How Not to Rule
Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land. – Nehemiah 5:16 (New International Version)
Another sterling lesson we can learn from Nehemiah, in terms of how not to lead, is not to pursue personal aggrandizement.
We have seen how Nehemiah and his officials did not exact the people for their own benefits by making them to pay more taxes to cater to their personal or official needs. They rather made do with own resources and what they could get from their own means without taxing the masses.
Another thing Nehemiah and his lieutenants did that stood them out was not to acquire asset for themselves using the resources of the state. Having contrasted his own leadership style from his forbears and contemporaries in positions of power, he further made a bold claim that he was only focused on the assignment at hand and was not interested in acquiring property for himself and his subordinates.
Now, that is a very rare practice amongst leaders these days as it appears most persons in positions of power are trying to outdo each other in terms of how much they can embezzle from the state resources to build an estate for themselves, their families and cronies. Nehemiah demonstrated to us that this is not the way to rule. He also showed us that the best way to lead is through service underpinned by a laser focus on doing all he could to improve outcomes for the people he served, not them being exploited to satisfy his and his lieutenants’ greed.
It is a very rare leadership quality on the part of Nehemiah and was part of the factors that make him a model that is still being referenced for emulation by anyone in leadership today. Gladly, he shared some of his secrets with us, citing the fear of God as one of the driving factors in the way he led and conducted himself.
If you must make any mark in leadership as Nehemiah did, you need to be infused with the fear of God and let it influence your decisions and conducts as well.
You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!
Also read:
Discover more from Daily Dew Devotional
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
