"The terms king and shepherd were almost interchangeable in the ancient Near East. To be a king meant to shepherd one's people from death to life. This leader had to be vigilant, equally detail oriented and able to see the big picture. This shepherd also protected the sheep from enemies and provided them with food, water, and rest.
"Many a king misunderstands or abuses his calling and ends up devouring the flock - and then he blames the sheep for the dwindling numbers." (Dan Allender in Leading with a Limp, p. 61)
One of the temptations of the leader is to see himself only as king at the exclusion of being a shepherd. With the leadership territory comes great responsibility and power. The leader is free to wield it as he/she pleases. But if the leader wants to lead, leaders need followers. And when the leader forgets that they are also the shepherd, the flock flees, the flock dies.
More than ever, we need to be praying for our leaders. That our leaders become the shepherd kings guiding people from death to life.
That's my prayer for myself and every single other leader I know.
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