Leadership falters with pride

Leadership brings honor, problems and, often, overweening pride. Take the Biblical character Moses. He pretty much knew from childhood that he would do something great for his people. After 80 years he led the Israelites out of Egypt. Such a victory, followed by complaints about everything. After one more whine for water, God told Moses to speak to the rock. Instead he angrily struck it twice with his rod and fumed, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” His words implied that he made the water flow. He forgot God did the miracles, not him.For that action and attitude God told Moses he would not be entering the Promised Land. He forgot that his authority to produce water came from God. Neither Moses nor any other leader can do whatever they want whenever they want.Not that Samson didn’t try to defy that principle. Chosen before birth he lived as a Nazarite. Nazarites followed specific rules: no contact with anything of the vineyard, stay away from dead bodies and don’t cut your hair. God gave him super strength. He used that strength against the Philistine enemy when they personally offended him. Samson knew the rules, still, he walked through a vineyard and took honey from a dead lion’s carcass. He hung out with the enemies’ daughters, quibbled with their city fathers and knocked off Philistines who insulted him. He thought he could do whatever he wanted, whenever. He suffered no serious consequences until he told a girlfriend, “The secret of my strength comes from not cutting my hair.” The Philistines gave him a butch. He lost his strength, his eyes and his freedom. Later, with his hair growing out, the blind, enslaved Samson trusted God to enable him to strike his final blow as a revenge for his eyes. This chosen one died with hundreds, possibly thousands of his enemies.Chosen by God as the first king, Saul started out humble. Samuel anointed him in the wilderness where he hunted for lost donkeys. He shrugged off being chosen until the Philistines invaded Israel again. With Samuel’s blessing he led the army to victory. Then something began to change. He forgot that God placed him on the throne. Before another battle Saul did not wait for Samuel to offer the pre-war sacrifice. Then he ignored Samuel’s instructions to kill everything. He saved the best animals explaining to Samuel, “The soldiers saved the best sheep and cattle to offer as sacrifices to the Lord your God. But we destroyed all the others.” 1 Samuel 15:15Samuel says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice. Now God has given the kingdom to another.” You would think the one who got Saul’s kingdom would never forget that. David did follow God’s way for many decades. Then one fighting season he stayed home while the army went off to fight. At home, this beloved king broke God’s commandments against adultery and murder. David thought no one noticed. The prophet Nathan informed him that God saw, “Just because you are the chosen leader does not mean you can do what you want. Consequences are coming.” Yes, David sincerely confessed his sin to God. Still he and the nation reaped the consequences with a civil war initiated by his son. Nebuchadnezzar was another warned of punitive consequences. He heard and toed the line for a while. The warning came in a troubling dream that woke him. Hearing the dream, Daniel stepped back horrified. This king who conquered Israel, this king that God empowered to conquer nations near and far had grown unmerciful and arrogant. Daniel warns him, “God gives authority to rule.” He admonishes Neb to stop doing bad things. “Do what is right, be kind to the poor, and perhaps you will continue on.”Nebuchadnezzar obeys for about a year. Then one day he looks over the city and says, “This is the city I have built to be my home. It shows that I am a great and powerful king.” That day, the promised judgement fell. God humbled him for seven years until Nebuchadnezzar said, “God has all the authority. He is the great God. When people are proud, he can cause them to become humble.” (Daniel 4:27)A strong reminder for all whether powerful or weak.