Servant Leadership in the Old Testament

Abstract

There is much to be learned from the Old Testament Scriptures concerning servant leadership and its application to real situations in diverse contexts. There are many leaders who were servants of the Lord and of the people in this setting. Some did well and some did not, but the goal was always before them to be servants of the people. These leaders find themselves in many different roles and situations: from military and government leaders to royalty and prophets. Yet, all of them were called shepherds as a picture for the kind of leadership that was required. This type of leadership was very similar to servant leadership in that it required close attention to the followers. There were several rebukes to these leaders in the Old Testament when they got caught up in paying attention to themselves instead of caring for the people. These examples included some well-known leaders, like Moses, and others that were not so well known, like Barzillai, a servant to the King. Others did well even in the face of great opposition, like Esther, and others struggled during their lifetimes at every turn and failed in many places, like Samson. These witnesses are instructive for leading as servants.