LEADERSHIP QUALITIES. By Pastor Mark Olson

SCRIPTURE - Nehemiah 7:2

I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.

OBSERVATION

Nehemiah’s job of overseeing the building of the wall is done and he is now tasked with establishing the leadership of Jerusalem and putting into place the plans for the next phase of rebuilding the city. He appoints his brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem and provides the reason for his choice – “he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most.”

APPLICATION

One definition of leadership is “the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. That’s pretty straight-forward and easy to grasp. And when we think of leaders we often think in those terms - able to influence people, able to get others to do things to accomplish a task, getting people to rally around a cause. All are important and are a part of what we would normally ask for in a good leader.

It’s interesting that when Nehemiah appoints his brother as the leader over Jerusalem he also provides a reason for his choice and it’s not the reason you might expect if you use the Webster’s definition of a leader. Maybe Nehemiah had to justify why he appointed his brother (nepotism), but more likely he wanted to define the qualities a true leader should have. In any case, the reasons he gave were that Hanani was a man of integrity and feared God more than most.

Integrity is someone who steadfastly adheres to a strict moral or ethical code. They are unimpaired by distractions or temptations, undivided and focused. Hanani was this type of man and was chosen, in part, because of his integrity. But secondly, Hanani was chosen because of his relationship with God. He feared God. When we fear someone (in the way the Bible defines fear of God), we pay close attention to what they say and what they have already said before. That “fear” influences our decisions - how we act, how we think and the choices we make.

The two statements about Hanani are very similar – both indicate a solid, rock like character that will not be easily influenced by distractions, by shouting of special interests, by bribes and by the power of his position. These qualities were within Hanani and those two characteristics made him a good candidate to lead. Yes, we want a leader who is able to influence others, but we more want someone who is able to hear God and stand firm on God’s word and God’s direction when the distractions are shouting loud in their face. In this political season, we have plenty of people who are good at influencing others, but men and women of integrity, who love and fear God, are somewhat hard to find.

PRAYER

Lord, help me to be a man of integrity and a man who pays attention to what You say. Help me to lead by those qualities as you place in my heart. In Jesus name, Amen.