From Strength to Strength, Part Two: Leadership Selection

In February, I disclosed that I’m looking forward to a new role in Jews for Jesus and that the selection of our next executive director will be happening soon. As I’m writing, we are still in a period of prayerful preparation, but you can be sure that we will reveal all the details to you as soon as we are able.*

Meanwhile, I want to share some of my thoughts about leadership selection, because we all face similar decisions and transitions throughout our lives. Whether you are called upon to lead, aspire to leadership, or have a part in selecting someone to fill a leadership position, I hope these reflections will speak to your heart and mind.

The People’s Choice Versus God’s Choice

Nowhere do we see approaches to leadership selection contrasted more clearly than in the biblical accounts of Israel’s first two kings.

The prophet Samuel was grieved when the people demanded a king so that they could be like the other nations. He knew their demand was rooted in misguided and worldly assumptions—and so did God. This became clear when God gave the people what they wanted. Saul was the people’s choice because “there was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2). But Saul disqualified himself through his lack of faith and consequent disobedience, and God quickly rejected him as king.

When it came to selecting Saul’s successor, the Scriptures tell us, “The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). The Lord sought! And yet he sent Samuel.

Had Saul known that God told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse and anoint a new king, Samuel’s simple act of obedience might well have cost him his life. But Samuel obeyed. And yet it soon became obvious that he, just like the people of Israel, was misguided about leadership selection.

The Outer Appearance Versus the Inner Reality

When Jesse presents his eldest son, Eliab, Samuel remarks, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him” (1 Samuel 16:6). Eliab must have been one very good-looking man! But the Lord rebukes Samuel, giving the most important principle of leadership selection: “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (vs. 7).

It is not a person’s countenance but their character that matters most in godly leadership selection. That’s not to say God never chooses good-looking people. But He alone can see into a person’s heart to know their true character. If we understand that He is the best one to select the leader, we will need to persistently seek His will and not our own.

Snap Judgments Versus Waiting on God’s Choice

Snap judgments occur when we are in a hurry or when we are looking for the most obvious choice. Choosing a leader requires patience as we wait to hear from God. Seven nominees were presented to Samuel one by one, but none of them was God’s choice.

Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

Instead of making his own choice from what appeared to be the only options, Samuel inquired more deeply if there wasn’t someone else. Only then was David brought from the field for consideration. And God tells Samuel, “This is he” (1 Samuel 16:12). The Bible tells us when Samuel anointed David, “The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward” (v. 13).

Elections can easily be based on personal preferences, but ultimately, we want to hear from God so that we get the person that God chooses. That being the case, those of us responsible for leadership selection should approach our choice with humble reverence, putting aside any expectation that might prevent us from hearing from the Lord.

I am so grateful that God, our ultimate leader, cares enough about Jews for Jesus to take charge of selecting my successor and our next leader. And I’m grateful for your care and prayers as we prepare for this exciting transition. What about you? Are you facing a leadership transition in your life or in the life of your congregation? As you submit to God’s leadership, all will be well. The words of an old hymn come to mind:

Lead on, O King eternal;
we follow, not with fears,
for gladness breaks like morning
where’er your face appears.

(Shurtleff, “Lead on, O King Eternal,” verse 3)

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