Fall 2023 · Vol. 52 No. 2 · pp. 112–118
A Theology of Leadership from the Psalms
A theology is only as good as the implications that flow from it.
Jeffrey K. Salkin, Jewish Journal
If you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you will have a lot of wrong ones.
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
The Psalms, written by persons of influence, communicate an understanding of leadership that is applicable in today’s world.
1 I grew up in a church that sang the historic hymns of the faith along with gospel hymns. You could tell the difference by the time signatures. The historic hymns of the faith were usually written in 4/4 time while the gospel hymns were mostly written in 3/4 time. When I attended seminary, some professors taught me that many of the hymns we sing are not good, sound theology. I was never bothered by that because the focus of my {113} singing was, as the psalmist says, to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1 KJV).
The songbook of the ancient people of God was the Psalter. The Psalms, as we have come to know them, have a theology of their own. They offer praise and thanksgiving, encouragement and consolation, and point us to a future and a hope. The Psalms are part of the inspired, infallible, inerrant, authoritative written Word of God. Creating a theology of leadership from the songbook of the people of God seems appropriate and leads to good, sound theology.
Like all theologies, this one is incomplete. However, the Psalms provide some compelling statements that communicate an understanding of leadership. They point to three theological truths: (1) God leads. (2) We are engaged in a holy partnership with God. (3) Our part of the partnership is to engage in the actions of listening, seeing, learning, doing, and loving. Like a musical score that allows one to see all the notes and how they fit together, these three theological truths combined become the score on which the practice of leadership service is written and coordinated. A theology of leadership serves as a score for all leadership activity.
Leadership is described in very simple terms in Psalm 78:72: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” 2 Asaph, a worship leader for King David, composed a song describing the legacy influence of direction and provision the Lord had on his people down through the generations. But they refused to honor the Lord. Asaph’s composition notes that “they continued to sin against him” (v. 17), resulting in the people’s hopelessness and defeat. However, amid these multiple rejections, the Lord raised up David. The description of his leadership provides a foundational understanding of leadership. Leadership consists of integrity of heart and skillful hands. Leadership is being that results in doing. Who you are determines how you lead and how you lead flows from who you are.
The life and leadership of King David, the author of at least seventy-three of the psalms, defines the essence of leadership. He was a person of immense influence by both his example and his actions. He attracted high-capacity followers who fought for, honored, and revered him. He was all-encompassing, someone the entire nation followed to places they could not or would not go by themselves. He equipped and inspired an entire nation to pursue a preferred future for the common good of all. As God’s chosen one, he influenced the nation toward the purposes of God. Together they went to places where God wanted them to be and participated with him in his activity in the world. David was considered a “man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22). His willingness to “do everything I want him to do” is a model of leadership for us today (v. 22b). His heart was in {114} tune with God’s heart as he honored the Lord’s influence. The psalms he wrote become the basis of our theology of leadership from the songbook of the ancient people of God.
In exploring the psalms, we discover first and foremost that God leads. Fundamental to all kingdom-seeking, God honoring, biblically rooted leadership is the fact that God is the premier model of leadership. From the beginning of time, his influence is witnessed throughout the world he created.
In Psalm 104:27, the psalmist, after declaring praise to the Lord with a litany of what God has done in and for creation, makes a summary statement: “All creatures look to you [God] to give them their food at the proper time.” Jesus referenced this psalm when talking about being ready when the end of time comes. He affirms readiness as an excellent stewardship practice of a wise and faithful servant (see Luke 12:40–42). The consummate leader, the Lord, models good stewardship for all of humankind as evidenced in his relationship to creation. In leadership terms, “do the right thing and do things right” is the stewardship of the Lord.
All leadership is a stewardship placed in our hands by the Lord and those on earth who have given us the authority to lead. It is a stewardship of mission and vision, resources and relationships, power and authority, time and talent, reputation and message, lives, and organizational culture. Every direction we set, every strategy we implement, and every decision we make is a stewardship entrusted to us to fulfill God’s purposes on earth.
The Psalms also communicate the virtues of God’s influence. Humility, doing right, and respect are highly esteemed by the master leader. Psalm 25:9–10 proclaims, “He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands” (NLT). When we practice humility while setting things right, we experience his pleasure and participate in making the world as he intended it to be. Jim Collins in Good to Great calls it “Level 5” leadership when humility and fierce resolve come together. 3 These verses also describe someone who is both supportive and directive in his influence in our lives. God’s compassion and understanding inspire us to serve, and when we need direction, he shows the way.
Central to the understanding of God’s people is that he leads them. In Psalm 80:1 Asaph appeals to the Lord as the one who led the people centuries ago: “Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth.” The experience of deliverance from their oppressors is remembered as the Lord leading them. The cloud, the pillar of fire, and the journey were understood as the Lord leading them to a preferred future. {115}
However, God’s leadership is not done in a vacuum. He carries out his purposes on earth through those he calls, inspires, and equips to make the world as he intended it to be. We are engaged in a holy partnership. Kingdom-seeking leadership service is a holy partnership with the Lord himself.
Psalm 77:20 affirms both the leadership of God and his partnership with us: “You [God] led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” The rescue of the people from their oppressors was understood as the Lord leading through the activity of Moses and Aaron. Moses acted. Aaron spoke. And God led. A great demonstration of the holy partnership.
