The Failure of Leadership

How sad is it when leadership fails a people?  We see it every day in our lives.  Political leaders break their promises and hurt their constituents.  Parents break their vows and hurt their families.  Religious figures abuse their calling and crush those who look to them for guidance.  It’s a real tragedy when leadership fails us.  The Bible says,

“What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!  No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction.  It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God.  Its leaders are like roaring lions hunting for their victims.  Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time, who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.  Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.  Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.  But the Lord is still there in the city, and he does no wrong.  Day by day he hands down justice, and he does not fail.  But the wicked know no shame” (Zephaniah 3:1-5, NLT). 

The prophet Zephaniah reminds that the failings of leadership often go hand in hand with the corruption of a people.  The people of Judah had rebelled against their God.  Their leaders aggressively participated in this corrupt behavior.  God was well aware of it all.  The failings of His people and their leaders did not go unnoticed by Him.  He was “still there in the city,” and would deal with their sinfulness.

Zephaniah’s words simply remind us how easy it is to go astray, leaders and followers alike.  Through it all, however, God is steadfast.  Leaders may fail us, but God never will.  They may fail to do right, but God will always do right.  May we always live in honor and reverence for Him, regardless of how those around (or in front of) us live.  May we never “refuse all correction,” but always live with the awareness that God is still in our midst.