I will lead the men with me; we will march toward the city. The men in the city will come out to fight against us. We will turn and run away from them as we did before.
Joshua 8:5 (ERV)
When Joshua, the leader of the Children of Israel was giving the battle strategy of how they were to capture Ai, he told them that he will lead the men and they will march toward the city. In other words, Joshua did not just give the orders, he actively get involved in the battle.
This teaches us another important lesson about leadership; leaders must rule by example rather than command.
The Bible is filled with stories of men and women who lead people, not by staying in the background but by actively getting involved.
Deborah the Prophetess
Deborah the Prophetess and Judge over Israel encouraged Barak, the captain of the army to go and fight against their oppressors. However Barak refused to go unless Deborah went along with him and so she did and God gave them the victory (Judges 4).
King Jehoshaphat
King Jehoshaphat led Judah into the enemy camp by being the first to bow his head with his face to the ground and then all of Judah and Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. As a result of the praise and worship they offered to the Lord, the Lord set ambushments against their enemies and they were destroyed (2 Chronicles 20:18-22).
Gideon
Gideon was another leader who led by example. Once God told him to arise and go to the camp of the Midianites, he divided the three hundred men into three groups. He gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar with a burning torch inside it. Then Gideon told the men, “Watch me and do what I do. Follow me to the edge of the enemy camp. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly what I do”. The Lord gave Gideon and his men the victory (Judges 7:16-25).
Jesus Christ
Jesus taught His disciples that whoever desires to be great must serve (Luke 22:26), and He demonstrated this by serving His disciples at the last supper (Matthew 26:26-29). Jesus showed His disciples how to be humble by washing their feet and encourages us as His disciples to do likewise (John 13:14).
These few examples show that it is important as leaders to rule by example rather than by command. A problem with commanding those you serve is that we do not remember very well something that we are told. To be an effective leader therefore we must strive to not only teach but to lead by example as Joshua did by getting involved in the heat of the battle.
When a leader is supposed to get involved but decides to stay on the side lines, it can lead to trouble. David, was a skilled warrior who did much exploits, however there was a time when he decided to stay at home instead of getting involved in the battle. A great sin of adultery and murder was committed as a result.
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me to be like Your Son Jesus Christ. He showed us how to be humble by stooping down and washing His disciples’ feet. Please help me to lead by example rather than command in Jesus name, amen.
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