Wise leaders keep a position of humility as they steward God’s resources that have been entrusted to them. Read Hosea 14:1-9.

The leaders of Israel lacked humility because they had forgotten the true source of their prosperity. God assigns leaders to be in charge but wise leaders remember that God remains in control. Hosea’s recommendation for the people of Israel was that they “return to the Lord. Say to him: ‘Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in You the fatherless find compassion.’” The people of Israel needed to admit that the One True God was the source of their prosperity and protection not the Assyrian army or the hand-crafted gods. Hosea wanted the people to know they were stewards of their prosperity not the creator of it.

Wise leaders willingly develop accountability systems that keep the trust of their team. Read Hosea 10:3-4.

God, through Hosea, declared that the prosperity in Israel had created a situation in Israel in which their leaders became self reliant and ignored the value system He established. The leaders felt they were accountable to no one and they drifted into serious separation from God and the people. As Israel’s leadership became ever more self reliant they made false promises that had lawsuits springing up “like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.” The falsehood of the leaders so totally eroded the people’s confidence in the leadership that they concluded “We have no king…”

A leader’s integrity is obvious to those who know them. Read Daniel 6:1-5.

Daniel had served faithfully and with integrity as an advisor to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar of Babylon and after the fall of Babylon to King Darius of the Medo-Persian Empire. Darius saw immediately that Daniel was a gifted leader and appointed him as one of the three administrators that ran the nation and protected Darius’ interests. Darius was about to promote Daniel to the chief of the administrators and this generated significant jealousy among the other leaders in Babylon. They determined to find the dirt on Daniel so they could get him out of Darius’ government. Interesting that in verses 4-5 “They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” Now that is integrity!

Leaders are stewards of God’s resources including power and influence. Read Daniel 4:34-37.

God had used the king of Babylon and his armies to bring judgment on several nations including Judah. God gave the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar so much power and authority that he was known as the most powerful man in the world. When Nebuchadnezzar determined in his heart that he had generated his power from his own wisdom and strength, God humbled him with seven years of insanity where he lost all power and influence; he went from living in a palace that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World to being homeless and even ate grass with the animals. When Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself and acknowledged that God was the sovereign of the universe and his source of power and influence, God restored him to his position of authority.

Without accountability to God’s established standards it is easy for leaders to abuse their power and influence. Read Daniel 2:1-13.

Nebuchadnezzar was king of ancient Babylon and is often mentioned in the book of Daniel. He followed his father Nabopolassar to the throne after Nabopolassar made Babylon the dominate power of its day by defeating the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar’s first notable military victory was over Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Judah had allied itself with Egypt for this battle and thus became an enemy of Babylon and, in 605, Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem. He took back to Babylon as captives several thousand of their brightest and best including Daniel and King Jehoiakim.