Lesson Number 1
This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Yahweh of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
Not By Might – You can make it happen! That’s the unstated mantra of leadership training today. Just go to this class, or read this book, or listen to these disks, or attend this conference and, “presto chango”, you will be empowered to make it happen. You will take control of your circumstances and become leadership material. Since most of us stand on a Greek, post-modern foundation, we feel the inner self resonating with the desire for control and we buy the mythology. We forget that God’s way is nothing like our way.
“Not by might,” says the Lord. The Hebrew is lo vekhayil (combining the negative lo with the preposition be and the noun hayil). Of course, we think that this means “not by strength.” But hayil covers a broader spectrum than the size of our muscles. It’s not the same word that we find in Deuteronomy 6:5 (“with all your strength” – January 22). It’s a word that covers the concepts of valor, wealth, influence, virtue and physical and numerical power. God rejects it all! If you thought that God accomplishes His purposes through your valor or wealth or influence or virtue or physical prowess, think again. Over and over, the stories of God’s interactions with men demonstrate His refusal to use the methods and tactics that men can commonly employ. God does not do what human beings can do without Him. He does what no man is able to do so that no man can take the glory for the result.
There is a vital principle of biblical leadership in this fact. Too often, far too often, we look to the world’s measures of leadership to determine our direction and our commitment. We fall in line behind those who exercise valor, influence, wealth, virtue and prowess. Why do we do this when it is so clear that God goes another way? Because the natural inclination for control is such a dominate force in our lives. We want to control our risk and make things happen. How else can our goals ever be accomplished? It just seems so obvious.
But God is not obvious. He does not do things the commonsense way. He does not take the human approach. The simple truth is that we are unwilling to trust Him. It’s a form of decision-making insanity. We know that God is completely sovereign. We know that He loves His children and seeks only what is in our best interests. And we still try desperately to do it our way. We still think it’s up to us. We still drink from the “I can make it happen” fountain. We refuse to wait on Him.
Every day for forty years God provided sustenance for the children of Jacob. Every day He reiterated His reliable commitment to them. And after forty years of daily trustworthiness, they were still afraid to enter the Promised Land. So, here we are on the banks of the Jordan. We have had centuries of evidence of God’s faithfulness. And we are still trying to build a bridge to get across.
Topical Index: Leadership
