|
Evensong Sermon 1 Kings 22: 1 – 28
Rev. Charmaine
Braatvedt A maxim that I have held near and dear to my heart was one that was told to me shortly after I became vicar of the Parish. It defined good leadership as “disappointing people at a rate they can stand.” The role of leader is a challenging one, especially if we view it as a vocational ministry and try to do it well. Being a leader is a role every one of us occupies at some time in our lives, either formally or informally. Whether our leadership is in our homes, in our circle of friends, at work or in our ministries we all occupy leadership roles in some shape or form. As Christians, God has called each of us to be spiritual leaders in our spheres of influence. We have been called to lead by example, those whom we meet and with whom we are in relationship. The Old Testament passage for today offers us an insightful commentary on leadership and in particular on Christian leadership. The story occurs during a period when the Israelites were divided into two kingdoms – a northern kingdom usually called Israel or Samaria, after its capital Samaria and a southern kingdom called Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital. Jehosaphat was king of Judah at this time and he was one of their most godly kings and in this passage reveals some of the characteristics of good leadership. Ahab was king of Samaria and he was reputedly one of their worst kings. In his conduct we see the traits of a poor leader. We can learn much about what it means to be a godly leader from these two men. The passage begins by pointing out that there had been peace in the region for three years. Ahab decides that he wants to retrieve Ramoth Gilead which was a piece of land that historically belonged to the people of Israel. In the progression of this plan we learn the difference between a good leader and a poor one. Jehoshaphat. When Ahab approaches Jehoshaphat we notice that the king of Israel is a loyal and generous ally. “I am as you are my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” What a great friend to have in a time of need. Here is a man one can trust and rely on. Then Jehoshaphat says something which reveals that he is also a God fearing man. One who has submitted himself to the authority of God. “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” He says to Ahab before we progress your plan. Wouldn’t it be great if all our leaders in Parliament, in the Church, at work and anywhere else you care to mention followed Jehoshaphat’s example and first sought God’s counsel before making a decision to act? Jehoshaphat goes on to show us that good leaders are also discerning. When Ahab trots out 400 prophets who all agree with his plan, Jehoshaphat is suspicious of their motives and bravely confronts his friend with the question: “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” How insightful of Jehoshaphat. Obviously these prophets whom Ahab is consulting are in his pay. They are in full time ministry and as such would be conflicted in the advice they were prepared to give. When Ahab mentions Micaiah in rather disparaging and uncharitable terms one notices that Jehoshaphat is quick to correct him, even though doing so would be rather embarrassing for both. “The king should not say such things”, Jehoshaphat replied. That’s the last we hear of Jehoshaphat in this part of the story other than the mention later on that Ahab asked him to dress up in his royal robes while Ahab disguised himself as a commoner. Jehoshaphat’s integrity as a leader made him happy to oblige even though doing so put him at great personal risk. From Jehoshaphat we learn that good leaders are · God fearing, · loyal, · tactful, · discerning, · courageous · and outspoken when they need to be. Ahab Ahab on the other hand reveals to us what poor leadership looks like. He seems to be motivated by greed for power and influence and to that end is prepared to put the peace of the whole nation at risk in order to acquire for himself a small parcel of land. He decides to do so before he has prayed about it and this shows a lack of submission to the authority of God. His advisors are all in his pay and he has made the fatal leadership call of surrounding himself with ‘yes’ men. The 400 prophets who advise him and even his messengers have all been given the clear signal that what he wants from them is that they should agree with him. Thus they sycophantically tell him what he wants to hear. They are happy to give him false hope and prophesy prosperity and victory for that after all is what he wants to hear. It is one of the dangers of leadership that people are reluctant to give their leaders negative feedback. We generally are happy to criticise our leaders and their decisions behind their backs but few of us are prepared to tell them to their faces when they are making a mistake or doing a bad job. Ahab confirms that this is the environment in which people must work for him, when he articulates how much he hates Micaiah, the one man who is not afraid to tell it like it is and to truly speak the mind of God. Yet honest feedback is indispensable to good leadership. It is a gift which all leaders must be prepared to accept if they are to grow in their leadership and if they are to truly serve the people they are leading. “Great leaders don’t push away critics, they pull them aboard.” Good leaders engage their critics and create a safe environment for honest feedback. They challenge them to come up with ideas and alternative scenarios. They don’t necessarily change their decisions and actions based on the criticism, but they invite the critics to ‘step on the train’ and to add value. Ahab made the mistake that all insecure leaders are tempted to make, he has created an environment where it is not safe to disagree with him nor to give him negative feedback. See even the poor messenger advises Micaiah to agree with Ahab in verse13. Don’t shoot the messenger is a maxim born out of this poor leadership model. Look what happens to people like Micaiah, he is sent to prison and punished with a diet of bread and water! We see illustrated in Ahab that it is a poor leader who is so self-interested and power hungry as to sacrifice the interests of his or her followers for selfish ambitions and it is a mistake to allow oneself to be closed to and threatened by negative feedback. Most importantly of all, Ahab reveals the dangers of being so arrogant that we set ourselves above the will and purposes of God. We should never be so caught up in our own ambitions and plans that we fail to consult God. When we become so self-obsessed with our perspective that we only hear what we want to hear, we are in deep trouble. In the end Ahab got his comeuppance. He refused to hear from God and the natural consequences of such a refusal, was his own destruction. Later in the story we learn that he died a miserable and ignominious death in the midst of battle, just as Micaiah had predicted. As we leave the story, Micaiah’s words ring ominously in our ears: “If you ever return safely Ahab, the lord has not spoken through me. Mark my words all you people!” Mark them indeed, all you leaders. |
