struck by how the world's worst tyrants never seem to realize that they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Sooner or later, they end, their statues get torn down, and their children suffer. The purpose of leadership is to lead justly. That keeps you leading.
3. TODAY'S verses run the gamut. Taken together they tell a King/Leader to seek honesty and wisdom, avoid pride and injustice. "A King detests wrongdoing (16:12)... get wisdom, choose understanding (16:16)" We also have the famous verse "pride goeth before the fall (i.e. pride causes you to trip up 16:18). It is not easy to lead. Temptations, sycophants currying favor, and power itself are huge obstacles. The Bible's answer is FOCUS on what's important. Why are you a leader in the first place? Who really has your back? Wisdom and righteousness refer to God's mindset, God's way of thinking. A good leader, in all humility, keeps an open channel to God's thinking. I close with a wonderful verse (21:1): "The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord; God directs it like a watercourse wherever God pleases". YES, I know it's hard to bring God into politics or business or even daily life in a public way. But let God be part of your "Kitchen Cabinet", that private (if necessary) source of guidance that you know has your back and wants you to lead.
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