The Leadership of Moses

             What is leadership? Leadership has been defined as a process where a person is able to influence a group of people to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016, p. 6). There are many ways in which a leader’s role is compartmentalized in order to effectively be able to lead others. A leader must first have others who are willing to follow him/her. If no one is willing to follow you then you are not a leader. A leader must also have a goal that others see a need for. If there is no goal, then there is no need to follow anyone. Leaders have a great responsibility when being in charge of others. However, a good leader will understand that role that he/she has been charged with and will fulfill it with all due diligence. I found such a leader in the Biblical character of Moses.

            I define a leader as one who was also a good follower. I believe that you cannot lead people well if you have never had to follow anyone. There’s a statement that holds true, “Leaders are not born, but they are made.” People may have the natural ability to become a great leader, but training is often necessary to refine the process. There aren’t many people who were automatically meant to be a leader other than Jesus Christ, but even with Jesus, he spent thirty years on earth preparing for ministry prior to fulfilling the mission that He was sent to earth for. “Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry” (Luke 3:23, New International Version). There are leaders of succession, but such as in the case of Kim Jong Un, the son of former leader Kim Jong-il of North Korea, some people lack the mental capacity to lead well.  Therefore, leaders need to be properly trained for the role that they will fill prior to leading others.

Let’s first go over some of the qualities of a good follower that makes a good leader.

1.)    Good followers have a clear understanding as to their role and do not get it mixed up that they are not the boss ("Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers," 2011). They do not try to overstep their boundaries, but will be content in their role until such time that they are promoted. They will assist the leader and be part of a team if need be in order to accomplish the overall goal. We see in the Bible that Lucifer, now known as the devil,  did not remember his place in Heaven. Therefore, he thought that he could be above his Leader and Creator, but he was ultimately wrong. “You said in your heart, ‘I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tips of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High’ ” (Isaiah 14:13-15, New International Version).

2.)    Good followers know how to obey orders ("Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers," 2011). If a follower does not know how to obey orders, they will never be able to give them to others. We find this with the story of Adam in the Bible who was given the command from God to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, both Adam and his wife were disobedient and therefore, led the whole earth into turmoil. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:15-16).

3.)    Good followers are great servants ("Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers," 2011). They see what the leader needs are and they do it willingly.  Joseph, son of Jacob in the Bible, was sold into slavery by his brothers. However, Joseph worked diligently as a servant and his master appointed him to be head of his household. “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned” (Genesis 39:2-4, New International Version).

4.)     Good followers have a spirit of humility ("Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers," 2011). Good followers will not try to take the credit for themselves when things are a success, but they will aim to allow their leader to get recognition for a job well-done. Paul, an apostle of Christ, taught the church to not take credit that is due to someone else, but to give that credit to the One to whom it belongs. “Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory. But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commend himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:15-18, New International Version).

5.)    Great followers are loyal to their leaders even when they disagree ("Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers," 2011). They will never embarrass their leader in public and will keep their descent in private. Jesus talked about the way that a disagreement should be handled in order for there to avoid confusion. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over” (Matthew 18:15, New International Version).

Okay, so these are some of the qualities of a good follower, which will make for a good leader. One of the most well-known leaders that I have found to have an impact in my life is the Biblical character named Moses.

            The children of Israel were in captivity. God had foretold their ancestor, Abraham, that this would take place and that they were to be enslaved for 400 years. However, God promised to bring them out of slavery and to punish those who had enslaved them. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a county not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions’ ” (Genesis 15:13-14, New International Version). The Children of Israel were going to need a deliverer to rescue them from Pharaoh’s bondage, but God had already ordained someone from birth to be their rescuer.

            Moses was born during a time when the Israelites’ males were suffering genocide when they were born. Pharaoh made a decree that all male babies born to the Israelites were to be killed by the midwives due to him feeling threatened at the rate they were reproducing. “The king od Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live’ ” (Exodus 1:15-16, New International Version). However, the midwives did not do what Pharaoh wanted. God blessed them to have families of their own because they dared to the defy the king. However, Pharaoh gave the order to the rest of his people and the genocide began. Nevertheless, Moses was born and was saved by his mother weaving a basket, and placing him in it, only to be found by the daughter of Pharaoh who raised him as her own.

