“For the shepherds have become dull hearted, and have not sought the Lord, therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered” Jeremiah 10:21
Leadership is one of the most discussed topics in modern management. Theories have grown around the topic, prescribing methods and steps of becoming a good leader and on how to manage people. Israel was a nation that produced many leaders but they had their weakness and none of them could be perfect without the presence of GOD in their lives. The above verses flow from the hand of Jeremiah during a period of utter hopelessness for the people of Israel and when her leadership was at its worst periods.
“For the shepherds have become dull hearted”, what made them dull hearted, what took them away from the purpose of their positions. Chapter 10 of Jeremiah gives us the answers and I would like to highlight 3 main causes - :
- The worship of other gods
- The acceptance of other cultures and traditions
- The irreverence for the One True GOD
(Before I go forward, would like you to look at leadership in the Bible as a being a shepherd of GOD’s people, this concept of leadership has a different style from the autocratic leadership style of modern business, we will talk about this in my future blogs)
The dull heartedness of the shepherd carried two major problems
- The shepherds “therefore shall not prosper”
- The “flocks will be scattered”
And the one major reason behind this is that they have not sought the Lord. When a leader (shepherd) is given the responsibility of leading and guiding His people but then moves away from GOD in search of the world, he shall not prosper. The prosperity here means a life filled with the blessings and peace of GOD. When the leader (shepherd) does not prosper in the power GOD has bestowed upon him, his people (flock) become scattered, losing their way, making their own plans, forgetting each other and looking at other gods for comfort, pleasure and recognition.
It is important that all of us who are in leadership positions in our churches, ministries, mission fields, choirs and fellowships remember to seek the Lord constantly and humbly. Seeking the Lord is not a subjective term; it is a universal approach of humbling our hearts before GOD, obeying His plans and then implementing them in prayer, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the leader (shepherd) fails, then it is like the “blind leading the blind into the ditch”. All of us who are shepherds, let us seek the Lord, seek Him in every decision we make, every step we take, leading our flocks to heavenly pastures, for who can be against us if GOD is with us.