I love plumbing the depths of the Old Testament for character studies of both good and bad leaders. I find many of these portrayals can teach us a great deal about what it means to be a Godly leader.
One such leader I recently spent some time studying is Ezra.
Ezra has a whole book devoted to the story of how he led a group of Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the Temple of God. (You can read an article about Ezra’s leadership here.)
The Journey Begins
The Persian king, Artaxerxes, authorized Ezra to lead a group of exiles back to Jerusalem. As a priest and leader, Ezra faced three enormous challenges. First, he had to manage the completion of the restoration of the Temple of God. Second, he had to reorganize the people of Jerusalem to prepare them for the work to be done. And third, Ezra needed to lead a reformation of the people and their relationship to God!
7 Key Leadership Traits
The account of Ezra and his work in Jerusalem is recorded in Ezra 7-10. In these four chapters, I see seven essential leadership traits that helped contribute to his success.
1. He Honored Scripture
As a priest, not surprisingly, Ezra spent time studying God’s word. What sets him apart from many other leaders in his day is that Ezra also did what God’s word said and taught others to obey God’s word.
“For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).
2. He Was Humble and Selfless
From the very beginning, Ezra took no credit for God’s call on his life. Instead, he gave praise to God, saying, God put the idea of rebuilding the Temple and the city of Jerusalem into the king’s heart.
“Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7:27-28).
3. He Was Trustworthy
As king, Artaxerxes could have picked anyone he wanted to lead the Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem. Artaxerxes chose Ezra to lead this mission because he trusted Ezra and formalized his trust in the decree he issued.
“Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go” (Ezra 7:13).
4. He Was A Team Builder
Ezra knew the enormity of the task before him required a large team of committed men and women. So, Ezra hand-selected and recruited specific people to accompany him on the journey.
“These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes” (Ezra 8:1).
5. He Was Prayer Warrior
Ezra was a real prayer warrior. He began his journey in prayer (Ezra 7:10), as he received the declaration from the king (Ezra 7:17), when the journey began (Ezra 8:21), and when he learned of the intermarriage with foreign women (Ezra 9:6-15).
Additionally, Ezra was very public about praying for people caught in sin.
“While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites–men, women, and children–gathered around him. They too wept bitterly” (Ezra 10:1).
6. He Was Empathetic
Ezra cared deeply about the people and their spiritual condition. When he learned about the people’s sin, he was grieved and ashamed for them as he prayed to God for their redemption.
“When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down appalled” (Ezra 9:3).
7. He Led Repentance
Three days after he learned about the sin of intermarriage, Ezra took decisive action to redeem the people. Once the people repented their sin and removed the sin from their lives, their relationship with God was restored.
“Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, ‘You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt. Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.’” (Ezra 10:10-11).
Leadership Lessons for Us
God will likely call on none of us to take on the restoration, reorganization, and reformation of a nation.
However, that doesn’t mean we are not confronted with some of the same issues that faced Ezra in our own way. Whenever we face an immense challenge at work, remember these seven leadership traits that made Ezra successful in his campaign to rebuild Jerusalem:
- Study and know the Word of God.
- Remain humble and praise God.
- Be a trustworthy man or woman of God.
- Realize you can’t do it all yourself. So, build a team that will help you succeed.
- Pray before you start, pray as you get going, pray in the messy middle when difficulties arise, and pray praise to God when He delivers success into your hands.
- Be empathetic. People stumble and fall all the time. Help them when they fall!
- Lead repentance when a fallen and unfaithful employee seeks redemption.
These seven leadership traits served Ezra well, and they will serve us just as well today!
More Articles
I have written many articles on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.
- #435: How Do Good Leaders Exercise Their Authority in The Service of Others?
- #429: True Leadership Requires More Than Competency and Skill
- #416: 7 Must-Have Skills of Highly Effective Godly Leaders
- #403: Is America On the Same Destructive Path as Babylon?
- #383: 4 Essential Character Traits of Smart Reentry Leaders
- #373: Do You Deal with Temptations in The Workplace?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Which of these leadership traits do you think is scarce in the workplace today? Which is most needed in our society?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Character
Thanks Ron, you are always helpful to find the nuggets of wisdom in scripture. They come alive and we can apply these leaderships traits to our daily lives even though they over 2300 ago.
Thanks, Jim! It’s true, God’s principles stand the test of time which is why it is so important to learn from the past (both the good and bad)!
Where are the Ezras in today’s political leadership? These 7 leadership qualities should be prerequisites for office!
If only we could have a checklist for candidates! Sadly, I’m afraid many of our politicians would still manage to get elected!