Lingenfelter, in his powerful book, Transforming Culture, makes the statement, “In every generation people decide that the old leaders and the old game are inadequate. What they need are new leaders and a new social game to make ministry happen.”
It’s natural. But it may not always be good. There was this moment in Israel‘s history when a generation decided that the old leaders were inadequate. So they demanded a king. The people wanted change, wanted youth, wanted to be like the other nations. They wanted a symbol of royalty that would impress the others. Someone dynamic, who would stand head and shoulders above the rest. Saul seemed to fit the bill.
So Samuel had to give way. But when you read I Samuel 12, it is clear Samuel was finding it hard to adjust. He had been God’s leader, but the tide had turned. His style of leadership, though appreciated, was no longer valued. He was old and gray, and as he put it, “it is the king who is now leading you.” It led to some hard questions, troubling questions like, “Whom have I wronged?” One can hear him asking—so why am I rejected? Outside of the need for a new image, where have I failed?
It was nothing personal. Israel wanted image, change, youth—wanted to be like the others. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 speaks to the same pattern. People may find the right leader to replace the former, but even with him, the old game will eventually be inadequate, and, as the writer puts it, “those who come later will not rejoice in him.” But Samuel will remind them in this last public speech that success is not contingent upon leadership and social game; a new leader and a new title won’t necessarily deliver you. The fear of God and obedience to His commands is what matters (vs 14).
I think about all of this because I was recently with a small core of ministry leaders. A meeting was called for no discernible reason, but behind it all was this angst over the fact we are all getting older. I listened as these guys, amazing guys, each powerfully used of God, talked about where they were at. They have led movements nationally, as well as world wide, gave birth to incredible churches, and shepherd significant existing ministries. All believe they have more to offer the church than at any other time of their lives. And yet, there was this sense that their best days are now past, that they are no longer adequate for the new game. It’s not that they felt this way. But in some cases, another generation does.
Maybe I was witnessing the inevitable change of the guard, a precursor to my own unavoidable change. Better to initiate change than be asked to change. But it raises a question. Is there something to learn from Israel? Could it be that there is a tendency in these days to rush into the latest trend, go after tomorrow at the expense of the wisdom of the present?
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