Leaders Learn From the Past But Don’t Live There
1 Corinthians 10: 1-14
Zechariah 1: 4-6
The NIV translation of the Bible calls this section
“Warnings from Israel’s History” and the NKJV calls this section “Old Testament
Examples”. Paul’s ancestors are the
people of Israel. In Exodus 13:3 through
14:31 we learn that God led the Jewish people out of Egypt by a cloud and
pillar of fire and parted the Red Sea for them to escape. In this section of 1st Corinthians
Paul uses references from Exodus 32 and Numbers to illustrate that when the
Israelites complained and worshiped idols God punished them and an 11 day
journey took 40 years. The first
generation had the chance to enter the Promised Land but never made it.
Paul warns the Corinthians about complaining and worshiping
idols. He uses the references in verses
1 – 5 as examples of what God can do when we turn from him. Without learning there will not be
leadership. Zechariah 1: 4-6 reminds us
that is we do not learn from history we are bound to repeat it. As leaders we are to remain learners, learn
from the past, not repeat the past mistakes, and certainly not live in the
past. Learning influences leading and leading influence change. Our world and the people are changing too
fast. We need to be able to recognize
new insights and new opportunities.
No comments:
Post a Comment