Why does God seem to so often choose unlikely leaders? Read Judges 7:16-25.

Gideon was only one of many who were living a normal life working or raising a family when God called them. Yes, they had some human traits that set them apart in some areas but nothing about them would have led even their family to believe that God would choose them to be His representative to lead His people.

According to John Maxwell in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Joshua practices the Law of Victory. Read Joshua 6:1-20.

Maxwell states:

Perhaps the most memorable of Joshua’s many victories came in the destruction of Jericho. But what a strange story it is! Try to picture how absurd God’s military strategy must have seemed to the real men of war. March around Jericho 13 times in one week, blow some trumpets – and that’s it? No weapons? No fighting? No plan of attack? No doubt, the residents of Jericho laughed heartily at the weeklong entertainment provided by the dizzy Hebrew army circling their walls.

In a number of instances Moses’ actions showed he was a humble man and a servant leader. Think for a moment about his father-in-law’s advice to put structure and organization to the process of settling the people’s differences. Moses could have decided that he was God’s chosen leader, he was the leader of 3 million, he was the one God used to part the sea, God spoke directly to him and he did not need advice. He could have rationalized that the people and his core team would think him weak if he took advice. He could have, if he was ruled by arrogance and pride, but a leader ruled by humility can learn from the team around him. He not only took Jethro’s advice but he demonstrated a real change in his leadership utilizing the advice several times during the 40 wilderness years. The greatest validation of Moses’ humility came directly from God.  Read Numbers 12:1-8.

The quality of humility flows out of a proper assessment of ourselves before God. Moses was a powerful leader, but he was also a humble leader because he saw himself in the light of God and sought God’s honor and reputation, not his own. When leaders come to grips with their desperate need for the grace and mercy of God, they develop a teachable spirit, they seek wise counsel and they are willing to be under authority.

God’s example helps leaders know when to work and when to rest. Read Genesis 2:1-3.

By His very nature, God does not get tired so when he established a time on the seventh day to rest, it wasn’t to recover physically or emotionally from hard work. God had been fully absorbed in the work of creation and yet when He saw the work was complete “He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” God rested to establish the example of rest and an example of taking a moment to appreciate a job well done.