How Would Jesus Vote - Part 3

How Would Jesus Vote

Principles of Scripture to Guide Christians

as They Face Another Election

Part 3

            If you could design a leader what would you choose as character qualities for that person? Would you want a leader who was diligent, dedicated, and thorough? Are there any negative character qualities that you might say are deal breakers if you were choosing a leader? I want to think beyond the presidential race to also think about leaders at all levels. We have leaders in business, in community groups, in churches and hopefully in our homes in addition to the leaders in politics.

What I want us to do today though, is to look at ourselves and ask ourselves, “What type of leader am I?” Some of you may think you are not a leader, but everyone has someone who looks to them for guidance at some level. Even within the home the parents are leaders to the children and grandchildren. Older children are leaders to the younger ones in the family. If you are a business owner you are a leader. If you are a manager or supervise people in the work place you are a leader. If you belong to a community group you are a leader. The bottom line is that it does not matter what position you think you have, everyone influences others. Therefore we need to know the marks of a good leader. To discover God’s view of leadership we need to turn to the Bible.

            King David of Israel spoke his final words which are recorded in 2 Samuel 23. He began his statement declaring the type of king that God wants to rule over his people and what life would be like under such a king.

            2 Samuel 23:3, 4 (NLT)

The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning at sunrise,
like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
on new grass after rain.’

            We begin by noting that the type of leader God desires is one who will rule over his people with righteousness and who fears God. If such a leader is in authority over a group of people it is pleasant in the same way that a beautiful morning breaks in the eastern sky or in the way that sun will sparkle on the grass immediately after a rain shower.

            What does it mean for a leader to rule righteously? The original language word translated here as “righteously” is a word that primarily refers to being just. So we could say that the leader should have justice as a hallmark of his leadership. Justice refers to the balancing of the scales when they have been put out of balance. It means that when someone has suffered a wrong, that wrong is made right and things are put back into place as they should have been. That’s why righteousness is the doing of what is right as opposed to doing things that are wrong. And we need to understand that right and wrong as defined Biblically are determined by what God considers right and wrong, not what a society decides is right or wrong. So, it is not too much of a stretch to realize that a leader who rules justly must know the laws and ways of God, which is why the fear of the Lord is so important.

            Let’s look at some other positive qualities God desires in human leadership.

Proverbs 12:24

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

            This Hebrew word for the diligent means a person who can be relied on. They are trustworthy and solid. They are valuable and capable of maintaining the things under their care and they even have the ability to improve whatever he has authority over. A diligent leader is not lazy. They do not sit around all day playing video games or just hanging out.

A great example of this character quality is the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, who rose to high positions of leadership whether it was over the house of his master when he was a slave, or over the prison in which he was a prisoner and ultimately to be the second in command over the nation of Egypt. Whatever he touched as a leader flourished and grew. Those over him never had to worry about him doing anything wrong. He could be completed trusted with the most precious of items. That is a diligent leader.

            A pair of verses from Proverbs 20 highlight the role of a good leader is eliminating evil from his realm of authority.

Proverbs 20:8 (HCSB)

A king sitting on a throne to judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.

Proverbs 20:26 (NLT)

A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat, then runs his threshing wheel over them.

            In these verses we find that wisdom is vital for a leader. Without wisdom he will not be able to lead well. If the leader is wise he will be able to spot the wicked who do evil and he will deal decisively with them, removing them from his realm. A leader who is blind to wickedness and evil is not the type of leader that anyone should want over them. There is also a promise for the leaders who remove the wicked from their domain. This type of leadership needs to start in the home. If more parents today would root out the evil in their children, we would have far fewer problems with crime in our nation.

Proverbs 25:5 (KJV)

Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

            When the wicked are removed from a kingdom, that king and kingdom will remain stable and firm because it is grounded in righteousness. Wicked people will upset the stability of any society. They must be dealt with quickly and firmly. If wickedness is allowed to proliferate it will eventually destroy a nation. To see examples of this we only need to look back in history to see the many empires that collapsed or were defeated after they grew soft toward the wicked within their nation.

