With this class, before we move into developing our own leadership, we are going to look at 4 Biblical examples of how God created leaders by shaping their hearts. The first in our study is Moses………
The life of Moses is an incredible study. If it did not exist, Hollywood surely would already have created it! It has all the elements of the greatest epics. There is this guy who has everything: money, power, position etc…. and then he makes a choice and blows the whole thing! He loses it all…. Only to rise again and come back even stronger as a hero of the people! Sounds like a cool story huh? Well, it is!
And even today, Spiritual leaders relate to the story of Moses perhaps like no other Biblical character. Because we see that he too had high expectations that didn’t happen like he wanted. He too had much public confidence, while fighting private doubts. He too faced failure, fickle followers, conflicts etc. He really was not THAT different from you or me! Let’s take a “cliff notes” version through his life story:
Moses started out his life in miraculous deliverance! While other babies all around him were dying at the hand of Pharaoh, he was being hidden in a basket, floated down a river and saved by the Pharoah's own daughter! I am sure he knew of this story at an early age, so from the very beginning he was aware that God had delivered him personally for some reason! Then he was raised as an Egyptian Prince! He learned their culture and their traditions. At the same time God made it possible that he spent time with his family of origin where he learned all about the same things of the Hebrew people, to whom he actually belonged. And God made it clear early on that he had delivered Moses through divine intervention.
Why do you think God did this?
So, God made it possible that Moses could grow up immersed in 2 different cultures. Why do you think this was? What was the significance of this? Because, Moses would need both of these “educations” to fulfill the role God had for him.
What did he learn as an Egyptian Prince?______________________________________
What did he learn from his Hebrew family?____________________________________
As Moses grew up, surely time and again he had to witness Hebrew oppression and violence at the hand of the ruling Egyptians. How did he handle it? Surely many times he tried to intervene? Maybe he even had plans to use his royal power to help them? We will never know! But we do however know that on one fateful day, his anger snapped!!!
In a blind rage he killed a man whom he witnessed mistreating a Hebrew slave!
He was now faced with only one thing to do…. Run!! And that is exactly what he did! Where would he go? He had no TRUE home. He was a child of 2 cultures but didn’t TRULY belong to either one. So he ran to the Midianite Desert!
It was here in this barren land that he would learn and develop skills that would prove to lead the rest of his life.
His 1st day in the desert was quite an eventful one! As he sat by a well he saw the 7 daughters of a priest being harassed by some ruffian shepherds. Moses came to their rescue and helped water their flocks. As a result he was invited to dinner, got a wife and a job! Not bad for one afternoon huh? J
If his time in Egypt had given him royal education in law, and religion, then his time in the Desert was surely his graduate school!
Here he learned skills necessary for shepherding. That gave him time to think about his life and his future….”Have I abandoned my people?”, “Can I trust them?”, “Should I help them?”. He also learned to tend to the flock.
He learned the survival instincts of finding water to live, watching and avoiding predators, and how to have patience with a stubborn flock….. ALL SKILLS HE WOULD NEED TO LEAD HIS PEOPLE THROUGH THE DESERT!
Here he also met what may have been the single biggest male influence in his life! This was Jethro the Priest (also his father-in-law and employer). Jethro seemed to possibly be the father figure Moses never really had. He supported his son-in-law, trusted him believed in him (even in the burning bush story J) and blessed his endeavors. All good leaders have had a Jethro or two in their lives!
So Moses sees this burning bush one day while tending to his flock. As he gazes on it, God calls out to him from the bush!!! What must that have been like? And God basically said, “Moses, I have a mission that I need you to carry out for me!” This was THE DAY that established the legacy of his life?
Did Moses eagerly and quickly accept this commission?
Why Not? What excuses did he give?
How did God react?
After objecting 5 TIMES he finally gave in to God’s will. God said “enough excuses! I have prepared EVERY step of your life for this specific purpose. NO ONE but you could do this. You understand Hebrew culture. You understand Egyptian culture. No more whining, no more excuses, IT IS TIME TO GET TO WORK!”
What if Moses would have turned away? How many leaders of God HAVE turned from their “burning bushes”? Will you be one of them?
SO Moses accepted the commission and set out to save the Israelite people and thus began the most amazing relationship between God and human ever recorded! And he went with full force. He was on a mission. He was a man on fire!
What happened when he approached the Pharaoh? Did he just say “OK”? No!
What happened?
Pharaoh scoffed, and asked, “Why should I serve your foreign God”? And then he issued the infamous “brick without straw order”.
Who was he trying to spite?
Who did he end up spiting?
He thought he was picking a fight with Moses and Aaron when in fact, it was God he was pressing! And God responded!!!! Basically God said, “Ok, it is on!” And on it was!
Do you think Moses was nervous about this? (EX 5:22-23)
How did God respond? (EX 6:1-8)
And the rest is history. Through trials, plagues, tribulation and fights Moses led his people to their promised land!
But, despite all of this, how did the Hebrews treat their emancipator?
EX 16:3, 17:3, Num 11:5
They constantly complained and rebelled! They opposed him!
Yet Moses still loved and led his people. At times he was fed up asking God “What am I to do with these people”. At other times he was to be an interceder, begging to God for their mercy! And all these times, Moses got to see and talk to God face to face (EX 33:11)
Discussion questions:
Was Moses a good leader?
Did he accomplish his tasks?
When did his leadership “heart shaping” first begin?
What were his strengths?
What were his weaknesses?
Can you clearly see the “6 C’s” of Godly leader forming take pace?
Before we can learn to be good leaders ourselves, it helps to learn about God’s other leaders. We need to observe them and their lives. We can learn from their mistakes and their victories!
Moses had an internal drive! Most leaders do. Some can feel it from the moment they are born and others have to have it pulled from them. All leaders must be willing, like Moses, to personally risk involvement. And just like Moses, many leaders find their earliest attempts ending in frustration and/or failure! Early mistakes almost always threaten to derail our life missions! It is how you deal with these that will define not only what kind of leader you are, but ultimately WHO you are!
Moses found himself exiled because of a mistake. Many leaders will. He did not accept this exile as the final chapter, thank God! Will we?? Will we learn form early conflicts? Will our hearts remain plugged into our earlier passions? Moses’ refused to let early failure quell his hearts call! Leaders will have conflict! How will you respond? A true leader will not quit!!!