Moses was a great leader.
God delegated the responsibility to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to Moses. It’s debated how many people Moses led: 600,000 men, plus women and children, or a much lower number. I’ll let the historians and theologians debate the numbers.
What’s obvious is: the responsibility of leading others is taxing — and at times, exhausting. Some are willing to follow your lead. Others, not so much.
But to traverse from Egypt to the Promised Land requires someone to lead.
So, God delegates an enormous responsibility to a man who has more reasons to believe he can’t lead than confidence he can — because God sees in Moses what Moses cannot see in himself.
Candidly, I find that encouraging!
It’s easy for me to allow my shortcomings and weaknesses to delay or neglect my leadership potential. I view the success of others while ignoring their failures.
Moses was not only a great leader; he was an imperfect leader.
He was impatient. His sense of justice encouraged him to take matters into his hand (Exodus 2:11-12). He was doubtful (Ex 4:1), and he wasn’t an articulate communicator (Ex. 4:10). As you look closely at his life — and leadership — you see traits that undermine his “super-hero” qualities.
Great leaders are not measured solely by their abilities, expertise, or successes. Exemplary leaders learn from failures, acknowledge weakness, and cling to the belief that God sees what they cannot see in themselves. The point is:
God is not nearly as concerned with our perfection as we are!
The life — and leadership — of Moses helps us find the courage to lead when we think we can’t. It also reminds us: God does not look for perfect leaders. He desires imperfect leaders to follow Him. And when we do, we discover God’s capabilities, not ours.
Let’s lead so others will see Christ