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The Absence of Leadership
Judges 18:1
"In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel."
One of the well known quotes of Dr. Lee Roberson was, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." I often repeat this quote to those who are in leadership as I find that leadership today seems to be very weak. The verse above says,"In those days there was no king in Israel:..." This phrase is mentioned several times in the book of Judges. God was showing us what would happen without leadership. An absence of leadership is not always that there is no one to lead, but it could also be that those in leadership are not leading. In any case, we find in the book of Judges that the absence of leadership always leads to adverse results.
First, the absence of leadership leads to self guidance. In Judges 17:6, the absence of leadership caused God's people to do that which they say was right in their own eyes. When the husband won't lead in the home, then you will have children do what they think is right. When leadership in a country won't lead, then the absence of leadership will cause every person to do what they think is right. Leadership helps to enforce the rules that were set up by God.
Second, the absence of leadership leads to a lack of motivation to conquer. The verse above shows us that Israel stopped conquering the land. This was brought about because those in leadership were not leading. One of the purposes of leadership is to motivate people to do more than they think they can. A good leader will bring the best out in people. If there is no leadership, then people will lack the motivation to shoot high.
Third, the absence of leadership leads to careless living. In Judges 18:7, we see that the lack of leadership caused people to live carelessly. In other words, they were not guarded with their lifestyle. The lack of leadership will cause people to live for the present without a thought of tomorrow. This is evident in our current society when you see people who have spent on possessions and have nothing for retirement. The lack of leadership will always cause people to be careless with their money as well as careless with their lifestyle. Leadership is to remind people that they must live tomorrow with the consequences of today.
Fourth, the absence of leadership will lead to squabbling. In Judges 18:25, you will see that the tribes of Israel were fighting among themselves. Anytime leadership is weak, you will have fighting among the people. Great leadership gives a stability that will cause people not to feel that they need to fight. Likewise, great leadership will not allow fighting among the ranks.
Fifth, the absence of leadership leads to wrong priorities. In Judges 19:24, you see the priorities of a husband were wrong. Leadership's responsibility is to help people keep their priorities straight. When leadership fails to lead, then people will get their priorities of life wrong.
Last, the absence of leadership will lead to illicit living. In Judges 19:25 you will see the wicked lifestyle that was brought about by a lack of leadership. Weak leadership will think it is loving not to correct people who are living an illicit lifestyle. However, true love will cause leaders to let people know when their lifestyle is wrong.
Let me ask you, do the areas where you lead have an absence of leadership because you fail to fulfill your responsibilities? You can guard those whom you lead from straying if you will be the leader God intended for you to be.
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