Paradigm Leadership & Legacy
Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash
One of my earlier experiences with leadership was working for a men's clothing store during college. My store manager was a great guy, and I really enjoyed working under his leadership. He knew quality clothing, served our customers well, and treated the employees respectfully, often asking for our advice about how things could be better or more effective.
But the owner of the store was another story. His top concern was profit, making his chief behavior sales at any cost. He expected every person who entered the store to walk out with a purchase. The pressure for every employee to sell was immense. He also turned out to be a bit of a philanderer and was caught in the act of adultery, destroying his marriage and family.
Soon after, I graduated with my degree and moved on from my retail sales experience. However, I always remembered the contrast in leadership styles and practices. My sample size was small, but I realized that leadership always had a ripple effect on those who were led. For better or worse, paradigms were created. A paradigm is a clear or typical example—an archetype to be emulated or discarded—but never without effect.
The Bible presents us with various leadership stories for our instruction. During Israel's divided kingdom period, we came into contact with two paradigm leaders, King David and King Jeroboam. After the death of King Solomon, Israel fell into a season of betrayal and idolatry, causing the nation to split into two separate entities. Ten of the twelve tribes became the northern kingdom and retained the name of Israel. Two of the twelve tribes banded together to form the southern kingdom of Judah. This began a 200-year season of separation and eventually exile. The northern kingdom had 19 different kings, none of which were considered good. The southern kingdom had 20 different kings, with a mix of good and bad leaders.
Jeroboam was the first king of Israel, the northern portion of the divided kingdom, and became an often-referenced paradigm leader. King after king who reigned after Jeroboam was compared to Jeroboam, with phrases like "walked in the way of Jeroboam," "walking in the way of Jeroboam," and "walked in all the ways of Jeroboam." One of the most unsettling aspects of this succession of leaders was how evil increased with each new king in the path of Jeroboam. Bad leadership has a way of multiplying itself with rising disastrous repercussions.
What were King Jeroboam's primary traits and faults in God's economy? What made him such a bad leader and created an ongoing culture of destructive leadership? You can find the accounts of Jeroboam's leadership in 1 Kings 11:26-14:20 and 2 Chronicles 9:29-13:20.
Jeroboam had been an administrator under King Solomon. This office was not a light responsibility. It carried leadership weight and should have served as good tutelage. But when Jeroboam became king, he also became fearful of losing his kingdom. The city of Jerusalem was the designated place of worship for all Israelites. But Jerusalem was located in Judah. If the people of the northern tribes made regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem, they might be tempted to overthrow Jeroboam, and he would lose his kingship. So he took matters into his own hands. God charged Jeroboam to listen to his commands, walk in his ways, and do what is right in his eyes. God promised his presence and a stable kingdom to possess and rule over if he remained faithful to this task.
King Jeroboam's primary sin was idol worship. He created two golden calves and encouraged all of the people to worship these images. This mandate arose from a place of fear, control, and jealousy. Jeroboam neglected God's leadership charge and did things his way.
Jeroboam seduced people into worshipping that which was created instead of the one true Creator.
Jeroboam created alternative places of worship instead of pointing people to God's designated place.
Jeroboam set up his order of priests to facilitate worship instead of entrusting worship to God's chosen facilitators.
Jeroboam instituted his forms of ritual celebration instead of celebrating God in God's way.
Jeroboam told an alternative story about how the people were delivered out of Egypt to solidify all of his sinful choices.
Every king after Jeroboam was a bad king and led the people astray like Jeroboam.
As men and women of influence, we must also be careful how we lead. If our daily practice of leadership primarily flows from a place of fear, control, and jealousy, we should not be surprised to suffer the same consequences as Jeroboam. Our leadership legacy will bear out our motives and practices.
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