Psalm 101 describes how genuine righteous leadership is possible. Just as Paul would state about a thousand years after David (in Acts 20:28), righteous leadership requires two basic things:
- Take heed to yourself. Conduct yourself and your personal affairs righteously. David stated it this way: “I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises. I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness” (vv. 1-4). Note the continuous echo of “I will” in those words. To be able to lead others in the paths of righteousness, you first must be walking in them yourself. Being righteous requires a proper love of God, upright behavior, consistent obedience to God’s will, the abhorrence of evil, and a steadfast refusal to fellowship the unfruitful works of darkness.
- Take heed to your assigned sphere of leadership. Use the God-given authority of your position to promote righteousness and oppose evil. Note King David’s words: “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure. My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.” Be a righteous leader: promote the good; punish the wicked; protect the innocent.
Righteous leadership in the home, in the church, and in the nation is a most present need of our day.
Are you part of the problem or the solution?
