Why Allow Poor Leadership?

In my last post, I talked about how we should behave when working in an environment where the open sharing of our Christian faith is either limited or even prohibited altogether. We looked at the example of David in 1 Samuel 24:1-7 to see how he handled remaining under Saul’s authority as king, even though he had been anointed to follow Saul as king.

Today, I want us to think about the various reasons that God may have for leaving Saul in authority as long as He did. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever wondered why certain poor leadership is allowed to remain in authority today?

I can tell you that I have wondered this! At the same time, I think there are many possible answers we should consider.

1 – David Was Not Ready

You can find a number of examples in the Old Testament where children became king at very young ages – even before becoming teenagers! Can you imagine? Anyway, it is possible that God knew that David was not yet ready to take over as king. It could have been any number of things that God wanted to teach David before establishing him on the throne. We can only guess as to what those lessons are.

Maybe the same is true today. God may be preparing someone to fill a given authority position, but that person is not yet ready. In the meantime, He allows the poor leadership currently in that position to remain until the preferred one is ready.

2 – God Was Trying To Reach Saul

Look at the number of times that God tried to get Saul’s attention – using both David and Samuel. Maybe He allowed Saul to remain on the throne longer than he deserved because He was still trying to reach Saul.

This same idea could apply to a current day situation. It could be that God is chasing the person you think is wrongly placed in an authority position. Maybe God has plans to work a miracle in his heart and just needs a little more time to get that done.

3 – God Was Orchestrating Events

One of the problems we have as humans is that we are severely limited in our capacity to imagine what God is up to. Our minds are so small and our imaginations so limited when compared with His. For us to think we can identify exactly what God is working on from one minute to the next is truly a joke.

There was no way for David to know what events God may have been orchestrating in preparation for him becoming king. Even looking back, it would be difficult for us to hazard solid guesses. At the same time, we can see that this is a possibility.

That same possibility exists today. God could be leaving someone that is opposed to Him in an authority position while He arranges for specific events to come to pass. While we may not know what those events are, we can trust Him to handle it, right?

4 – God Was Teaching The Israelites

If you go all the way back to 1 Samuel 8, you will see that Israel did not have a king. Samuel was the leader of Israel as what was then called a judge, but as Samuel aged, the people demanded a king. Even though God had Samuel warn them about rejecting Him for a king, they would not listen.

Saul was the first king of the Israelite people. It is certainly possible that God was teaching them a lesson about following a king rather than putting their whole trust in Him. Maybe Saul remained on the throne longer so they could feel the pain of poor leadership?

Application Today?

If this lesson is applied today, then we who are under the authority of poor leadership are also the ones needing to learn our lesson. Is God leaving non-believing leaders in place so that we will turn to Him for the true leadership? If so, are we learning the lesson?

Have you experienced poor leadership? What did you do?

What did you learn from the experience?

What additional reasons for God to allow poor leadership do you see?

Not One Size Fits All

First, I want to make sure to tell you that the following ideas will not necessarily apply to every situation like this. In some cases, you may need to get out of your situation. In other cases, God may have you exactly where He wants you. It is these latter situations that I want to address today.

You need to be in prayer about your particular circumstances and allow God to direct your actions. At the same time, I think there is a lot we can learn from God’s word and then apply to situations like this.

David As Example

One story that I believe is full of lessons for a Christian in a difficult employment situation is the story of David. For a Christian that is under the authority of a non-believer, someone who does not share (or is even opposed to) their beliefs, the relationship between David and Saul can serve as an example on how to think and behave.

If you want to get the full effect of the story, you can read 1 Samuel (all 31 chapters) in its entirety. However, for the sake of time, we are only going to focus on 1 Samuel 24:1-7.

In this passage, Saul has hunted David in order to kill him. David has an opportunity to kill Saul instead, but chooses not to do so. He then goes on to tell Saul how he passed on the chance, honoring Saul’s God-given authority instead.

Do Not Apply Literally!

Clearly, I am not saying that you will be in a work situation where your non-believer employer is trying to kill you! Do not try to take this story and literally apply the details to your situation. Simply look at this story from 10,000 feet.

David has been anointed king by Samuel, but is “in waiting” until God removes Saul from the throne and places David on it. In fact, David was anointed at what was likely in the middle of his teenage years. He would not actually be crowned as king until he was 30 years old.

While David knew he was to be king after Saul, he did not take action on that knowledge. Instead, he bided his time and trusted God for the right timing. He continued to honor the authority that God had given Saul. He passed on two opportunities to kill Saul and take the throne by force. He simply allowed God to work His will.

Non-Believer Work Environment

His situation is in many ways similar to yours if you work in an environment that limits or prohibits the open exercise of your faith. You may feel you are in a position where you are wasting time because you cannot openly share your faith with your co-workers.

