Unless a leader depends on God for guidance and instruction, every enterprise they undertake will suffer from a weak foundation. Read Psalm 127.

Psalm 127 was written by Solomon. Solomon, David’s son, took over leadership of Israel after King David’s death. Solomon ruled in Israel for 40 years and was possibly the richest man that has ever lived and was known in his day as the wisest man in the world. Even today high budget Hollywood movies are made with the premise of seeking treasure Solomon may have hidden away. Solomon knew power and influence beyond what most world leaders will ever know. The Bible tells us that rulers, royalty and military traveled from all over the known world just to be in his presence and hear his wisdom. Read more »

A leader by nature has power and influence. Power and influence are essential to leadership and without them it is impossible for leaders to lead. What a leader does with their power and influence matters more than they may realize. Read Psalm 82:1-8.

God had established a system whereby the Jewish people could get fair legal rulings from impartial leaders He called judges. Much of America’s legal system is built on the Biblical model God gave the Jews. Because of the authority in their role as God’s delegates and image bearers, these leaders are referred to as “gods” (v. 1). Psalm 82 describes a scene in which God chastises and challenges Israel’s judges. Rather than being accountable to defend the “weak and fatherless” and to protect the “poor and oppressed” these leaders were “defend(ing) the unjust” and “show(ing) partiality to the wicked.” Read more »

Leaders have influence. Influence is a neutral word but the person with influence can use their influence for good or for evil. Read Esther 3-7.

King Xerxes of Persia chose a man named Haman to be prime minister, second in command, of all of Persia. At the command of the king, all the royal officials at the king’s gate bowed down to Haman. Haman allowed his pride to surface and grew to feel this kind of treatment was deserved. When Mordecai the Jew refused to bow down or pay honor to Haman based on his religious beliefs, Haman was enraged. If Haman had not been full of pride he may have dealt with the problem directly and severely punished Mordecai but Haman chose to make a larger statement to satisfy his pride and demonstrate his power. He determined to destroy all the Jewish people living in Persia because of Mordecai’s actions. Read more »

God provides Christian leaders with power and position to accomplish His ends. Christian leaders make a wise choice when they view their positions as God’s tools to accomplish His purposes. This concept of leader-as-steward is foundational to servant leadership and ethical leadership. Read Esther 2-7.

King Xerxes had banished Queen Vashti in a fit of anger but soon felt the emptiness created by his decision. His advisors consoled him with a plan to bring the most beautiful women from all over his kingdom and allow him to choose his next queen. Read more »

Wise leaders regard their position and power as tools to serve their team not to manipulate others and elevate themselves. Read Esther 1.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah focus on the Jews that left exile in Babylon to return to Judah and Jerusalem. In contrast, the book of Esther focuses on the Jews that did not go to Judah but stayed in Babylon under Persian control. The Persians were the dominate world power and their empire extended from India to Ethiopia and included all of what we call the Middle East today and was made up of 127 different provinces. The Persian king ruling over this vast empire was named Xerxes. Read more »