Effective leaders are always on the lookout for good people. Virtually every leader carries around a mental list of what kind of people they would like on their team. It would surprise some leaders to discover that the teammate they get has less to do with what the leader wants and more to do with who the leader is. In most situations a leader draws people to them who possess the same qualities that the leader has. Read 2 Kings 2:1-15.

Elijah had a charismatic personality that affected all those around him on every level. Remember the lessons from 1 Kings 18 when Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal, he connected with the people of Israel. He didn’t just sit idly by while the prophets of Baal did their incantations to call down fire on the sacrifice; he taunted them and made sarcastic remarks concerning Baal napping. When the time came for Elijah to implore God to bring the fire to ignite the wood on the sacrifice he poured water on the wood and made a display that won the people’s hearts. And, when he called for the execution of the false prophets, the people were captivated and on his team.

Often leaders are isolated. Being too alone, too isolated, has a world of pitfalls for a leader. As we leave 1 Kings, it will benefit any leader to take one more look at the importance of developing interpersonal relationships. Read 1 Kings 19:19-21.

This passage marks a permanent transition in the lives of two men. When Elijah approached Elisha they both knew that their lives would never again be the same. Elijah became a mentor and Elisha his disciple. The relationship continued to grow until Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. After years of walking together, Elisha witnessed his master’s glorious departure, took up Elijah’s cloak, and inherited a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:1-15).

Those closest to a leader have great influence as a leader’s character develops. Read 1 Kings 21:25-26.

Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel, the princess of Tyre, didn’t help his character. She zealously promoted the worship of Baal and imported an army of pagan priests in defiance of Yahweh, the God of Israel. Ahab complied with his wife’s demands and came to hate the prophets of Yahweh. Thus, “There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife.”

Christian leaders never find what they are looking for when they abandon God in favor of their own interests. Read 1 Kings 22.

The king of Aram had captured and was now governing Ramoth Gilead, a city that was militarily strategic and economically important to both Judah and Israel. Jehoshaphat king of Judah and Ahab King of Israel determined together to take the city back from the king of Aram.

A fact that we all know but never really want to speak out loud is that sometimes selfish, angry, bullies become leaders in positions of authority. Read 1 Kings 19:1-2 and 1 Kings 21.

King Ahab of Israel married Jezebel, daughter of the King of Tyre. To put it mildly, Jezebel was not the kind of woman one would feel comfortable taking home to meet mother. This wicked queen was a power-hungry, abusive, scary woman. To get the complete picture of this leader read 1 Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9 but the assigned passages will give a quick overview.