August 25, 2025 -Leadership

EZEKIEL 26:15-28:26

2 KINGS 25:3-7

JEREMIAH 52:6-11

JEREMIAH 39:2-10

Chronological Bible Readings

^{2Kings 25:5} but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ⁶ and he was captured.

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. ⁷ They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.

We know that the Babylonian captivity was allowed by God because of the rebellion of the all the people but what happens to the king says to me that the leader who led the people astray had greater responsibility. We know that God is a just God, so this is justice proportionate to his wrongdoing. It seems harsh to not only kill his sons in front of him but to make sure that is the last thing he ever saw. But I don't think we can ever really understand the severity and depth of all our disobedience, idol worship, and selfish living in corporate sin really is in the eyes of God. And the king set an example that turned all those under him away from God.

So, what can I take from this? Every place where we are put into a position of authority. Parent, boss, leader in church of any kind from Sunday school teacher to elder or pastor. We are held to a higher standard of responsibility than those who are put in our care. We need to be careful not to lead others astray. With our teaching but also with our actions. Expect that others are looking to us as examples of how to live and serve God. We need to have our hearts right with the Lord so that our actions. and words are pointing others to Jesus not away from Him. And when we do fail in our example as we often will. just as all leaders do, we need to humble ourselves first before the Lord and then to those who we may have led astray. The better we are at admitting our sins and doing all we can to make things right the better God can use us and work in and through us to help others grow in their relationship with Him and the body of Christ.

1 Timothy has the standard we should strive for.

1Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ⁷ He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

⁸ In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. ⁹ They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ¹⁰ They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

James 3 warns us of the responsibility we have and the fact that we will be held to that higher standard.

James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

Hebrews tells us that we need to live and lead in a way that would allow others to have confidence in our leadership. Those who we "watch over" become our responsibility and we need to be ready to give and account of them.

Hebrews 13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.