How God Chooses Leaders

Finding, hiring, choosing and developing leaders is a key facet of leadership itself. A true leader is tasked with replicating himself in others. Where do great leaders come from? We might look at Scripture to see the example of biblical leaders. But instead of looking at just their actions, let’s look at how God chose them to begin with. This may give some insight into where we ourselves can find excellent future leaders.

In Romans 13:1 we read that all authority is of God: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Notice that it does not say everyone in authority is of God, which is exercising authority in a God-directed manner. So we understand that God set the government of our world to be ruled by people over us and people under us.

God doesn’t choose the obvious person. To lead His people, Israel, from out of Egypt, God chose Moses. Today we think of Moses as a mighty leader, but at the time, Moses was wandering in the wilderness. He had taken the life of someone in Egypt. He didn’t speak well in public. He was abandoned at birth. In other words, Moses was far from the perfect candidate. Today he would not be on the short list for CEO of anything. When God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses replied to God, “I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Not exactly ringing with confidence! Yet God choose who He wanted as His leader and put him in the position He desired. God’s reason for you to be in leadership is likely not because of your specific experience of qualifications to lead.

Questions:

• Are you specifically qualified for your leadership role at work or home?

• When choosing leaders, do you look for the obvious choice?

• Do you ever include spiritual qualifications in choosing a leader, like godliness or a servant’s heart?

God’s leaders are first required to be obedient to God. A common denominator of leaders in Scripture is their obedience to God. When God chose Noah to build the ark, he began construction despite never having seen rain. Building the ark was a herculean task that involved Noah and his entire family and took between 50 and 75 years. Yet Genesis 6;22 says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Did God choose Noah because of his seamanship, or knowledge of animal breeding, or his timber framing technique? Likely it was because Noah simply obeyed God. Genesis 7:23 records the result: “Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.”

Not every leader God chooses is obedient. He chose Saul to be Israel’s first king. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul disobeys God and loses God’s blessings as king. Even as Saul repents, Samuel tells him “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:14). God later chose Jonah to deliver His instructions to the city of Ninevah. Jonah refused, and the entire book of Jonah is the account of his refusal, then reluctant obedience. From this we can understand that there is a cost to being given leadership by God, and then not being obedient to the Word of God.  

Questions:

• How can you be obedient to God in your leadership?

• Do you seek leaders who have a strong spiritual foundation?

• Is being obedient to God also a mark of good leadership?

God gives much grace to his leaders. In the New Testament we read of God choosing Paul to be a leader, though he continually persecuted and killed early Christians. Instead of killing Paul, God instead blinded him and gave him the opportunity to come to faith in Jesus. Choosing Paul, the enemy of Christianity, to instead be a leader of it, is a clear picture of a characteristic of God: grace. Sometimes grace is defined as “unmerited favor”. This is seen throughout Scripture, culminating with the ultimate act of God’s grace, Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of man.

Growing a forgiving and forbearing attitude develops a leader, who will undoubtedly make mistakes and missteps along the way. A good leader must possess both grace and mercy. God’s example in choosing leaders is that His investment of time is always ultimately for the benefit of the person. The Apostle Paul realized this and wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15-16, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

We should also seek leaders who echo God’s grace and mercy in their own lives in dealing with those in their sphere of influence. Ephesians 4:31-32 reminds us, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Questions:

• How can grace and mercy be reflected in your leadership?

• Do you seek leaders who exemplify grace and mercy? How can you tell if they have these character traits?

God’s leaders are there to accomplish God’s purposes. Wherever you are leading today, understand that God has placed you here for a reason. Hebrews 13:7 tells us, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Whether it’s Noah, or David, or Moses, or Elijah, or Paul or John, the Bible’s leaders are well-known because of one thing—they did what God commanded in order to accomplish God’s purpose. Even leaders who were in opposition to God’s desires still helped God accomplish what He set out to do.

In Exodus when Moses needed additional help, God told him, “But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens” (Exodus 18:21). God instructed first to choose men who feared Him and were trustworthy. Later, Jesus gives a clear definition of biblical leadership that turns the concept upside down: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:26-28).

Christ came to accomplish God’s will, to give His life as a ransom for many. In the same context He defines servant leadership—the idea that the “first among us” would be those who would serve others. This service is in the context of God’s purpose for the individual, and to accomplish God’s plans on earth. To accomplish God’s intent, the leader must possess humility in order to put God’s interests above his own.

Questions:

• What do you want a leader to accomplish for your organization? Is there a spiritual component to their role?

• When looking for leaders, do you take into account servant leadership? How do you seek humility as a character trait in prospective hires?

• Just like God told Moses, when looking for subordinates and those to whom you can delegate responsibility, do you seek people who fear God and are trustworthy?