As dawn broke over the valley, in the still air of the coldest point of the day, he caught just a whiff, just a tiny spark of recognition of the raiders. There was little else to smell, since the fires were put out before dark yesterday. The significance of that whiff quickly flared like a bonfire in the forefront of his consciousness. He had been expecting this. For the past few days, there were the unmistakable clues of their presence in the area. While it was impossible for him to remain awake every hour of the day, he had been avoiding sleep as much as possible since the first clue was spotted.
The night before, he had stayed up late. There were traps to lay about the camp to slow any attackers. Since the daytime view was blocked by the forest, and he allowed no fires at night, the raiders had to cautiously approach every clearing. They would never actually fight at night; they were afraid if they died their soul would never find it's way home. But they often probed in the dark to define the boundaries of the target, so he set traps in unusual places to confuse them. It also alerted him to their presence.
Then he drank lots of water just before going to bed, so his bladder would awaken him early. This it did, and he had been up for some time, now. He knew that they would approach in a single file, in part becaue it was their way, but also because the path into the camp was narrow, and there were few other places to enter. His people were much larger, and he the largest by far. He should be able to strike the leader and two or three others by himself before anyone else had to fight. The others would then do their part. While the clan had lost some men over the years he led them, he himself had never been seriously hurt. It was his gift from God.
And now his pulse quickened as he rose to position himself for the assault that would come as soon as the mists began to dissolve, and there was just enough natural light of day to see. This was his twelfth battle, and he always took the lead, unlike the chief of the neighboring clan. That one often stood behind his men, and gave orders to the fighters, screaming like a woman. He was also lazy and made everyone feed him, while he ruled them harshly.
Not here, not in this clan. Just a few more heartbeats....
As far as anyone can prove, humanity began as family creatures. Indeed, it appears they lived together in extended families, and in much closer quarters, the farther back we go. The single, mom-pop-&-kids family household situation is relatively recent in human history.
At any rate, if the family was threatened, not every member was adept at responding with a viable defense. Usually it would fall to the bigger and stronger -- the men. The one who was biggest and strongest, and perhaps rather talented at fighting, was a natural leader in such things. If defense from threat was a major issue in the perception of all concerned, this natural leader may have taken the lead in more than just defense.
The original concept in human societies for what we now call a "king" is just such a leader. The primitive job of king was little more than warlord. It's largely due to our inability to communicate telepathically. If we could, there would never be leaders. But because we must speak or sign in some fashion, at least in the immediate, someone has to have the power to speak while everyone else listens. And that someone who speaks must also have the power to require the rest to do what he says.
The times when this matters most is during a time of crisis. When just about the whole world seems threatening, the majority of humans would rather let somebody else do the fighting, if possible. When fighting becomes necessary, few are willing to take the lead. Along comes one who is able to fight, perhaps enjoys risk-taking of that sort, and willing to take the heat if things don't work out right. It won't take long for everyone to line up behind someone like that.
In the real world, we know that many kings possessed varying degrees of those traits. Most of them were not nice people by our standards today. Rather than justifying poor leadership, this knowledge supplies us with a vast wealth of what not to do. Success by human standards is to go down in history as famous. Success by Kingdom standards is a wholly different matter.
Still, there's nothing evil about enjoying the job of leader. There's nothing wrong with finding pleasure at being the center of attention. True, there are some very godly leaders who are reluctant. They are the exception. If leading feels good to you, it's not a bad sign. What's bad is if you feel no real obligation to those you lead, and worse still if you believe at the same time they are obligated to you.
It requires the strong grip of two hands to lead. With one hand we keep a tight grip on the mission. It is the reason groups exist. Without a mission, even a mundane one, the group will disperse. With the other hand we grip the welfare of those who follow us. In some cases, the two are the same. In all cases, the difference between God's approval and shaming Him is that you remain a servant -- a servant who happens to lead.
For most sins we Believers commit, there are natural consequences, and perhaps some form of discipline from the hand of God. That discipline may vary between death and a mere moment of discomfort or embarrassment. It may even be nothing, if you confess soon enough. But leadership carries much higher stakes.
James, the brother of Jesus, warns that teachers have to watch their tongue more than others in the Kingdom. They are accepting a heavy burden of responsibility (James 3:1). So it is with every other form of spiritual leadership: the leader carries more risk. These are God's own people we are dealing with, and He doesn't take their abuse lightly.
Normally, a lesson like this might logically be the first or second in the series. Again, Kingdom logic runs on a wholly different basis. The next lesson would make little sense without laying this ground: those who follow your leadership have a claim on you, and it is backed up by God Almighty. All your failures are forgiveable if you truly desire to serve Him by serving them. If you fail to serve those who follow, no amount of temporal success will cover you from God's disapproval.
<--Previous Lesson or Index or Next Lesson -->
Ed Hurst
27 September 2002
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23).