POWER WARPED LEADERS
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Great power warps
the heart of even great leaders. Power not
only injuries our political leaders, clergy, CEO’s, media heads, and all in authority,
but has done so throughout human history.
Even the best men and women granted unlimited power, over time fail to continually
lead with great power, but instead become led by it. First and Second Samuel, dispassionately
records the reality of the reprehensible effect of first two powerful kings of
Israel, 1050-970 BC.
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Moshe Halbertal and Stephen Holmes’ analyzed
the corrupting effect political power had on both King Saul and King David in, The Beginning of Politics: Power in the
Biblical Book of Samuel. They identified the downside of political
power saying:
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“Seekers and wielders of sovereign
authority end up using the power they have been granted for the welfare of the
community for the hollow purpose of clinging to political power for its own
sake.”
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D. Kyle
Trowbridge, who critiqued their book for Christianity Now, says the corruption of leaders is
not restricted to individual rulers. ‘“The People’ can also foster many of the same tendencies. Majorities, be they in numeric or persuasive
powers, can also…uphold and maintain political power.” To be more specific; interest groups,
religious coalitions, financial interests, political parties, and the like also
exhibit similar shameless tyrannically retention of their political power. They do this, regardless of harming national
unity or our common good.
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Such is the
story of those two good men, Saul and David. Neither wanted to be kings, but both became “paranoid,
isolated, and fearful” that they would lose their power. Trowbridge’s
epithet fpr the first king reads, “He never bought-into the finitude of his own
knowledge and authority,” ending up “a moral monster.” The second king, who was no better than his
predecessor, actually recognized his abuse of power, repented, and in the end is
remembered as “a man after God’s own heart.”
Acts 13:22
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Not all of
us are political leaders, but most of us identify ourselves with a politically
persuasive group or leader. If you
cannot influence your group or leaders’ shameless hold on power, turn from them,
and in the end be the one after God’s own heart.