A passage in Isaiah stuck out to me because of the implications it has for us as men, especially in our leadership role. Isaiah 9:16 says, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err, and those who are led by them are destroyed.” The next verse speaks of God’s judgment on young men, orphans and widows alike because of the failure of the leadership.

It doesn’t seem to matter that perhaps the leaders were sincere — they were wrong and caused the people to err. Perhaps they were weak or uncertain in their leadership. Even so, they caused the people to err. The result was that not only did judgment come to the leader, it came upon those who followed as well. Leadership is a powerful thing as I’m sure you have seen in the events of the Old Testament kings. The fate of the whole nation depended upon the quality and direction of the leadership.
How does that relate to us? We’re not kings, presidents or corporate managers. We are just simple men — husbands, fathers, church workers. Isn’t it true, however, that in our positions we are leaders, even if there are only a few who look to us? Doesn’t that mean it is crucial for us to be careful not to cause other to err because in so doing we bring judgment not only on ourselves, but on them as well? Let’s be faithful men in our leadership roles no matter how many or how few people it impacts.