Demonstrating Spiritual Leadership

Judges 4:4-10, 14-16; 5:1-2, 6-9 NAS
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, March 7

The Battle of Saratoga took place in October 1777, and according to many, marked the turning point of the American Revolution. In the midst of that epic engagement, commander Daniel Morgan said to his troops, “Forget the poor fellows who fight for sixpence a day. Concentrate on the epaulet men!” So successful was Morgan’s strategy of striking down the opposition’s leadership that British General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender. While it’s true that military conflict necessitates the participation of the ordinary foot soldier, it’s also true that the ordinary foot soldier stands in desperate need of inspirational leadership if he has any hope of victory.

Consider the following definitions of leadership as offered by several well-known personalities. A leader is “one who knows the road, can stay ahead, and can pull others after him.” A leader is “a dealer in hope.” A leader is a “helmsman, a person who knows the ship’s destination, understands the conditions of the sea, and can bring together in a positive way a person’s or group’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and willingness to achieve.” A leader is a person who can “motivate and mobilize people around a vision, a person who can bring about institutional change.”

A General Motors employee once said, “My foreman thinks I have more ability than I think I have. So I consistently do better work than I thought I could do.” A characteristic common to great leaders is their ability to inspire others to action. Amazingly, this is the very thing that analyst George Barna believes is missing in the church. He is convinced that “most people who are in positions of leadership in local churches aren’t leaders.” According to him, these folks are wonderful people. They are “lovers of God, well-educated, and gifted communicators, but they’re not leaders.”

Leadership is critical to the success of a nation, an organization, or a family. Of course, critical to the role of a leader is understanding precisely what a leader is. Unfortunately, too many folks see a leader as nothing more than a manager, a person who organizes and directs. However, organizing and directing are but small parts of being a leader.

In actuality, whatever else a real leader does, he or she inspires others to action, and that truth stands at the heart of this week’s lesson in Judges 4-5. In fact, leadership stands at the heart of the entire book. Interestingly, based on Judges 21:25, someone has suggested that Judges might be better titled, “The Book of Failure.” However, I think Judges would be better titled “Leadership Is Essential!” When the right kind of leadership was in place, Israel prospered. Conversely, when leadership was absent, the nation floundered.

When Deborah arose as prophetess and judge in Israel, the problems she faced were as immense as they were numerous. The times were evil (4:1), the nation’s enemy was herculean (4:2-3), the shadow of war hovered over the land (5:8a), the weapons of defense were non-existent (5:8b), the hearts of people were fearful (5:5-7), and women were not put on equal footing with men as heads of state (4:9).

What tremendous difficulties! Yet, Deborah faced those difficulties brilliantly, and she stands as a magnificent example of leadership that inspires others to action.

What enabled Deborah to be an inspirational leader? First, Deborah not only saw the problems, but she also saw God’s solution. Everyone in Israel could see the problems. In fact, Judges 4:3 tells us that “the sons of Israel cried to the Lord.” The idea is that they cried and cried and cried. They rehearsed the problems again and again and again. However, the rehearsal of problems is rarely a profitable exercise. Why? Because it often leads to nothing more than an ever-increasing weight of depression.

Seeing the problem is easy. However, seeing God’s solution is a different story, and this is what set Deborah apart. She saw God’s solution (4:6-7), and seeing God’s solution is one of the keys to inspirational leadership. Not everyone has such ability, but those who do are in a position to encourage others to action.

Second, Deborah possessed a bed-rock confidence that God would be actively involved in Israel’s execution of His solution. What the Israelis feared most were the 900 iron chariots belonging to Sisera’s army (4:3), and it seemed as if his forces were unbeatable. Yet, notice the two “I wills” in Judges 4:7, “‘I will’ draw out to you Sisera . . . and ‘I will’ give him into your hand.”

God’s solution always requires faith. Sadly, most people are not geared to operate in the realm of the impossible. However, leaders who believe God more than they believe their circumstances can inspire those with faint hearts. That’s exactly what Deborah did! So confident was she in the Lord that she used the past tense in referring to God’s guarantee of victory (4:14). People are often inspired to do what they, themselves, cannot envision if only a convinced leader goes before them.

Third, Deborah participated in the execution of God’s solution (4:9). She did not merely encourage others “to lay it all on the line” for the Lord. To the contrary, she was right there in the midst of the battle. Someone has suggested that leaders who inspire others to act are leaders who “stay close to the action.” The Mayo brothers, founders of the famous Mayo Clinic, required all surgeons who had not operated for at least three weeks to return to the operating room, first, as an assistant. Why? They had been away from the action for too long!

In like manner, Winston Churchill, was a man who frequently showed up in dangerous places in both World War I and II, and he is considered one of the most inspirational leaders in history. You may be in a leadership position, but are you a leader? Real leaders inspire others to action, even if it means exposure to danger zones.