Tag: leaders

The Arrogant Leader Will Be Deposed (Isaiah 22:15-25)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:

“Go, say to this steward,
    to Shebna the palace administrator:
What are you doing here and who gave you permission
    to cut out a grave for yourself here,
hewing your grave on the height
    and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

“Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
    and hurl you away, you mighty man.
He will roll you up tightly like a ball
    and throw you into a large country.
There you will die
    and there the chariots you were so proud of
    will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
I will depose you from your office,
    and you will be ousted from your position.

“In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

“In that day,” declares the Lord Almighty, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.” The Lord has spoken. (New International Version)

The nation of Judah was in a pickle. The Babylonian Empire loomed over them to the East as a mighty army about to swallow them whole. What’s more, the prophets were proclaiming judgment against Judah, with Babylon as the instrument.

Although we don’t always know why hard circumstances come about, in the case of ancient Judah, the prophet Isaiah made it clear what was going on. Isaiah wasn’t afraid to name the names of those responsible for Judah’s situation. Particular government officials were the objects of blame, as well as punishment.

Shebna, the palace administrator or master of the household, held a position somewhat like the prime minister of today. He had a great deal of power, and was second only to King Hezekiah. Isaiah identified and called out Shebna for misusing his administrative office.

The specific offense Isaiah spoke of was that Shebna made arrangements to ensure his personal grave-sight would have all of the grandeur of a royal tomb. Shebna – the conniving rascal that he was – arrogantly put himself on the same level of the royal king, Hezekiah, who was a righteous man.

The God of Judah, the Lord God Almighty, observed what was happening. And God was not okay with what Shebna was doing, and how he was going about his duties. Shebna was failing to discharge his responsibilities. Instead, he was finagling to make sure his own name would be remembered as great.

Shebna was a disgrace to his king, Hezekiah. So, the Lord would have him violently dislodged from his position, and exiled. In that place he would die and never see his country again. Because Shebna was so taken up with selfish concerns, he failed to do the job of preparing his nation for the growing threat of Babylon.

In place of Shebna, Eliakim son of Hilkiah would become the administrator, the prime minister. He would use his authority for the common good of the nation, and not for making his own name significant, and his own tomb big.

God promised security and honor for Eliakim and his family. Yet, even Eliakim would feel the weight of severe consequences along with the entire nation of Judah.

Although a change in leadership brought hope for peace and prosperity, it never materialized. Future leaders would sink lower than Shebna. And future kings would go to the lowest depths of depravity. All of it anticipated the Babylonian army’s invasion and the people’s exile.

Does any of today’s Old Testament lesson sound familiar in today’s governmental workings in the world, including and especially in the United States?

Being concerned and enamored with putting one’s name on places one does not deserve; being unconcerned with the plight of the poor, the immigrant, and the powerless; and being unprepared to use authority for just and right purposes, puts one in the legacy of Shebna, not Eliakim. The selfish politician ought only to expect eventual divine judgment, and not any sort of praise from neither the people, nor God.

If the God of the universe takes notice of a prime minister’s intended creation of a permanent mausoleum, then how much more will the Lord take note of a president’s abuse of authority and the tearing down and erecting of buildings which benefit his own name, and not the concerns of the needy in the land?

Whenever talk of compassion and practice of humility is replaced with petty arrogance and unmerciful arrest of citizens, then we really ought to expect nothing less than what happened to the selfish persons and governmental officials of old who came to an ignominious end.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Who Are You Listening To? (2 Kings 1:1-12)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.

When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you come back?”

“A man came to meet us,” they replied. “And he said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!”’”

The king asked them, “What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”

They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.”

The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. The captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!’”

Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”

“If I am a man of God,” Elijah replied, “may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. (New International Version)

King Ahaziah lies on his deathbed as Elijah prophesies, by Henry Pierce Bone (1779-1855)

Whomever you go to when looking for help says a lot about the person.

The king of Israel, Ahaziah, injured himself in a fall and feared that he might die. His response to the predicament was to seek help from the Canaanite god Baal, rather than Israel’s God, Yahweh.

This, by no means, went unnoticed by the Lord. Ahaziah’s brazen religious apostasy is an affront to Yahweh, especially from the ruler of the Israelite people. Therefore, God sent the prophet Elijah to communicate a message to the king.