I am sure David felt something similar as he waited for God to be removed from the throne. However, even though David knew the time was not yet right for that to happen, he did not sit around and do nothing. Instead, he got busy building relationships. He organized and trained a band of misfits that eventually became his most trusted soldiers – his Mighty Men.

Build Bridges?

Can you do something similar? Though you are not able to share your faith with your co-workers in a way that violates your workplace rules, there is nothing that says you cannot be building relationships. These relationships can eventually be the bridges God uses for you to share your faith.

Maybe you feel God wants you to be in charge at some point, but nothing seems to be happening in that direction. Would it make sense to begin building a case against your supervisor to speed up that process?

Trust God’s Reasons

If you follow David’s example, then the answer is “No.” Instead, you need to recognize that God has His reasons for His timing. Trust Him to handle it. Instead of building a case against the supervisor, maybe you should strive to make them look good.

The goal here is to remember that you are working for the Lord, not for men. Do all you do in a way that honors Jesus, regardless of what your “feelings” tell you to do.

God Assigns Authority

We could go on and on with examples, but I think you get the idea. We need to follow David’s example and recognize that no one is in authority unless God has placed them there. We may not like it, but it is not our job to pass judgment on God’s choices for authority.

It is our job to honor God AND the authority He has placed over us (Romans 13:1-2). We then must trust Him to make a change in that authority when it is His timing to do so. Until then, we are to work as if working for our Lord. He will reward us for this – now or later.

Have you felt this way about a non-believer in leadership above you?

What has been your strategy?

How has that worked out for you?

David And Goliath

Do you remember reading about David and Goliath? Do you remember how Saul tried to make David wear armor that would not fit him? I laugh when I try to picture David as a youth trying to walk around in Saul’s armor, potentially bumping into tent posts and stepping into the campfires scattered around. It may not have been as close to a scene out of the Carol Burnett show as I have it pictured, but I imagine there had to be some humor in it.

Finally, David threw off Saul’s armor and wore his own shepherd’s clothes. He left Saul’s weapons in the tent and chose to use the sling and the stones he already knew how to use. These fit him. While he had never fought in a war with other soldiers, he had certainly seen his battles protecting the flocks from predators. Instead of using someone else’s armor and weaponry in this new battle, he went with what was familiar to him.

What Can We Learn?

Apparently, he made the right choice. So what can we as leaders learn from this episode? How do we apply it to what we do on a daily basis?

The first place I think to look is back in the Bible. Let’s consider Romans 12:6-8. In this passage, Paul is telling the Romans that different people receive different gifts from God.

When we receive specific gifts, we should use those gifts according to our faith. If one is given the gift of teaching, then they are to teach. Another may be given the gift of encouragement; they should encourage. You have probably read this and understand it.

I believe this is directly related to the story about David and the armor. You see, Saul was trying to get David to wear armor that was not his. It was not fit for him. It was not comfortable to him. It simply would have been a burden to David. It would have hampered his effectiveness against Goliath.

Gifts From God

The same is true about gifts from God. If God has given me the gift of encouragement, but not the gift of leadership, should I try to lead? Just because I want to lead does not mean that is what I should do. In fact, if God has not gifted me in that area, I will only cause problems if I try to do it anyway. If I am not gifted to teach, but I insist on doing so, what kind of results will I get? I may like the idea of teaching, but if God has not gifted me for it, that is not where I will be most effective.

Look at 1 Corinthians 12 and see more discussion on this. In this passage, Paul takes it further and uses the human body and its parts to illustrate his point. Each part has its job to do. Each job is just as important to the health of the body as the next. All deserve honor. None of the parts should aspire to be another part. Instead, each part should embrace the role they have been given and do the best they can at being that part.

Lessons For Leaders

As leaders, we must do the same.

1. Discover your gifting

David quickly found that Saul’s armor would not work. You need to determine your gifting. There are tools to accomplish this, but you can also ask those who know you best. Pray for God to reveal it to you.

2. Embrace that gifting

David did not hesitate to reject Saul’s armor and revert back to his own tools. Once you know your gifts, embrace them! Know that the Creator of the universe chose you specially for those gifts! They are worthy of honor!

3. Learn how to best apply that gifting

David spent years learning accuracy with his sling and stones. Do not expect overnight results in your gifts. Developing these gifts take time. Through prayer, application, and learning from defeats (as well as successes), you will grow in these gifts.

4. Go to battle!

David went boldly into battle with his tools. Do not be afraid to fight the battles with your gifts. Do not forget you represent God and He has your back!

Now, go out there and use your own armor!

What are your gifts?

Are you embracing them and growing in your application of them?

What battles are you fighting?

Original date of post – November 9, 2011