Why does God appoint and ordain broken leaders for his people?
One of the things which becomes abundantly obvious when we look at the people God has used, empowered, and supported as leaders in the history of God’s chosen people, is just how broken and flawed these men and women often were/are.
God has often chosen these types of people, who were a mess in certain areas, people who loved and obeyed him imperfectly, to do great and mighty things. The foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27). There are four primary reasons I can see, as to why God does what he does and chooses the people he chooses:
God is abundant in Mercy and Grace. When we are unfaithful - He is still faithful, for he cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13). God is such a good God and because of this, He doesn’t throw people away when they fail like the world does. He doesn’t operate within a cancel culture mentality. The uncomfortable truth is that all ministers of the Gospel fail; some are more public failures than others and there are always varying degrees of failure - but 10/10 ministers fail in one area or another (before - during - or after their ministry). This is because 10/10 ministers are human beings; by nature children of Adam who are still learning their new nature in Christ; still battling against the worldly passions which make war on the Christian soul (1 Peter 2:11). These failures occur with varying consequences (which God doesn’t always remove).
Sometimes failure can mean disqualification from the ministry. God’s discipline can be severe; sometimes lasting a lifetime or sometimes for a prolonged period. God is just. Paul persecuted Christians before coming to Christ and it was Christ who said to Ananias, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16). So God is firm, He repays - He is the avenger. But in his dealings with His own people his motive is always to restore and repair. Yes, He disciplines - but never to destroy; to refine and rebuild.
“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” - Micah 7:8
God can use flawed/broken leaders as a public model of repentance. Think of David in Psalm 51 who gives us this pathway back to purity after sexual sin – “Create in me a clean heart… I will teach sinners your ways.” God uses our flawed heroes in the faith to provide paths for his people when they sin. This is not always possible. However, I am convinced that we need to become better at modeling repentance for the people who follow us. People need to look to others and see the grace and mercy of God, yes, but also - a clear Godward path of repentance which they can follow.
God gets the Glory for the work in and through the leader, not the leader themselves. Both the Glory in God’s sanctifying work of the leader themselves and the people of God through their example, but also the Glory of the mighty works themselves as God continues to use them as He chooses, all goes to God. We don’t look at Sampson and think that his power was because of his righteousness, or Solomon and imagine that his wisdom was self generated. We see Solomon fall away into idolatry and yet returning from it at the end of his life.
Because of the value which an exposure to weakness can bring in the lives of those who act as priests – those who represent a people before God and can intercede for them. Look at Hebrews 5 with me:
“Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to (or beset with) weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”
Aaron is a picture preserved for us of an imperfect leader who God still used. Think of it, the one who led the Israelites into the idolatry when Moses was away for 40 days with God on the mountain. Yet God didn’t remove Aaron but established his priestly office and his line after him. God’s favour on Aaron’s line extended as far as the rebuilding of the temple when God sent Ezra to teach and lead the people in repentance (Ezra was a descendant of Aaron).
The reality is that God chooses who He chooses. He calls to himself imperfect people so that they might serve him and stand before him on behalf of others; that they might pray and minister to the Lord as one who understands weakness and can deal gently with those who are struggling. This is why gentleness is later echoed by Paul as a qualification for leadership because gentleness and patience come when we can honestly understand the messiness of life and the personal battles which affect us all; the personal battles which we all have faced - some leading to victory and some to temporary defeat. God chooses broken people to serve him, crooked sticks to draw straight lines to Him.
Like Jacob, we walk onwards with a limp that makes us lean on the wooden staff; that makes us lean on the cross ourselves, even as we bring others to it.
“Jacob leant on his staff and he worshiped.” Genesis 47:31.