Elijah’s prophetic message to Ahaziah minced no words: The king won’t get up from his bed; he will die in it.

Ahaziah’s couriers did not even make it to Philistia to ask for Baal’s help, the place where you would go to find the best pagan prophets. Elijah had them intercepted; the message from Yahweh was given to the Ahaziah’s messengers to relay to the king.

Since Ahaziah had far removed himself from the worship of God, we can sense that he will not respond well to Elijah’s interloping. And he didn’t. As is typical with bad leaders who don’t like what they hear, the king ordered an army captain with fifty soldiers to go and take out the messenger, instead of dealing with the message.

The prophet Elijah was not easily intimidated. Once the soldiers found him, he had no intention of going along with them, knowing full well what they were up to.

Even though a fiery judgment of God enveloped the men, Ahaziah refused to back down, but instead sent even more soldiers, in a desperate attempt to wipe out Elijah. It’s a sad state of affairs whenever a king of Israel seeks to do away with a prophet sent from Israel’s God.

This scenario happened multiple times; Ahaziah would not get the clue that he could not have his way. Sadly, he never quite seemed to connect that he was fighting against Yahweh and not Elijah.

Continued bad leadership is evidenced in Ahaziah’s policy of just sending in more troops to deal with something he didn’t like. Puny attempts at power and arm-twisting, in order to get our way, are at the least, just pathetic, and at most, gets a lot of people killed.

Posturing and intimidation are very poor tools in dealing with problems. Such approaches belie listening to the wrong sort of people (and the wrong sort of gods!).

God is still God, no matter what we do or don’t do, say or don’t say. Any efforts to silence what is right and just, or to simply avoid unwanted messages altogether, get us nowhere – except maybe to get God’s attention in ways we may not want.

Don’t be like this people,
    always afraid somebody is plotting against them.
Don’t fear what they fear.
    Don’t take on their worries.
If you’re going to worry,
    worry about The Holy. Fear God-of-the-Angel-Armies. (Isaiah 8:12-13, MSG)

Any national leader who believes they can act with impunity, as if they are in control of everything, will eventually come up against the real Ruler of all. If such a leader listens only to themselves, and merely gathers sycophants around them who say things the leader wants to hear, then the only thing the “leader” can expect is a hard fall from the One who is truly in charge.

King Ahaziah sought the counsel of Baal prophets, not unlike his ancestor King Saul who consulted with the land’s mediums and spiritists instead of God. Both kings came to an ignominious and inglorious end.

Who do you listen to, my friend? Whom we seek for counsel, and who we choose to listen to, makes a big difference in our lives.

Listening to talk show hosts who claim to have all the answers, political pundits who only like to talk, marginal preachers seeking self-glory, and ignorant neighbors serving as armchair quarterbacks, is foolish and stupid. No one has the corner on truth, except the One who sees and knows all things.

God awaits us, wants to listen to us, and eagerly desires to answer good prayers for us offered in faith, hope, and love. I am, personally, okay disappointing others; I only want to remain faithful and true to the source of life, truth, and justice.

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; so that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Real vs. Delusional (2 Kings 22:29-40, 51-53)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “Surely this is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out, the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel and stopped pursuing him.

But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” All day long the battle raged, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. The blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died. As the sun was setting, a cry spread through the army: “Every man to his town. Every man to his land!”

So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried him there. They washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria (where the prostitutes bathed), and the dogs licked up his blood, as the word of the Lord had declared.

As for the other events of Ahab’s reign, including all he did, the palace he built and adorned with ivory, and the cities he fortified, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Ahab rested with his ancestors. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king….

Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he followed the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. He served and worshiped Baal and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, just as his father had done. (New International Version)

The Death of Ahab, by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld (1794-1872)

Whenever someone ignores or tries to get around reality, we call such a person “delusional.” It seems that the more power and authority a person possesses, the easier it is to delude themselves into thinking they can manipulate events in their favor. They then tend to listen only to what they want to hear.

King Ahab of Israel was delusional. He, like so many kings before and after him, was focused on the externals of personal power, accumulating more wealth, and exploring alternative religions. It all led to a twisted view of reality, as well as a prophetic demise.

Identifying so much with externalities, to the detriment of the internalities, is the ultimate bogus approach to life. It never ends well. Instead of exploring the image of God within himself and others, ensuring justice for all his subjects, and using his power to provide for the common good of all Israel, King Ahab went the spiritually and emotionally insecure route of listening to the wrong people.

