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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends, all around the world.
Finally… the long anticipated day has arrived in the USA... today is election day! What history will be made today, and what impact will be felt where you live, over the months and years to come?
Over the past several days I’ve been leading us in seeking to discover important leadership lessons, from God’s perspective on Israel’s history in the Bible. These past three days we’ve looked at what God did through Elijah the prophet during a very wicked time under the leadership of king Ahab and queen Jezebel. I hope it has encouraged you, especially if you live in a place where leadership is wicked or critical of God’s people, and rejecting God’s truth.
Simultaneous to these Elijah events in Israel, leadership transition was happening in Jerusalem as king Asa died and his son Jehoshaphat succeeded him on the throne of the southern kingdom of Judah. 2 Chronicles 17 gives us insight into that very important leadership transition season. Then, as now, leadership transition is a very important moment in history. I wonder what leadership transition will be like in America after today? As you may know there are many leaders seeking political leadership roles all across America today.
Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem 25 years. (2 Chron. 20:31) That means Jehoshaphat was able to experience first hand, both the remarkable years of peace, prosperity and God’s blessing on the nation during the first many years of his father king Asa’s leadership, but also the sudden turnaround and angry decline of the last few years of Asa’s life. As young leaders all across America have been watching over the past 30 years or so, I wonder what they have learned about good, effective leadership and what have they seen as terrible leadership failure? If they win their elections, how will they lead, based on what they have seen, and how will their leadership impact all America?
2 Chronicles 17:3 says “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in the ways of king David…He did not consult the idols of Baal, but sought the God of his father and followed God’s commands rather than the practices of king Ahab, Jezebel and Israel… Jehoshaphat’s heart was devoted to the ways of the LORD, furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.” Do you see the evidence that Jehoshaphat launched his leadership culture with intentional and decisive actions that very clearly rejected the evils of king Ahab and others who had led God’s people into idolatry, and wickedness? While at the same time Jehoshaphat pursued knowing God and discerning how to follow God’s leading of him as King, in doing what was honorable and right for the people? That is an important pathway for every good leader… stop the evil leadership actions of the previous administration and pursue only those leadership decisions which build a God honoring society! That is true in a business, a family, a community, a nation, and a church.
Please notice Jehoshaphat next did something no previous leader had done… he sent teachers to inform and instruct the people in HOW to build a God honoring society! “In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent officials…to teach the people in the towns of Judah…They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD; they went around to all the towns of Judah…” (2 Chron. 17:7-9) Can you put yourself into this picture my friends?
Copies of the Old Testament Law of God were very, very rare in those days. Many towns would not have even one copy in their entire town. No one had a personal copy of course. Yet living according to God’s instructions was the only way to build a God honoring society. So Jehoshaphat did what has been done all around the world in 2020! He sent teachers to the people where they lived and worked. In our day it has been done through internet online learning. 2800 years ago, it was done in public gatherings, in the town square, with teachers, sent by the king, reading and explaining God’s truths to the people!
Did you know that when many of the original Universities in America and England began, their central curriculum was deep study of God’s Word? Leaders of these nations, and administrators of these first Universities like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford and others, knew that God’s Truth was foundational to all learning, all wisdom and all truth. Our societies agreed then, that the most valuable leaders in politics, law, business, education and yes even religion, would be those who understood God’s Word deeply and could apply it practically to all situations in real life! That’s why all students in those universities majored in Bible in those early years!
Look at the result in Jehoshaphat’s day: “The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat.” (2 Chron. 17:10) It means the leaders and people of all the surrounding nations recognized the hand of God was upon Jehoshaphat as a leader, and God’s protecting hand of blessing was upon the people of Judah. Prosperity spread across the land and peace spread throughout the entire region. Meanwhile, as we have seen in the past few days of our study, there was famine and idolatry and societal chaos under king Ahab in the northern kingdom of Israel.
What a tremendous contrast in leadership! Judah lived under God’s blessing, while Israel starved in the famine resulting from 3 years of God sent drought, in response to Ahab’s wicked leadership!
Now, let’s look around our parts of our world my friends, on this election day. Based on what we’ve seen in God’s Word over the past several days, what would be wise leadership steps for leaders to take in the weeks and months to come, following the elections today? Who of those running for various offices of leadership do you see as men and women who will lead wisely, with God’s help, if elected, and who do you see will probably lead those they influence far away from God? And what can you anticipate will be the end result years from now? How will that likely affect YOU and your descendants, no matter where you live in our world?
And one last question: All leaders surround themselves with people they trust to help them lead. We’ve seen over the past several days how in some cases kings were influenced wisely by those who advised them and the people worked together to build great societies in times of peace and prosperity. Other leaders, however, followed poor advice and made disastrous decisions which brought pain and economic collapse and dysfunction to their societies.
So, who are those whom God has been preparing, who know and want to honor God with their lives, so when these elected leaders look around to find those who can help them lead wisely, they’ll find these God prepared people just as king Jehoshaphat did when he looked for teachers that he could send to instruct the people? Could it be you are one of those influential people and God may use you to influence a key leader in how to lead wisely in days to come…whether that’s in politics or business or health care or education or your local church?
Let’s talk to God about this right now. . .oh Lord Jesus, we are asking that You guide all those today who are seeking God’s guidance in their voting. Then when all ballots are counted and elected leaders are named, oh God we pray, You will raise up around them those who have been seeking to know You and Your truth well. So they can be led of You, Holy Spirit, as they influence the leaders to discern and follow God given leadership paths.
Click to read today’s chapter: 2 Chronicles 17. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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