Leadership According to the Bible - Deu 17:15-20

Alternative title for this post can be 'Applying Biblical Principles to Governmental or Corportate Leadership' or 'Forecasting the Rise and Fall of Nations'.

How can one lead a country well? The Bible tells us in the Deuteronomy 17:15-20. The are only 8 key points of 1 Biblical Values, 2 No Self-wealth, 3 Courage to do New things, 4 No Womanizing, 5 Write Instruction Manuals, 6 Have Mentors to check, 7 Keep God's Laws and 8 Remain Humble.

Foreseeing the Israelites would one day want a king like their neighbors, God gave them clear instructions as to how to choose the King and what the King should do so that the Kingdom can last through many generations. Here is the mind-map that capture the key points and the relevant verses:

History told us the sad story that all the Israelite Kings violate most and some all of the key points mentioned above. Even great kings like David and Solomon, while they have a heart for God, they violated point 2 for wealth accumulation, point 4 of having too many wives and concubines. The other kings did even worse things. The end result was as forecasted, the country was overrun and the people deported. 

These eight key points still hold true for the present day government and corporate business leaders too. If you want to foretell what will happen to your country, consider the governmental leadership and what they are doing. How many of the above 8 points are being followed?

For my own country of Singapore where the government is having the high-salary policy for ministers and civil service and the stress on economic growth and economic well-being, and a larger population, I think point 2 on Wealth Creation is of concern. It is not that wealth creation is not good, it is about excessive wealth pursuit over other priorities. Then there is the concern for the boldness to create a new vision to lead rather than to lead by popularity. Further, true humility of learning from others and keep watch over our own behavior are important too. There is comfort in that the values of integrity, family centred and other good values are being preserved (point 1 & 7). With the establishment of the gambling resorts, point 4 is to be watched carefully. Having a check and balance is important for point 6 with better and stronger opposition parties and a separate office of the President is good.

So, what about your government, your bosses and even you as a boss and a leader, how do they and you measure up?

Lim Liat (c) 18 Feb 2014