The Bible has an awful lot to say about wisdom and leadership. Some of it is not all that different from what one could find in a good book on leadership in business, the military, or politics. But lin the Bible, being a wise leader is not primarily about being wise.

The prophet Ezekiel spoke against the king of Tyre: “Your wisdom has certainly made you rich… but your wealth has led to arrogance! You compared yourself to a god, so now I, the LORD God, will make you the victim of cruel enemies” (Ezekiel 28:4-7, CEV). Contrast this to the advice given to Israel’s children: “Don’t ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the LORD and stay away from evil” (Proverbs 3:7, CEV).

Wisdom alone does not make a wise leader. Wise leaders have all the abilities one would expect. But their wisdom occurs in a wider context.

Wise Leaders Follow God’s Lead

The Books of Chronicles have a pretty simple perspective on the kings of Israel. Good kings obey and worship the Lord God. Good leaders are followers of God.  After succeeding his father, David, as king of Israel, Solomon prayed to the Lord for wisdom in ruling the people (2 Chronicles 1:8-10). When armies went to war against King Jehoshaphat, he asked the Lord what to do. Jehoshaphat praised the Lord and prayed. When the Lord’s Spirit spoke, not directly to the king but to a Levite, the king listened. Do you need to wonder how the battle turned out? (See 2 Chronicles 20.) Prayer opens us to God’s wisdom and guidance. Wise leaders turn to God, glorify God, and listen to God.

Further reading: Exodus 19; Judges 7; Psalm 5; Mark 14:32-42; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

“The Spirit Will Make You Wise…

…and let you understand what it means to know God” (Ephesians 1:17, CEV). The most important kind of knowledge is not about this thing or that technique. It is knowledge of God, a true relationship with the Lord, the source of wisdom.  “Respect and obey the LORD!  This is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7, CEV).  Many kinds and qualities of people have been leaders in God’s kingdom: wandering Abraham, manic David, pondering Mary, impulsive Peter, devoted Mary Magdalene, passionate Paul, pragmatic Lydia. What they share is the breath, the inspiration of God, lighting their way. Wise leaders are filled with God’s Spirit.

Further reading: Isaiah 11:1-9; Luke 4:16-21; 2 Peter 1:16-21.

Has Not God Made Foolish the Wisdom of this World?

In the apostle Paul’s last recorded words, God alone is wise (Romans 16:27). Being led by God’s Spirit is necessary, for God’s wisdom does not come naturally. Much of what passes as wisdom may be perfectly smart and sensible by ordinary standards, but the world we live in is distorted by sin, twisted by violence, greed, and oppression. God’s radical righteousness and unfailing love – aware of evil but uncontaminated by it – gives a perspective very different from ours. Normal human wisdom lives in a world that strives to get ahead, a world where the powerful collaborate to keep and get more power. In a world like this, God’s wisdom leads to the cross. Conventional wisdom says that mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love of enemies do not make sense. “For the message about the cross doesn’t make any sense to lost people. But for those of us who are being saved, it is God’s power at work” (1 Corinthians 1:18, CEV). Wise leaders have been and are being transformed by God’s saving power.

Further reading: Psalm 71; Ecclesiastes 8:1; Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 2:1-11.

Wise Leaders Carry Out God’s Righteousness

“…whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40, CEV). Commitment to true shalom – concern for the health and well-being of all, especially the poor – is at the heart of leadership that is marked by justice and compassion. Psalm 72 outlines the “job description” of a righteous leader who “rescues the homeless when they cry out, and he helps everyone who is poor and in need” (Psalm 72:12, CEV). The apostle Paul spoke of love as the essential feature of life for creating community marked by harmony and peace (see Romans 12:9-21 and 1 Corinthians 13).  Wise leaders temper judgment with mercy and do not discriminate against the poor.

Further reading: Psalm 112; James 2:1-13; 3:13-18; 1 John 4:19-21.

Wise Leaders Are Not Alone

Sometimes leaders can get isolated in their roles. Yet wise leaders know that leadership is not a lonely business. Leadership makes no sense except in terms of the beloved community that God envisions. Wise leaders share their lives with the people they serve (see John 10:1-18). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me” (John 10:14, CEV). Nor do wise leaders lead from on high.  They take counsel with one another and share the load of leadership. Moses heeded his father-in-law Jethro’s advice by empowering others and delegating responsibility to trusted leaders within the community (see Exodus 18). Even more, in following the example of Jesus, wise leaders serve God by serving their community. “The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant” (Luke 22:26, CEV). Jesus gathered others about him, whether crowds on a hill, banquets with sinners and seekers, or disciples seeking a new kind of life (see Matthew 5:1-16; 9:9-17). Wise leaders live in the kind of community they are trying to build. 

Further reading: Numbers 11:10-30; Matthew 20:20-28; Acts 2:43-47; 6:1-7; Ephesians 1:15-23.

Ultimately, wise leaders are not very different from those who follow. The journey of faith brings leaders and followers alike to a promised home where even wisdom meets its end in the glory of God, where “there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain. These things of the past are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4, CEV). We find our end in the One who is the Beginning and the End, the Leader who is wise beyond all wisdom, God Most High.