It is the leader’s responsibility to create an environment of humility, justice, fairness, and mercy that makes it safe for the team. Read Micah 6:1-8.

Micah lays out the charges against Israel’s leaders in verses 1-7 and gives the people permission to plead their case for innocence. God gave the people every break and helped them in their times of need yet they chose to ignore Him and follow their own desires. They had a form of religion with the rituals they practiced but their hearts were distant from God. In verse eight Micah tells the people what God expects of them, especially the leaders.

God-honoring leadership demands that the leader have God-honoring character. Read Micah 2:1-13.

The leaders in Israel were very prosperous but were condemned by God because they were self-centered and self-serving. Day and night they considered how to get personal gain at the expense of those who could not defend themselves against their onslaught of legal maneuvers and fraudulent actions. They knew God’s commands concerning protecting the poor and oppressed but they determined it was not to their advantage to follow God-established principles in their leadership. Their defective character brought God’s judgment on the entire nation.

God-honoring leaders place extreme importance on values in long-range planning. Read Micah 2:1-5.

Micah shows us what it looks like when leaders eliminate godly values when making plans for the future. He paints a picture of leaders who plan evil and carry it out “because they have the power to do it.” Israel’s leaders forced their plans on the poor and oppressed who were unable to stop them. The government, religious, and business leaders were defrauding them of their homes and inheritance. Through Micah God gave a stern warning that He would thwart the schemes of those who plan and plot evil for their own gain.

Leaders who exhort their team to a higher moral level serve the organization well. Read Jonah 3:6-9.

When the city of Nineveh got the news of Jonah’s message concerning God’s judgment and the impending demise of the nation that would follow, the king of Nineveh immediately repented. He took off his royal robes and put on clothing made of rough burlap-like material called sackcloth and sat in a pile of ashes to demonstrate his total humility before God. He first repented of his own sin and then used his influence to bring about a city-wide revival. The king of Nineveh used his position to exhort the people to change the moral climate of the entire nation. When God saw his response, He had compassion on the Ninevites and did not destroy the city.

Leaders who lack character are often more destructive to an organization than helpful. Read Jonah 1:1-12.

Jonah was God’s prophet in Israel between 785-775 B. C. approximately 175 years after the reign of Solomon. Assyria is the dominate world power and in approximately 60 years, in 722 B. C, will have a military victory over the Northern Kingdom of Israel and will take the majority of those living in Israel into exile. Israel and Judah had already seen several examples of the cruelty, tyranny and brutality of Assyria and were living in great fear of any Assyrian military move against them.