steve working through the word

Keep your eye on the ball…  in the eye of the storm… a bird’s-eye view… beauty in the eye of the beholder… a second set of eyes… in the blink of an eye… camel through the eye of a needle… eye for an eye… evil eye… I could go on and on but I think you get the point. I played baseball in my younger days and heard the “keep your eye on the ball” idiom all the time.  I use this phrase when I teach my own kids to catch a ball or attempt to take a swing at it with a bat. “In the blink of an eye”, this phenomenon occurs when you put a bowl of candy or chocolate in front of some sugar crazed kids.

“In the eyes of the Lord”. This is a common expression used when we read through the books of 1 & 2 Kings. Most of the introductory words we read in respect to the reign of each king tells us up front the outcome of their rule. Quite simply they either “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” or “did evil in the eyes of the Lord”. We don’t have to read much further to understand all the particulars of what ‘right & evil’ are. I do believe it is a valuable lesson to spend the time to read deeper into the actions of the kings, to understand how what they did shaped the culture and ultimately the lives of the people. When I reflect on what each of the good and bad kings did, I came to this conclusion: the bad kings focused their actions through their own (self-centered) eyes and the good kings measured their actions as though they were looking through the eyes of the Lord (doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord)

What if we all operated our leadership focus from within this perspective, “lead, teach and preach through the eyes of the Lord. Our eyes, our perspective, has been skewed by the the cultures we live in.  1 and 2 Kings lay out some very clear principles and some not so obvious examples of both “good” leadership, and leadership “folly”. We can learn from the good and from the bad. Learning from those who came before us, should encourage us not make the same costly mistakes. We live in a day and age where our focus is easily distracted and pulled away from what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Spending time in God’s Word, reading, reflecting and praying for direction will help sharpen that focus. It will help us to lead in a way that is right and good.

Have you ever seen a police dog at work? There is an uncanny sense of determination that drives these highly trained animals to do their job. With a single command from their handler they jump to their feet ready, focused and set to complete thier mission. One other characteristic that stands out is the incredible sense of loyalty they have to their human counterpart, a loyalty that often rivals that of human relationships.

Elisha was confident of his calling to serve the Lord (an important leadership principle). In some respects, his story reminds me of that of Solomon’s. Elisha followed closely in the footsteps of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets of his time. It is Elisha’s response to Elijah’s question that is reminiscent of Solomon’s response to God’s question. When asked what he (Elijah) could do for him, Elisha did not request the desire for status or fame. He requested a double portion of his Spirit, a request that shows us his desire to serve the Lord in ways that go far beyond his human capabilities. 2 Kings chapter 2 highlights the story of Elijah’s spectacular parting from this world to be with God in heaven. As I read through this chapter my attention was drawn to the determination and loyalty of Elisha to stick by Elijah’s side despite his attempts to have him stay behind. When I consider the loyalty displayed by Elisha to follow his mentor, I can’t put aside the bigger picture, his loyalty to God. Elisha was on a mission for God.

Elisha was a regular guy, working what was likely a regular job for many in that time. The text tells us that he was ready to follow Elijah when he came and “claimed” him for service. The words “ready to follow” carry a powerful message here for us in context to Elisha’s calling. For many of us today, God had been preparing or is still preparing our hearts for His service. Life carries us in many directions. One day we could be plowing a field like Elisha and be called into leadership or we could be working in the wholesale plumbing business and be called into ministry. Wherever we are, young or old, the Lord has a plan for our lives and when He calls we need to be like Elisha, ready and determined to do great things.

“What have I gotten myself into? “Have you ever asked yourself this question? It is one of those moments in life when you know you are into something, and it is way over your head. You feel like you have lost control and you are considering a long run into the hills. I took on a project once that sent me into this particular state of frenzy. I remember the sluggish sinking feeling that seemed to consume all my energy and to be honest I can’t remember how I made it through. I know I did because there was a finished product to show for my efforts.

I believe Solomon had a similar experience. Listen to his confession before the Lord, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.” (1Kings 3:7-8) It is said that Solomon was around the age of twenty when he became king and had already established a certain stature of wisdom according to his father (2:6,9). We might consider the words “a little child” an expression of inexperience, trepidation or even humility. As a young man Solomon had the privilege of growing up with the example of His father David as king, he was married to Pharaoh’s daughter, he had a son but he knew that this next stage would take him in over his head.

I have to wonder what Solomon’s dream would have been like when the Lord appeared to him for the first time? There was a question, a conversation, an exchange of epic proportions and then, he woke up realizing it had been a dream. The narrative that continues through the next number of chapters in 1 Kings proves that the Solomon’s dream was in fact a new reality for him. He lived on to make decisions that made an impact throughout history, decisions that allow us to gain wisdom into our own leadership. Solomon’s request, his heart’s desire for wisdom to discern between right and wrong and lead the nation in obedience to God’s will should inspire us all. Eventually this story of wisdom and inspiration take us to a place where the forces of darkness take a hold of Solomon’s life, an unfortunate scene we see all too often in today’s world. These lessons  both positive and hard are recorded for us so that we might learn and live a life pleasing to our God, so that we might lead with integrity and love. 

Have you ever considered the amount of time that passes between a green light and a red light as you are driving? Depending on the speed zone you’re in, it can vary from 3 to 5 seconds. Given that amount of time our brain has to make a quick decision, release the accelerator to slow down or as the old saying goes: “put the pedal to the metal”. At times some of us ignore the yellow warning light all together, our focus is on the red or the green, the stop or go that controls our momentum.

The first chapter of 1 Kings introduces us to a man named Adonijah, one of the sons of King David and third in line to the royal throne. (Let’s consider him the “pedal to the medal” green light type of guy). Then we meet Nathan and Bathsheba (our more cautious red light, action stopping counterparts). What we have here is a collision of ideas, thoughts and emotions about who is going to become King. Adonijah recognizes his father’s failing health and jumps the gun and appoints himself king, “I will be King” he says, completely ignoring the “yellow light” that prompts us to think about our actions. Was he ready to be king? Was he qualified? Did he have the blessing of the current king? Did he seek direction from the Lord? On the flip-side we have Bathsheba making her plea to King David to make good on his promise to have Solomon be his successor, an appeal that ultimately puts a stop to Adonijah’s plan. Bathsheba’s actions seem self-serving at first glance and they may well have been as she feared for her life and the life of her son Solomon. I do believe that our sovereign Lord used each of these events to shape the direction of leadership for His people.

When I reflect on God’s call in my life to be a leader in the church I must admit I spent a lot of time between the red and green lights. Unlike Adonijah, I took a considerable amount of time to listen for God’s direction in my life. Although I may have had some “green light” drivers encouraging (nudging) me from behind, I needed to be sure that the decisions I was making were not self-serving.  We may not know the plans that God has for each of our lives but as we trust in Him and seek His direction He will reveal them to us. Our job and a good sound principle of Christ centred leadership is taking the time between the green and the red lights to listen for God’s direction.