When leaders fail to lead

Ish-Bosheth’s reign certainly didn’t last very long.  It came to an abrupt end when his own men killed him and took his head to David.

Of course, David didn’t take kindly to this, and so he had the men executed.  (Much different from his response to Joab’s murder of Abner, I might add, to whom he did…nothing.)

But as I read this passage, it’s the first verse that strikes me.

When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. (2 Samuel 4:1)

One gets the impression that the reason his men turned against him was because Ish-Bosheth was anything but a strong leader.  He relied on Abner so much that when Abner died, Ish-Bosheth lost all hope. 

The problem is that when a leader fails to lead in times of trouble, it affects all the people under him.  His fear became the all of Israel’s fear.

What kind of leader are you? 

You might say to me, “I’m no leader.”

But if you’re a parent, you’re a leader to your children. 

If you’re a teacher or Sunday school teacher, you’re a leader to your students. 

If there is anyone who looks up to you and follows you, you are a leader to them.  And as such, they look to you when times get tough.

How do you respond when tough times come? 

Are you reliant on others and the strength they can give?  It’s good to have people like that around you, of course. 

But if they’re not there to support you, do you start to panic?  Or do you turn to God and ask for his help and his wisdom?

That’s the kind of leaders we need to be.  People who stand first and foremost on their relationship with God.  And when we don’t, we start to panic like Ish-Bosheth and that trickles down to the people under us. 

Ultimately, that leads to disaster, for us and for them.

What kind of leader are you?