1 Chronicles 4:38
The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,
1 Chronicles 4:39
and they went to the outskirts of Gedor to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks.
1 Chronicles 4:40
They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet. Some Hamites had lived there formerly.
1 Chronicles chapter four has a long list of people mentioned. It can be boring to read and sometimes you wonder why they were listed there. Our text today tells us why they were listed. These men were leaders.
These men were listed because of their unique and excellent leadership. These are the leaders among many who we need to learn from. They led so well that they had to be listed in scripture that they may never be forgotten. These men were leaders.
What made them stand out as leaders? First, we are told in our text today that under their leadership their families increased greatly. The families dis not increase naturally but greatly. Their families did not just increase but increased greatly. Under their leadership, there was an increase. These men were leaders.
Under your leadership at whatever level is there an increase? An increase comes when people are happy. An increase comes when people project good times ahead. An increase comes when people are productive because they enjoy the production. Leaders can influence people to be happy and productive. Leaders can cause people to be confident of a good future and therefore be productive. Leaders can make people enjoy serving and therefore be highly productive. Under these leaders, their families greatly increased. These men were leaders!
An increase comes when there is food. The increase comes when there is peace allowing concentration on productivity. An increase comes when there is productivity. Therefore population growth in a great manner has to do with great food production. Great income. Great peace of mind. No feelings of being haunted and hunted by leaders. Are the people under you productive or highly productive? Under you has income increased greatly? Under you has the freedom to be productively increased greatly? These men were leaders!
These leaders were remembered for going out to search for pasture for the flocks of their families. These leaders sought the welfare of the people they led. They sought things that would help their families grow. They developed policies that will spur growth. They created an environment that caused people under them to happily increase. They sought opportunities to help the people they led. Under your leadership are you helping the people under you? Are you searching for money that will increase their income? Are you searching for money to ensure they live comfortably? These men were leaders!
They sought pasture for the flocks of their families. What is the equivalent of pasture that present-day leaders can search for people under them? Isn’t it money? Isn’t it opportunities? Isn’t it comfortable environments? These leaders were remembered for searching for pasture. Many leaders can easily be preoccupied with searching out to find their enemies. Leaders can easily be focused on searching for another term in office. Leaders can easily be focused on seeking means and methods to silence perceived opposition. Self-preservation can cause leaders to forget the core business of developing the welfare of the people they lead. If you forget your core business and for any percentage, you are busy securing your leadership from real and perceived enemies, you are no longer a leader. These men were leaders!
These men sought pasture and not respect. Leaders can easily be tempted to focus on being shown the respect that they forget to search for pasture. You will be remembered for what you did for the people under you and not for how much you caused them to show you respect and treat you like a small god. Seek pasture, not respect. These men sought pasture not respect from their subordinates. These men were leaders!
These men sought pasture not recognition. A leader can easily be tempted to get concerned whether he/she has been recognized as a leader. A need to be mentioned as a leader. A need to be given opportunities to shine. These men did not seek recognition in family events (weddings, funerals, parties, celebrations, etc.), they just sought the pasture for those families and recognition came naturally unforced. These men were leaders!
The passage today ends by telling us that they sought pasture and found it. That means they were competent. A competent person is a good leader. Are you competent? The answer should not come from your mouth but from how the people under you feel. When at the end of your searching you make announcements to the people, they should be excited and look forward to your next announcements after your search. When these men called family meetings to announce their findings, the meeting ended in excitement and hopefulness. The pasture had been found. The future was positively good. Things are good. How are people under you responding to your announcements, memos, and other communications? Is there excitement that we have additional pasture? These men were leaders!
They were so competent that when their search ended everyone was happy. How do we search for pasture today? We search in meetings. We search for activities assigned to us. We search by focusing on the mission. At the end of any meeting, what announcement comes out? Pasture has been found? At the end of your trips as leaders, what announcement comes out? Silence? Threats? Warnings? Pasture has been found? When our leaders come to us they should announce more roads to be constructed, more hospitals, higher salaries, and more opportunities to develop ourselves. These men sought, found, and reported back that they had pasture. These men were leaders!
These men skilfully removed Hamites who used to stay there and brought in their families. We do not know how they did it, but they did it. The results speak for them. Someone has said, work in silence and let your results speak for you. The results are that Hamites left and their people came in. If you must explain how you are planning to remove Hamites or how you are doing it, something is wrong. Just remove them and let the results speak for you as a leader. What Hamites have you removed for your people? These men were leaders!
They removed Hamites without much ado or fanfare or chest-thumping. They just removed them and brought in their families. It must have been difficult but they did it. History does not record the difficulty of the task but the results of the task. What Hamites have you removed for your people? Hamites, block growth opportunities. Hamites, threaten the peace that allows productivity. Have you removed Hamites? Have you removed our fears or created more fears? Have you removed what obstructs growth or you have obstructed us from growing? These men removed Hamites. These men were leaders!
Leadership activities have results. The results of these leaders are what spoke for them. The results were directly and positively felt by the people they led. How are the results of your leadership? Are the people feeling the positive results? If you announce economic growth, are the people feeling that growth? When you read a report can the experience of the people under you resonate with that report or do they get shocked at such a good report yet their lives are terrible? Results of your leadership and how they have made people under you feel are critical in assessing leaders. These men were not praised by a few select sycophants but by the Chronicler the historians of Israel. These men were leaders!
These men were leaders because the results of their leadership activities spoke for them. The people under them felt positive leadership and were happy to increase greatly. May my leadership at whatever level be like that of these men, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Amen. God bless you
Amen
Leadership is service to humanity, a leader bears the burden of his subjects not subjects carrying the burden as one beats the chest. A leader should be able to make sober decisions without any favours or leaning on anything. A leader must never fight his subjects for power but for food to subjects. What are my church members thinking of me? Is my leadership hurting anyone from his or her walk if faith? How many have I bruised as a pastor? How many have I helped from trouble not looking at my position? How many have I taken care of at their points of need?? How many have I strengthened? How many have I brought closer? How many times have I become the bridge?? May God help me understand what is in their hearts and be like these leaders is the list of fame rather in the list of shame.
Amen
Amen 🙏
May my leadership at whatever level be like that of these men- to the honour and glory of the Name of Jesus.
Happy Sabbath my brother and Pastor.
Blessings 😊
Blessings too!
Am greatly challenged. Be blessed pastor
Blessings on you too!
Amen.
Challenging and inspiring.
Thank you pastor and God bless you.
Glory to God!