Insecure and delusional people only listen to what is positive; and they eschew any negatives in their life. This is why the biblical prophets throughout Old Testament history typically found themselves at loggerheads, in prison, or at the end of a spear from those in power.

Ahab feigned wanting to hear what is true, but when hearing any negative aspects, he wrongly believed he could get around reality through his earthly authority and personal ingenuity. But he couldn’t. No one can outdo the stronger unseen forces in this world. (1 Kings 22:1-28)

So, Ahab laid a delusional plan to disguise himself as an ordinary soldier in battle. But although he chose to go against prophetic truth, there was no way to ignore the reality of it.

The providence and purposes of God prevail in any and all circumstances – no matter what they are. Today’s story highlights a seemingly random arrow from an enemy solider, hitting Ahab in the precise spot which could penetrate his armor.

The king was wounded and had to leave the battle. Yet, Ahab stuck to his delusional world, having his men prop him up in his chariot so that he could watch events unfolding in front of him.

Even in his powerlessness, King Ahab could not bring himself to believe that things could be different than he planned. He died at the end of the day, still stuck in his delusional and insecure world.

The editor of the Book of Kings summarized Ahab’s reign by mentioning impressive external improvements to his palace and fortified cities. Yet, these are mere incidentals. The real – and not delusional – assessment of the king’s life is that he was a religious apostate and a moral reprobate.

In the end, Ahab was nothing more than a weak and insecure individual who compromised God’s ethical law and sought to control events for his own misguided purposes. He followed Yahweh only if it aligned with his own plans.

Furthermore, it’s sad that Ahab’s approach to life, and his behavior toward others, was reflective of the Israelite nation as a whole (2 Kings 17:7-17). His own death eerily foreshadowed the death of Israel.

In our own era of incompetent leadership, morally inferior leaders, and delusional administrations, it behooves every concerned and pious believer to pray for all those in authority.

This side of heaven, there will always be cultural and societal pressures to conform to external pride, wealth, and success. But this is not the believer’s call, to take it’s cues from worldly power. Our focus is on consistently and patiently doing what is good, right, and just – accepting the unseen real over the seen delusion.

Rather than trying to continually manipulate events for our own shortsighted purposes, we must persevere in spurring-on one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24). For only together, as the one people of God, can we resist and subvert the machinations of delusional leaders.

O Lord God, Ruler of all, and whose glory exists in all the world: We commend nations and their leaders to Your divine providence, so that we may dwell secure in Your peace.

Grant to everyone in authority everywhere the wisdom and strength to know and do Your will. Fill them with the love of truth and justice; and make them mindful of their calling to serve all people with respect and reverence; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Leadership Matters (2 Kings 9:30-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
Jehu Commanding Jezebel’s Death, by Philip Galle, c.1561

Jehu then went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard of it, she put on her eye shadow and arranged her hair. She looked down out of the window. When Jehu came through the gate, she said, “Do you come in peace, Zimri, you master murderer?”

Jehu looked up to the window and said, “Who’s on my side? Anyone?” Two or three high officials looked down at him. Then he said, “Throw her out!” So they threw her out of the window. Some of her blood splattered against the wall and on the horses, and they trampled her. 

Jehu then went in to eat and drink. He said, “Deal with this cursed woman and bury her. She was, after all, a king’s daughter.” They went to bury her, but they couldn’t find her body. Only her skull was left, along with her hands and feet. They went back and reported this to Jehu.

He said, “This is the Lord’s word spoken through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: Dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh in the area of Jezreel. Jezebel’s corpse will be like dung spread out in a field in that plot of land in Jezreel, so no one will be able to say, This was Jezebel.” (Common English Bible)

“Jezebel” is not a common name for a reason. Few parents would ever give their child such a moniker. Jezebel is portrayed in Old Testament Scripture as a pagan priestess who cared nothing for Israel’s one true God; and would do anything to get her way – even if it meant fabricating false witnesses and committing murder (1 Kings 21). Here name is used synonymously in the New Testament with spiritual prostitution and opposition to God (Revelation 2:20).

