Leadership Lessons From Abraham: Part Two

Although Abraham made plenty of mistakes, he also had some excellent qualities. There is a reason why the Apostle Paul in Galatians and Romans looks to Abraham as the father of our faith.

It is actually Abraham’s faith that should be our starting point for understanding his leadership ability. In Genesis 15, God makes a promise to Abraham that he would have an heir and that his offspring would be more than the stars in the sky. Abraham heard this promise and believed God.

While there is much overlap between secular and Christian leadership, the biggest difference concerns faith. Christian leadership is much more than setting goals for an organization and motivating followers to achieve those goals. Christian leaders must discern the will of God and be willing to be obedient, even if it doesn’t make sense from a human perspective.

What makes Abraham’s faith remarkable is that it took God some time to fulfill the promise and even then, that faith was tested. In Genesis 22, we find that God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Isaac is the promised son, the one that Abraham had waited so long for. It is easy to see Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac as a character flaw and not a virtue. But we need to remember that this was still in the context of faith. The promise that God gave was to not just provide a son but that from that son would come an abundance of offspring. At the time of Genesis 22, only half the promise had been fulfilled. Abraham obeyed God because he was still believing that God would be faithful to his promise and he was.

This is a challenging lesson for any leader. It is easy to remain faithful when things are running smoothly but more difficult when life falls apart. One of the few things that leaders can depend on is that unexpected and painful circumstances will arise. It is in these times that our faith is tested. Hopefully, like Abraham, we will remain trusting in God.

Long before these events, we see another example of Abraham’s leadership qualities. In Genesis 13, we find that there is some conflict between Abraham and his nephew Lot. The size of their flocks and herds made their dwelling together impossible. It was necessary for them to separate. It would make sense for Abraham, as the senior partner in this family business, to make the first choice for land, taking the best for himself. But that is not what Abraham did. Not only did Abraham give Lot first choice, he allowed Lot to have the best land. The goal for the leader is not to make their own life easier but to do what is best for the organization. Abraham was willing to sacrifice the comfortable choice and this ultimately worked out for the best.

This is seen again in Genesis 14 when Lot and his people were taken by a group of kings. Abraham could have left things alone and been content that his camp was safe. Instead, Abraham gathered his best men and pursued the enemy until Lot and the others were rescued. Abraham put his life at risk to save Lot. Leadership requires us to put ourselves on the line for others. Sometimes it is not about our own comfort but is about doing what is right.

In Genesis 18, Abraham discovers that God intends to destroy Sodom. Abraham doesn’t owe Sodom anything. The city was known for his wickedness. Instead of rejoicing over the impending destruction, we find Abraham pleading for God to relent. Strong leadership has a place for mercy and compassion. There may be times when a leader has the opportunity to cause difficulty for those in opposition. The leader should resist such temptation and look out for the wellbeing of even enemies. This was the type of leader that Abraham was.

We find in Genesis a complex story of a complex leader. Abraham had both bad and good qualities. This is what makes Abraham a leader we can identify. He is human enough to be approachable but also has good qualities that are worth emulating.