Biblical Leadership, the Example of JoshuaVoorbeeld

God’s Law as a Guideline

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

The Lord God promised to go with Joshua. He also gave some important instructions. These applied not only to Joshua, but also to later leaders and kings, as is clear in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. A leader had to have God's laws on hand, constantly reflect on them, and base his decisions on them.

Religion and politics were thus not separate domains in Israel. The contemplation and study of God's laws should not be outsourced to theologians and prophets. For those laws were also extremely relevant to justice, social legislation, and the general welfare of the people.

If you want to serve the Lord God, this impacts your whole life. And when a nation wants to serve the Lord God, this affects the whole of society.

Unfortunately, there is no nation in the world that has God's laws as the basis for its national politics. Christians are usually a minority and must function within existing social structures. Nevertheless, I think it is very important that believers who are in a leadership position—in a company or organization, within the church or in politics—take God's norms and values as their guide not only in their personal lives, but also in their work. For God's wise precepts are beneficial and bring blessing.

Does your faith in the Lord God influence the way you work and lead? In what ways?