Devotions: Leading from Behind

 

Then they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

1 Kings 12:7 New American Standard Bible 1995

 

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. Solomon had taxed the people and put them into hard labor to build the temple and palace. When he died, the people asked his son to remove their bonds and treat them kindly and fairly. I heard someone say when I was younger that your employees will act the way you treat them. If you treat them like they are valued and good workers, they will be good workers, but if you treat them like they are not worth much they won’t do much. That principle applied to Rehoboam, unfortunately he foolishly ignored their plea and actually promised to make things worse. As a result, the people rebelled and he lost half of the kingdom.  Granted this was all to fulfill God’s promise to Solomon who did not follow God whole heartedly, but that is not the point here. I want to compare these kings with God. The people wanted a king who would serve, love and treat them well. That is exactly the kind of King Jesus is. The book of Matthew focuses on Jesus as the Servant King. He did not come to be served but to serve and give His life for many. That is the kind of leader people naturally want to follow; the kind that lives the example, who puts others before Himself, and who is more concerned about the welfare of those under Him than He does about His power or position. That is the kind of ruler people want to follow.

This principle does not apply to kings only, but to anyone in leadership. I once heard a very famous actor say that he leads from behind, as a result he has very successful films and relationships. We should all take this example to heart. Everyone has someone under them, whether it be a child, coworker, spouse, business partner, or governed subjects. If we want to have successful businesses, endeavors and relationships, then we need to learn how to lead from behind. Simply put, we need to learn how to serve, how to value the needs of those under us above our status or even our business or whatever we are in charge of. No matter what we are running, it revolves around people. If the people involved in it are taken care of well, then it will prosper, otherwise while it may succeed in worldly terms, it will not be prosperous and likely will go under eventually. I have seen that happen to many businesses, families and governments.

Who are you in authority over? What kind of leader are you? Ask God to help you to have a servant’s heart, to help you be like Jesus so that what you do will flourish.

 

 

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