Tag: Leadership Qualifications - Exodus 17-20

Exodus 18:21 (ESV Strong's)

Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Tag:  Leadership Qualification

You can read a hundred leadership books and business magazine articles and not find a better description of a great leader than what Moses’ father-in-law (Jethro) give him in the above passage.   Jethro was a young believer and Moses was a new leader.   Moses was now leading 1.5 million of his brothers away from Egypt and into the wilderness.   God had set the vision and will, in a couple of chapters, set the norms for operation.   Moses job was to lead.  But, the people were - people.  They argued and quarreled.  Moses had to do the things leaders do.  When Jethro confronted Moses about what he was doing each day, here was Moses’ response:

Exodus 18:15-16 (ESV Strong's)

And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.”

Jethro doesn’t buy it, however. He may be younger in his faith but God gave him wisdom to give the more mature Moses insight (there is one lesson right there ... truth can come from younger believers and leaders).  Here is what Jethro said about leadership and developing those around you to lead.  It should be in an article in Inc Magazine:

1.  Find “able” leaders to help you.  The word “able” here in the Hebrew is skilled, or resourced in a variety of areas. It could mean wealth. It could mean strength.  It could be unique skills.   So, we are not surrounding ourselves with people who have no skill.  But, we are not surrounding ourselves with people with “our” skills, either.  Note #2.  

2.  Find leaders “from all the peoples.”  It should be noted that these were all Israelites.   But, I There were twelve tribes of Israel.  Each had a unique flavor to them.   Later Israel would fold in other nations and they would become uniquely “Jewish.”   Jethro is telling Moses he has leaders right in his midst.  Promote them.   Develop them.  

3.  Find leaders who “fear God.”  This is probably the hardest in the contemporary world of separation we all live in.   Yet, the truth is not diminished because our lives are restricted by governments.   We ought to find leaders who have God at the center.  No, we can’t hire through the lens of discrimination, but we must realize that each degree of separation from the fear of the Lord means less wisdom.  The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.  If we want wise leaders we need people who fear the Lord. If we are forced to hire leaders who don’t fear the Lord we must filter and analyze all their decisions through our own fear of the Lord. 

4.  Find leaders who are “trustworthy.”    The root of the word “trustworthy” here is “stable.”  We need to find leaders who have a sense of stability about them and are not lead away by every wind of change that comes along.   Trustworthiness is directly connected to someone who is connected to something stable.  They have a connection with #3 above.   

5.  Find leaders who “hate a bribe.”   The concept of taking a bribe speaks toward the person’s integrity.  What would they “sell” their leadership for in order to get something in return.  Perhaps they would sell it for recognition.   Perhaps they would sell the leadership for promotion.   Perhaps they would seek their leadership for power.    We are to find leaders who reject these things.