The Servant Leader

The Servant Leader

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Exodus 3:1

Often the way down is the way up. From being handled as, ‘the son of Pharoah’s daughter,’ and being a prince in Egypt for forty years, it was a long way down to becoming a shepherd on the backside of the desert. Moses, attempting to liberate his people from oppression, murdered an Egyptian and had to flee the country. A fugitive from justice, he took up residence in Midian, and took on what work came to hand, which was the lowly occupation of herding sheep. Just as his education in secular knowledge was not wasted, so this experience was not wasted either. By it he learned humility, for there is no true leadership where there is no humility. By it he learned patience, for sheep are notoriously slow-witted, dull, and difficult. By this experience he learned to be wise, for to keep a flock alive in the desert requires knowledge of where to find water and pasture to sustain the sheep. So, Moses grew to be the servant-leader who would both pre-figure and imitate Christ, ‘that Great Shepherd of the sheep.’ God was, in this way, conforming Moses into the mirror image of Christ. He was also preparing him for his ultimate usefulness. What God did for Moses, He does for us. He puts us into the exact situations which will both conform us more thoroughly into the Image of Christ, and which will prepare us best for the purpose He has for us.

Our Great Shepherd of the Sheep,
we rejoice that You lead us along the pathways of Your choosing.
We praise You, that by the experiences that You give us,
You prepare us to show Christ to others.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning