lead and follow

It’s one of the first things you learn as a young sergeant or lieutenant: if you’re in charge, take charge. This saying recognizes that a lot of people get into leadership positions who don’t want to impose themselves on others. They don’t assert themselves.

As you gain more rank, though, there’s a corollary that is added to this rule: if you’re in charge, take charge, but if you’re not, don’t. That’s because people used to authority forget how to follow. They get on teams or committees and disrupt things, because you can’t have two leaders.

After the Judge Deborah lead General Barak to free the Israelites in Judges 4, she composed a song of commemoration, which starts like this (Judges 5:2) "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!”

God’s people need leaders. But Godly leaders won’t help if God’s people don’t follow. It strikes me this morning that both are legitimate callings. Brothers and sisters put in leadership positions need to step up and lead, keeping in mind that leaders seek what is good for their followers. But for most of us, in fact all of us at times, obedience will mean putting our shoulders to the wheel under the guidance of someone else.

Deborah recognized that her victory came from faithful followers of obedience leaders. In fact, she says “Praise the Lord!,” which means she knew that this is not only God-honoring but a blessing to God’s people.

I need to see that if I am called to lead but don’t, my church suffers. And when leaders call for workers, or participants, I need to respond or the church suffers. And in both cases I’m the worse for it too.