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Follow, Don’t Fight, God’s Leaders
“His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?’” (Genesis 37:8)

As Americans, we naturally resist leaders and authority in our lives. We are a nation born in rebellion by throwing off the rule of a king. We distrust leaders and chaff at those who are over us, whether in the family, in business, in government, or in the church. We hate even the idea that someone might be in a position superior to us, to whom we owe, dare I use such the term, obedience. We see this in politics. No matter who gets elected as president each cycle a large group on the losing side will proclaim (incorrectly): “He’s not my president!”

Since all earthly leaders whom God places in our lives are fallible humans, they naturally supply us with enough material to find reason to distrust or dismiss them as leaders. They are too strict or too carefree. They are too hard or too soft. They are simpletons or eggheads. Whatever human frailties they possess is all the evidence our naturally independent spirit needs to find justification for rebellion, whether quiet or open rebellion 

We see this in the relationship between Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37. Joseph already is despised by his brothers for the personal failure of being favored by their father. “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him” (Genesis 37:4). 

Things get even worse when God gives Joseph a prophetic dream in which God exalts him over his family and they all bow down to him. “His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words” (Genesis 37:8). 

We can understand this antipathy. Joseph, the favored son of their father, a man of annoyingly high personal integrity, is also their younger brother. All the normal tensions of sibling rivalry emerge when a younger brother is elevated over the rest. 

But there is something deeper than natural jealousy and hatred going on here. Since the Garden of Eden people are born with a rebellious nature against God. “Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” (Romans 1:21). Even among the people of God, there remains this old desire to throw of all constraints that come from God and his laws. “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51).

Joseph’s brothers reveal this desire to be free from the deliverer appointed by God—Joseph—and so to be free from God’s ways. “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams” (Genesis 37:20). Deep in their souls, they want to stop God’s word, his prophecy that Joseph would rule over them, from coming to pass. “We will see what will become of his dreams.”

And notice the intensity of the desire to throw of God’s leadership: “Let us kill him.” 
While they will ultimately opt to gain financially by trying to rid themselves of God’s appointed leader, selling him into slavery, their intense hatred is revealed in this desire to actually murder him. 

Most of us do not carry our rebellion against God’s appointed leadership in our lives to the point of murder. But we do ignore, belittle, oppose, and unfairly slander leaders over us including, at times, our parents, our bosses, our politicians, and our pastors. 

What is to be done? First, we must recognize this tendency in ourselves, even as Christians. When and where has your rebellion against God showed itself in resisting the leaders he has placed in your life?

Second, we must realize that this tendency is destructive. It is sin and like Joseph’s brothers, acting on this rebellion leads us into ever worsening sins. “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:2).

Third, trusting God to lead through the sinful and imperfect leaders he places in our lives we should follow them, rather than consistently resisting them.  “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

God does not command us to render blind obedience, nor to follow leaders who are clearly evil. The Apostles refused to obey their leaders who told them to stop preaching of Jesus. Instead, God bids us to have a heart willing to obey and submit to any lawful instruction given to us, everything checked by the word of God.  

This heart to obey God’s leaders in our lives is relatively rare in the world, rarer still in the US, with our history of proud revolt. 

To grow such a heart we look to Jesus the author and perfector of our faith. He was the world’s best follower, submitting to his leader, The Father. “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). 

As we follow Jesus, trusting him more, we can follow his leaders in our lives—not because we trust their perfection as leaders, none of them will be—but rather by trusting our perfect leader, Jesus. Jesus, who leads us perfectly using his very imperfect leaders, placed with care by him in our lives.  As Apostle Paul wrote to his followers, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).