All of us have known people that were bad leaders. People who should never have been put in that position. And unfortunately, Israel had their share of bad leaders as well.
In this passage, God calls these leaders out, saying,
Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough.
They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.
“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better.” (Isaiah 56:9-12)
What’s a bad leader?
They are blind.
They can’t see what’s going on around them. They can’t see the needs of the people around them. And they can’t see the trouble that is lying ahead. When it comes, they are totally caught by surprise.
They lack knowledge and understanding.
How many times have you met leaders who don’t know what they’re doing? Or who show no wisdom in the things they do?
They may try to do what’s right, but they’ve never sought or obtained the knowledge and wisdom they need to lead. And so time and again, they make foolish decisions in their lives.
They are mute when trouble comes.
When they see trouble coming, they don’t sound the alarm. They take no action to deal with the problem. Instead, they just ignore it, hoping in vain that things get better.
They’re lazy, living only for themselves.
Instead of serving others, they expect others to serve them. Instead of looking out for others’ needs, they simply look out for their own. And though they are well-fed and satisfied, those under them go hungry.
It’s easy to criticize the leaders in our lives, but how about you? What kind of leader are you? To your family? To your children? At your work? In your church? To the people who look up to you?
Are you a good leader? What would God say to you?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 