When I accepted the call to become a college president, the board formed a committee to plan an inauguration. Although I felt quite uncomfortable with the whole idea, I soon realized this was a rite of passage whose purpose was for the institution to celebrate its mission and affirm its vision. The theme the committee chose was “Called to Serve; Chosen to Lead.” It struck a chord in my soul that remained for my tenure as president. Near the end of my time of service, I created a paperweight with this phrase etched into a stone, which I gave to those who had diligently worked with me in leading the college. Each of them was called to serve and had been chosen to lead. I challenged them to continue to lead well.
As I began to fulfill the responsibilities of the role, I quickly learned that everything I was engaged in as a president was not my doing, but the Lord’s. We were partners in the pursuit of accomplishing the mission and vision of the college. The funds we raised, the buildings we built, the programs we implemented, the new business model we embraced, the rebranding of the institution—all were the results of the Lord moving hearts, uniting us in purpose and values, and inspiring us to give it our all. The transformation of lives, the preparation for meaningful vocations, and the inspiration to live a life of service were of no value if the Lord was not intimately and intricately involved in the process. In the midst of many accomplishments, I realized how true were the words of Solomon in Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” All the positive advances of the college were God’s doing, and I was in partnership with him in moving the institution forward toward our preferred future.
Experiencing the outcomes of this holy partnership affirms what Psalm 115:16 proclaims: “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.” Our role in the holy partnership is affirmed. We have been placed on this earth to influence. {116}
As in all partnerships, each person has his or her role and assigned activity to make the partnership productive. In the holy partnership, we engage in the leadership actions of listening, seeing, learning, doing, and loving. The leadership actions of the holy partnership are like the diatonic musical scale from which all music finds its origin. Our responsibility is to listen, see, learn, do, and love. Let’s look at each of these responsibilities individually:
Listening to the Lord. When engaged in kingdom-seeking, God-honoring, biblically rooted leadership, listening to the One who has called us into leadership service is essential as we influence people toward his purposes. The temple musician who wrote Psalm 85:8 affirms the importance of listening. After proclaiming the activity of God to his people and pleading for him to again intervene in their lives, he declares, “I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.” If you want to be a part of God’s activity in the world, listen to him.
Seeing the world as God sees it and recognizing his activity in the world. The psalmist offers up high praise, declaring the mightiness and awesomeness of the works of God and inviting us to “come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!” (Psalm 66:5). When we are faced with difficult and perplexing situations, we often seek to understand them from a human perspective. When in a holy partnership, seeing the situation as God sees it can open up a whole new world of possibilities.
Learning from what we have heard and seen. Once we have heard what the Lord desires and seen the situation from his vantage point, we must then process and interpret the information and learn from it. What we learn equips us for the task ahead. Often, we are shaped by the experience and we grow in character, capacity, and understanding. Once we have experienced the voice of the Lord and had our eyes opened to his ways, our hearts yearn for his understanding: “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4–5). When David wrote this song, he was pleading with the Lord to show him his favor.
Doing the work. Once we have heard from the Lord, seen the situation as he sees it, and learned from what he has shown us, it is time to do. Have the courage to take the needed action to address the situation that needs resolution. You have the responsibility to, as David wrote in Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Leadership is an activity. Leaders are by nature action-oriented people. When the actions are inspired by what you have heard, seen, and learned, then the courage to take the needed actions is a natural result. {117} When criticism comes, your confidence remains because you have listened, seen, and learned.
Loving others. Finally, in everything, practice love. Throughout the songbook, God’s love for us is affirmed. In Psalm 136, every statement of thanksgiving, praise, and godly activity is antiphonally answered by the phrase “His love endures forever.” When David fled from the pursuit of Saul, he proclaimed in Psalm 57:10, “For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” No matter what the circumstances, the love of God is always our experience. This deep and continual love is our inspiration to love others. Those whom the Lord has placed in our care as we fulfill his call to leadership service are motivated to engage as we love them. At his Retirement Ceremony in 2003, as Chief of Staff of the Army under President George W. Bush, General Eric Shinseki made this statement: “You must love those you lead before you can be an effective leader. You can certainly command without that sense of commitment, but you cannot lead without it. And without leadership, command is a hollow experience, a vacuum often filled with mistrust and arrogance.” 4 The military is not known for love. Yet this highly decorated four-star general with three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts came to the conclusion when considering a lifetime of service that what was central in providing effective leadership was love.
When we participate with the Lord in fulfilling his mission in the world, we are engaged in a holy partnership. This holy partnership is quite simple:
God speaks. We listen.
God does. We see.
God teaches (equips). We learn.
God inspires. We do.
God loves. We love.
When the complexities of leadership are brought together in one location, they are written on the score of a theology of leadership. God leads. We are engaged in a holy partnership. Our leadership actions are to listen, see, learn, do, and love.
REFLECTION
What is your theology of leadership? Which biblical text(s) or story(ies) are the foundation of your theology of leadership? {118}
NOTES
- This article is excerpted from my book, The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine-Tune Your Life and Influence (Invite Resources, 2023).
- All biblical references are to the NIV unless otherwise noted.
- Jim Collins, Good to Great (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), chapter 2.
- Eric K. Shinseki, “General Eric K. Shinseki Retires,” NVC Newsletter 53, no. 7 (August 2003), https://www.nvcfoundation.org/newsletter/2003/8/general-eric-k-shinseki-retires/.