            Moses, being raised up as a prince of Egypt, was taught the customs of the Egyptians. However, he also knew that he had been born a Hebrew and his people were enslaved by those with whom he had been raised. Moses’ upbringing in the courts of Pharaoh provided the path that would one day open up a door for him to lead the Children of Egypt out of bondage. “And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:9-10, New International Version). God had given Moses the task of being a leader over the Children of Israel and his leadership allowed for the Israelites to be free.

            As a leader, Moses had some challenging tasks to accomplish and for these reasons is why I chose him as the leader that I admire.

1.)    Moses presented a heart of humility. “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ ” (Exodus 3:11, New International Version). Moses did not have the attitude that He knew everything. Quite the opposite occurred. He did not feel that he was worthy of going before another leader who had more experience than himself to demand anything or to be over a great body of people. As a leader, we should be humble and know that we do not know everything and that there are others who may have more experience that we do. We must also know that we are mere vessels and never have the brashness of arrogance. Being humble allows us to take on the attitude of a servant where God is best able to work in and through us. Jesus came to earth as a servant because it was God’s very nature to serve (Elmer, 2006, p. 21).

2.)    Moses did not wish to take credit for God using him or to set himself up higher than he should. “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ ” (Exodus 3:13, New International Version). As leaders, we should also look to disburse credit to others. Therefore, just as a good follower looks to credit their success to their leader, leaders should also give credit where it is due as well. Good leadership isn’t about self-promotion, but about promoting those who work with you (Maxwell, 2011, p. 5).

3.)    Moses knew that he would have to be able to give the Israelites a reason to follow him. “Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’ ” (Exodus 4:1, New International Version). Moses did not just assume that people would automatically follow him nor did he want to manipulate them. He

understood that there had to be something to convince them that he was the one to follow and that they could trust him to have their best interests at heart. As leaders, you cannot assume that people will follow you just because you may think that you are a good leader nor should it be done though the art of manipulation. It is only after people have confidence in your leadership ability and through earning their trust will they be more likely to follow. Manipulation in dangerous because at times it works and is practiced by many leaders. However, just because something works doesn’t mean that it is right (Sinek, 2009, p. 33-34). In the end, it may not have the desired outcome for the leader.

4.)    Finally, Moses acknowledged his shortcomings. “Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue’ ” (Exodus 4:10, New International Version). Moses was not great at speaking. He had what many writers have suggested a stuttering problem. He acknowledged his shortcomings, which made him not have a heart of pride. James Madison was a man who stood around five feet, four inches tall and only was said to have weighed 100 pounds. He did not have a great stage presence or a strong voice. However, he managed to be one of the most profound contributors to our nation as President of the United States (Gardner, 1990, p. 49). Realizing your shortcomings allows you to be able to embrace them and work harder to overcome what could potentially be a stumbling block to limit your effectiveness as a leader.

There are many more qualities that Moses possessed as a leader that many of us could learn from. Moses was a simple man and he did not have to be harsh and cruel to command the respect of those who followed him.

            Moses did lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness where they stayed for forty years. Moses’ leadership was often challenged by dissidents, not because he wasn’t doing his God-given task, but there will always be some who will feel that they can do the job better. However, God dealt with them and reaffirmed Moses’ chosen leadership. Moses also had to learn to delegate duties, so that he wouldn’t burn out. There were many within the Children of Israel’s ranks who were capable of managing the smaller affairs that this group needed. Therefore, Moses delegated the duties to those he trusted who could assist him with his role. Leadership is never easy, but if a leader truly desires to lead well, he/she will apply techniques that are taught in the Bible to lead others in the right way regardless of what the role is.

References

Elmer, D. (2006). Cross-cultural servanthood: Serving the world in Christlike humility. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

Gardner, J. W. (1990). On leadership. New York: Free Press.

Maxwell, J. C. (2011). The five levels of leadership: Proven steps to maximize your potential. New York: Center Street.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Sinek, S. (2009). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. New York: Portfolio.

Why the Best Leaders Are Great Followers. (2011, April 18). Retrieved from http://michaelhyatt.com/why-the-best-leaders-are-great-followers.html