Proverbs 20:28 (KJV)

Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

            Here we have two more excellent character qualities that a leader should have. Mercy is the compassionate response of one in authority toward one who has broken the law. Instead of being harsh and unfeeling a merciful person will seek the healing and restoration of the lawbreaker. A merciful leader is one who will give people a second chance. Such leaders are seen as strong yet tender and they are greatly loved by those under their leadership. That’s why they will be able to remain in their position or be promoted to higher and higher levels of leadership.

            Truth is always important to a leader. Truth will prove itself. Truth will always overcome lies. To see what happens when truth is not what a leader lives by we find the answer in this verse in Proverbs.

Proverbs 29:12 (NIV)

If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

            If a leader practices lying and deception, all those under them who carry out the leaders desires will become wicked and it will not be good for the people under their rule.

            Proverbs 29:14 (NKJV)

The king who judges the poor with truth, His throne will be established forever.

            This is another aspect of truth within the realm of a leader in that a good leader who has to make judgments regarding those under their command will make sure they have all the truth when they make their decision. They do not make decisions based on half-truths or lies.

            The quality of wisdom is critically important for leaders. Do you know how to recognize a wise person? Are they wise simply because they agree with you? Fortunately we don’t have to guess about what a wise person looks like and how they behave. The Bible gives us the things to look for.

            The following verse is very important for us to understand in light of the civil unrest we are seeing in our nation at this time.

            Proverbs 29:8 (NLT)

Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger.

            Some translations of this verse say that scoffers will set a city aflame. Sounds like rioters setting fires, doesn’t it. So how does a wise person respond in such a situation? They calm the anger. How is anger calmed? A soft answer will turn off anger, Proverbs 15:1. If a leader does not know how to calm outbursts of anger, they will cause the situation to worsen. This is true as much for a parent as it is for a mayor, a governor, or the president of the United States.

            Not only does a wise person know how to calm anger in others, they are able to control their own anger.

            Proverbs 29:11 (HCSB)

                        A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it in check.

            There are many things that can cause us to become angry, and that is understandable, but the issue for a leader is, what do they do when they become angry? Even Paul tells us that we can be angry and not sin, Ephesians 4:26. It is not being angry that is the problem. The problem begins when we begin to give full expression to the anger. How a leader responds can be critical, especially when it is at the level of a national leader.

            Proverbs 29:9 (NASB)

When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

            This is a good verse to keep in mind as you watch the political races this year. There is much controversy taking place. How do those involved respond to one another? It will tell you much about whether you are watching someone wise or someone foolish.

            Proverbs 21:11b (ESV)

                        When a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

            This is the issue of whether or not a person is teachable. No one knows everything. So we all must learn from others. If a person will not receive instruction, they are not wise.

            Proverbs 16:21 (NET)

The one who is wise in heart is called discerning, and kind speech increases persuasiveness.

            This is a very good verse. Not only does it tell us that a wise person has great discernment, which means they can tell the difference between good and evil, but they also know how to speak in such a way that they can persuade others to follow them.

            Proverbs 14:16 (NASB)

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.

            This is a great verse that highlights one of the differences between the wise and the foolish. A wise person is cautious and avoids doing what is wrong, but a fool is careless, or we might use the word reckless, and will not avoid breaking laws and doing wrong. Recklessness, or carelessness in not acceptable in a leader. If they are reckless or careless in small things, they will be reckless and careless in major things as well and that will endanger those under their leadership.

            There are many other verses in Proverbs that describe a wise person. These verses tell us that wise people listen to counsel, are restrained in speaking too quickly, they learn quickly, they know how to heal wounded people, and they know how to build up a home, a city or a nation.

            Leaders should be people of good and upright character. As members of the ecclesia we all need to be leaders of good character. God has called us to be the major influencers of those around us. We are to impact our society in keeping with the will of God and the kingdom of heaven.

My next blog will examine the bad character qualities that should disqualify a person from higher levels of leadership.