Leaders and Children of Issachar,
July 15, 2024
"And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…" - I Chronicles 12:32
What is a leader? Is it someone who already has all the answers? Is it someone who is stubborn, arrogant, and confident in always being right. Or, it is someone who looks for the right people to be advisors and confidants.
We need children of Issachar today, leaders who can interpret our times, not to satisfy our curiosities, but to advise us on what we must do.
The Bible is a timely book. It transcends time and is timeless, but it steps out of its own context to speak to every generation with freshness and awareness of its own specific challenges.
There are two characteristics of leaders and counselors in this tradition. In the first place, they are grounded in truth. Their thinking has been saturated by the Word of God and they are sensitive to the Word and the Spirit.
This sensitivity is manifested in seeking. Their antennae are always scanning for some word of truth, for guidance, and for leadership through the voice that speaks to their hearts with clarity.
The second is that they observe and study the times. They do not bury their heads in the sand and disengage from the culture. They live in the real world even as their lives transcend the world. They suffer with hurting humanity and yet, maintain the capacity to step back and look on with analytical detachment.
They then come to us with their observations and counsel and, with clarity, and integrity, speak to our conditions and conundrums.
They think.
They process.
They ask questions.
They come to reasonable conclusions. Then, they share their insights.
We are now engaged in a process of sifting and choosing. We are looking for men and women of Issachar to lead our nation. We are looking for such leaders who are also gathering other children of Issachar around them with a willingness to receive their counsel. As we do so, we come to realize that we must also possess their gifts as we are called upon to choose.
We pray in this season that we might exercise our own Issachar-like qualities and be taught by God to understand our times that we might know what to do.
There is something else as well. They had a king who was ready, eager, willing, and able to listen to them. He was humble enough to seek their advice and take it to heart.
That is leadership.