Jezebel was from the city of Tyre, and married King Ahab. She introduced her husband and his nation to the chief Canaanite god Baal. Jezebel promoted the worship practices of Baal. She brought to Israel 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah. What’s more, Jezebel’s commitment to Baal led her to persecute and kill the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:4, 13).

Jehu was a military man, called by God through the prophet Elisha:

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the Lord’s people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.’”  (2 Kings 9:6-10, NIV)

Eventually, Jehu made his way to Jezebel – and she knew full well that he intended on killing her. So, Jezebel readied by presenting herself as beautiful as possible. It seems that she intended on seducing or currying favor with Jehu so that she might continue in the royal court. But Jehu wasn’t having it.

The new king of Israel, Jehu, in seeing Jezebel, didn’t even bother to go up to her when she showed herself out of the upper level latticed window. He simply asked where the loyalty is, from those attending her. The eunuchs responded by throwing Jezebel out the window to her death. Thus, the details of Elijah’s earlier prophecy came to pass in a gruesome way.

In my reading of the story this time around, I wondered how many people are in jobs who are working for someone they see continually doing selfish and unfair things. My mind gravitated toward the eunuchs – Jezebel’s servants – who daily dealt with her. I wondered:

  • Were the eunuchs ever disturbed by Jezebel’s actions?
  • Did they ever get angry over all the injustice they saw? Or, were the eunuchs just like their mistress, having no regard for the many lives she destroyed?
  • What was the nature of their loyalty? Was it forced, or was it just shrewd?
  • Did the eunuchs dispose of their mistress because they finally saw a way out, or did they toss her out the window as a mere watching out for themselves and wanting to be on the winner’s side?

The text never tells us about the life or motives of the eunuchs. Yet, I imagine they most likely saw the situation for what it was at the time. And I suspect they had a sense that Jezebel’s reign of injustice needed to be finished.

In saying this, I’m in no way advocating for dislodging an unjust and unfair leader by violent means. But what I am saying is that, if one has a strong sense of goodness within them, its distressing to see a bad leader act in sinister and malevolent ways day after day. Consider the following statistics from the Niagara Institute:

57% of all workers have left a job in their lifetime because of bad leadership. 32% say they have considered leaving a job due to poor management, and/or due to unbearable working conditions.

69% of workers would pay better attention to their work if they were treated with more respect by their employers. 79% of employees have quit a job in their lifetime due to a lack of appreciation.

96% of employees said that management showing empathy would make them want to stay with the company. Moreover, management thinks they’re doing a good job, with 92% of managers saying that their company is empathetic; whereas only 50% of employees agree.

35% of employees say their direct manager is their biggest source of stress at work.

Over 120,000 deaths every year may be attributed to how U.S. organizations manage their employees. This doesn’t even account for the physical and mental toll an ineffective leader can take over a period of time.

Maybe Jezebel’s eunuchs knew their own deaths were just a matter of time.

I’ve been on both ends of being an employee/worker and a leader/manager. I can say that I have suffered abuse in both roles. Yet, in my judgment, the onus on making a workplace a good and positive environment is on management.

Whatever role we occupy in this life, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that there is no injustice; and that integrity and fairness are ubiquitous. Leaders are especially called to exhibit what is good, right, and just in everything they do.

Let’s all be willing to hold one another accountable for how we work and live together in this world. If not, we’ll keep having stories like Jehu and Jezebel.

“A Blessing for Leaders,” by John O’Donohue

May you have the grace and wisdom

To act kindly, learning

To distinguish between what is

Personal and what is not.

May you be hospitable to criticism.

May you never put yourself at the center of things.

May you act not from arrogance but out of service.

May you work on yourself,

Building up and refining the ways of your mind.

May those who work for you know

You see and respect them.

May you learn to cultivate the art of presence

In order to engage with those who meet you.

When someone fails or disappoints you,

May the graciousness with which you engage

Be their stairway to renewal and refinement.

May you treasure the gifts of the mind

Through reading and creative thinking

So that you continue as a servant of the frontier

Where the new will draw its enrichment from the old,

And you never become a functionary.

May you know the wisdom of deep listening,

The healing of wholesome words,

The encouragement of the appreciative gaze,

The decorum of held dignity,

The springtime edge of the bleak question.

May you have a mind that loves frontiers

So that you can evoke the bright fields

That lie beyond the view of the regular eye.

May you have good friends

To mirror your blind spots.

May leadership be for you

A true adventure of growth.