By Pastor Royston Smith
Having been brought up in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses would have been God’s perfect ambassador to Pharaoh, except for the murder he committed which rendered him a fugitive. Despite this, God had big plans for His people, and they included Moses. “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10).”
Moses is considered one of the most inspirational leaders in Bible history. He is still considered as such, today. However, as we reflect on the Exodus experience, it’s clear that his success was not achieved single handedly. Notwithstanding his passion, intellect, or talents, the support of others was important to achieving his mission as a leader. Moses had a close-knit team around him, men of wisdom, men of faith. They understood and embraced the vision, so they followed his directions of travel. They knew God had appointed Moses and so working with him meant co-operating with God. This was teamwork at its best.
A good team leader is humble, willing to listen, open-minded and dynamic. Moses openly received advice from his father-in-law, Jethro, which led him to appoint able and competent men to preside over conflict resolution (see Exodus 18: 13-16). On the one hand, this enabled him to identify and mentor new leaders amongst the Israelites as they journeyed during the Exodus. On the other hand, it relieved him of pressure and allowed him to focus on more strategic issues as they moved toward Canaan. Delegating, allowed Moses to develop his leadership skills, whilst building confidence in his team.
Amongst the leaders and advisors in the team were Caleb and Joshua. They were men of integrity, observant, courageous, and visionary. When sent with other young men to spy out Canaan, they returned with a message of hope and while others voiced defeat, echoed by a message of hardship and danger. The Bible records in Numbers 14: 24, “Do not be deterred – let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” This encouragement from Caleb and Joshua and it served to assure Moses that Israel should advance and occupy their land of promise (see Numbers 13,14). We assume the spies had the right skill set to go out on that mission, but except for Caleb and Joshua, they returned with a negative report which resulted in the Israelites grumbling against God and Moses. The Bible referred to Caleb as one having a different spirit in Numbers 14:24. This distinguishing character called a ‘different spirit’ may in our modern understanding encompass personality, sense of vision and loyalty to the cause.
A great team leader trains and empowers his successor. He relinquishes power at the appropriate time. God identified Joshua to succeed Moses in leading Israel into Canaan. Moses put in place the best mentorship programme for Joshua. This helped him to build trust with the Israelites. Deuteronomy 34:9 states: “Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. The People of Israel listened obediently to him and did the same as when God had commanded Moses.” Joshua was fitted to assume leadership because of the training and encouragement received from Moses.
Tara Jaye Frank, VP of Multicultural Strategy for Hallmark Cards, wrote, “Great leaders are more than their persona… If they’re good, they’ve been the “wind beneath the wings” of emerging leaders who will rise up after them, ready and able to conquer the world.” Moses knew it was time to hand over the baton- God had told him so. He had completed the task assigned, his role and responsibilities in the Exodus had come to an end. Moses knew when to retire from leadership. He knew from the start that the ‘Exodus’ was about God’s leading. During those 40 years, Moses’ relationship with God grew amid the challenges faced.
Let’s Pray
Dear Father, I pray as we leader that we will not do it selfishly, or for personal ambition. Teach us to appreciate the skills and talents of others. In Jesus name, amen.
