SAVING THE NEW GUY

Blogging Genesis 14

A leader’s work doesn’t end when someone new takes over their title.   

In Genesis chapter 13, Lot, Abram’s young nephew  took over leadership of their prime pasture land.  In Genesis chapter 14, Lot encountered more trouble in that position than he was prepared to handle.  Cause that is how the world works. 

The Devil targets new leaders.

There had been 12 years of peace in the Jordan valley, but as soon as Lot started implementing his

vision for their people, trouble came from 9 different directions.  Nine kingdoms go to war with each other and  Lot is in the middle of it all.  Everything Lot owns, all of his employees, his entire family, and he are all taken by the 4 invading kings.   The other 5 kings, the ones who were supposed to protect Lot and his interests?  Those guys ran away. (Genesis 14:1-10)

Warn your proteges.  Tell your successors that the prophetic pattern is clear.  The devil comes for the new guy.

A leader isn’t successful until their successor succeeds.

Now, when Abram heard that his nephew had been kidnapped, he went full on Liam Nelson.  Abram rounded up his boys and called his Amorite allies Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner because some situation require you to call on your heathen friends (Luke 16:9).  They locked and they loaded and they went after the people who had taken Lot.

We make sons so we can have brothers.

Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (Genesis 13:14)

The rescue mission succeeded but that’s not our main point right now.

In Genesis 14,  Scripture refers to Lot as  his brother not “his nephew.”  In their time together, Lot had been like a son to Abram, his student, his protégé; but Lot had grown up.  The shift in language affirms that Abram hadn’t “let” Lot lead in the south to shut the kid up.  Abram truly saw Lot as an EQUAL.  

Too often, older church folk only see younger adults as baby, son, and so-and-so’s child.  Abraham’s example teaches veteran leaders to progress to a new level of relationship to young adults in which they are your equals.  Don’t postpone that relationship until you’re too tired to hold on to the primacy.

While Abraham was in his prime, while he was still leading and fighting effectively, while he still had the power and influence to shut Lot out --- Abraham stopped calling Lot “my brother’s baby,”

and started calling him “my brother.”

When enemies overwhelmed his brother, the old man had to come to his rescue.  He didn’t ride in singing, “I told you so.”  Abram didn’t say, “I knew you weren’t ready to chair this auxiliary.”  Abram mobilized his contacts and risked his standing to rescue Lot without losing any respect for Lot as a man or a leader. 

Because that’s what you do when YOUR BROTHER is in trouble.

Watch out for the wish-you-were-stills

The mission was a success, but then the wish-you-were-stills came back.  You know  the wish-you-were-stills?  Say you led an organization for several years but you’ve stepped down and a new leader is in charge.  When that new leader  encounters a major problem you stop by to consult.  When you arrive, there will be  people who pull you aside and say, “We wish-you-were-still in charge.”

Some of them will wish-you-were-still out of sincere love.  They supported you while you were in charge. 

But some wish-you-were-stills will be the very people who’d opposed you at every turn, sabotaged your efforts, and made your time in charge a living HELL-O.

In Genesis 14, the 5 kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies were Abram’s wish-you-were-stills.  Remember these were the guys who ran away, abandoning Lot and his family to be robbed and kidnapped (Genesis 14:10-12).  After the rescue (in which the 5 kings did not participate), the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”  (Genesis 4:21)

He said, “Look, Abram.  This nephew of yours doesn’t deserve the wealth he’s acquired.  You made him what he is.  We wish-you-were-still in charge.  Let us come in after the crisis and remove him from power, and you can take it back. “

Abram recognized the manipulation and his response in verses 22-24 left wisdom for every leader tempted to take out the new guy.

• ·         Don’t be led by ego.  Be led by God.
• ·         Stay on mission.  You came to  help not to take over.
• ·         If you let the wish-you-were-stills give you the kingdom, they will own you.   Besides, if they’ll betray the new guy, they’ll betray you.
• ·         You have (or should have) new work to do.

Be the former leader you wish your former leader had been. 

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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