When leaders fail to practice servant leadership they will become self-serving and the organization can become a very unpleasant place to work. Read Micah 7:1-7.

The people of Israel were in dire straights. They could not trust a neighbor, put confidence in a friend or even trust their own family members. The root of the problem is identified as corrupt leaders when in verse three it says, “…the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire – they all conspire together.” There was self-centered leadership who worked for personal gain, kickbacks and bribes. They forced the people to serve them rather than them serving the people.

It is the leader’s responsibility to create an environment of humility, justice, fairness, and mercy that makes it safe for the team. Read Micah 6:1-8.

Micah lays out the charges against Israel’s leaders in verses 1-7 and gives the people permission to plead their case for innocence. God gave the people every break and helped them in their times of need yet they chose to ignore Him and follow their own desires. They had a form of religion with the rituals they practiced but their hearts were distant from God. In verse eight Micah tells the people what God expects of them, especially the leaders.

God-honoring leaders place extreme importance on values in long-range planning. Read Micah 2:1-5.

Micah shows us what it looks like when leaders eliminate godly values when making plans for the future. He paints a picture of leaders who plan evil and carry it out “because they have the power to do it.” Israel’s leaders forced their plans on the poor and oppressed who were unable to stop them. The government, religious, and business leaders were defrauding them of their homes and inheritance. Through Micah God gave a stern warning that He would thwart the schemes of those who plan and plot evil for their own gain.

Every leader will ultimately reap what they sow. Read Obadiah 15-18.

The Edomites hated their distant cousins, the Israelites, stemming all the way back to the twin brothers Jacob and Esau, the founders of the two nations. Edom’s hatred generated actions against Israel that came back to haunt them in their day of need. The Edomite leaders chose to misuse their power to harm the Israelites in their moment of need and because they misused their power they ultimately reaped the terror and destruction brought on them by an even more powerful nation.

One God-honoring, God-required use of a leader’s power is to protect the powerless. Read Obadiah 8-14.

The book of Obadiah was written in the mid 800s B.C. prophesying about Edom’s actions both past and future. In the past they had withheld mercy by refusing to allow the tribes of Israel to pass through their land while traveling from Egypt to the Promise Land. In the future, during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B. C, the Edomites will join with the Babylonians in destroying the people in Jerusalem, they will demonstrate genuine joy that the Jews are being slaughtered, they will take part in the looting of the city and the temple, and they will wait at the river crossings and capture those few that escape Jerusalem and turn them over to the Babylonians for execution. When the Jews were at their most powerless moment the Edomites did not use their power to help them but rather used their power and influence to inflict more pain and suffering.