Outline: A Godly Leader is Fair

Note: This is the eighth installment in our series on biblical leadership.

 

A Godly Leader is Fair

Selected Verse

Establish the need: Are you someone fair?

 

Purpose: Today we shall three points so that we would be fair both as a Christian and also as a godly leader.

• The importance of being fair
• The example of being fair
• How to cultivate fairness

 

Quick Comments about meaning of fairness:

• The dictionary’s definition for fairness: “the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is right or reasonable.”[1]
• The dictionary’s definition of fair: “treating someone in a way that is right or reasonable, or treating a group of people equally and not allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment.”[2]

 

The importance of being fair

1. Even if you are not a leader it is important to be fair
   1. We are to practice righteousness: “How blessed are those who maintain justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!” (Psalm 106:3)
      1. Notice we are to maintain righteousness at all times.
      2. Yet fairness as we see the definition require us to be righteous and reasonable
   2. God specifically demand humans be fair: “Do you indeed speak righteousness, you gods? Do you judge fairly, you sons of mankind?” (Psalm 58:1)
      1. Rhetorical question.
      2. Notice the second one asks if men judge fairly presupposing people should judge things fairly.
   3. Favoritism is prohibited: “My brothers and sisters, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you [b]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil [c]motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor [d]of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:1-5)
      1. The prohibition is given in verse 1.
      2. The situation is described in details in verses 2-5.
      3. We are not to have favoritism.
   4. Bad scales: “A just balance and scales belong to the Lord; All the weights of the bag are His concern.” (Proverbs 16:11)
      1. God cares about a just balance and scale for our economic transaction.
      2. We too are to be fair and just.
2. Why is it important for leaders? (2 Reasons)
   1. Reason 1: A leader who fail to be fair will commit the sin of injustice: “You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not show partiality to the poor nor give preference to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. “(Leviticus 19:15)
   2. Reason 2: It undermine leadership: “A 2016 study by Robert Half Management Resources found that employees and executives agreed that integrity and fairness are the most important qualities in a corporate leader”[3]
      1. The very definition of a leader from session one in our series established that a leader is one who influence people to do what is required.
      2. If you are lack fairness you will lose your ability to influence positively, which is what leadership is.

 

The example of being fair: Solomon: 1 Kings 3:16-28

1. This is the story of King Solomon having to judge between two woman (v.16).
2. The situation and dilemma described: “The one woman said, “Pardon me, my lord: [a]this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child [b]while she was in the house. 18 And it happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 19 Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant was asleep, and she laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I examined him closely in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne!” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But [c]the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” So they spoke before the king.” (1 Kings 3:17-22)
   1. Earlier the people of course was frustrating for Moses to deal with: The people were arguing with and complaining to Moses in Numbers 20:3-5.
   2. God in Numbers 20:8 tells Moses to speak to the rock to get water to provide water for the people.
   3. Here we see in Numbers 20:11 Moses disobeyed and struck the rock.
   4. Moses didn’t strike it once but twice.
3. Solomon’s approach to a solution demonstrate he led fairly: “And the king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 But the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for [f]she was deeply stirred over her son, and she said, “Pardon me, my lord! Give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other woman was saying, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” 27 Then the king replied, “Give [g]the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judgment which the king had [h]handed down, they feared the king, because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to [i]administer justice.” (1 Kings 3:24-28)
   1. Notice first he try to establish truth of the matter.
   2. Truth is foundational for fairness. Otherwise pursuit for fairness will be misguided if it is not based upon truth.
   3. Fairness here notice is about what should be giving someone what they deserve.

 

How to cultivate fairness

1. Beware of outward appearance
   1. “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7)
      1. Samuel here is on a mission to anoint the second king of Israel.
      2. Human sinful nature often judge by superficial appearances. Even a man of God like Samuel is not immune.
      3. Notice here God tells Samuel not to pick a leader only because of height or stature.
      4. Here God tells Samuel that God Himself looks at the heart.
      5. We should consider the heart is more important than outward appearances.\
2. Meditate on the truth of who God is:
   1. God is a God who is fair: “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples fairly.” (Psalm 9:8)
      1. Notice this verse says God will judge all people fairly.
      2. What that means is that God will judge the world rightly.
      3. Meditate on this!
   2. Other verses that mention God is fair that is worth meditating upon: Psalm 67:4, Psalm 75:2, Psalm 96:10, Psalm 98:9.
   3. Meditate on the truth God is impartial: “For there is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:11)
3. Remember in your leadership you are accountable to God “Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 4:1)
4. Always find out the truth of what is going on with those under your leadership.
   1. Remember people can change so make sure you regularly know what’s going on in order to be fair:
      1. You cannot assume someone who is top performing under you will always be top performing; people can change for the worst.
      2. You cannot assume someone who is low performing under you will always be low performing; people can change for the better.
   2. If you don’t know what’s going on with the performance of those under you, you will therefore judge unfairly.
5. Adhere to the rules/guidelines/policies.
   1. Remember fairness is going by what’s laid out.
   2. Sometimes rule do need to be change to adapt and change to circumstances. But make sure you are not changing it out of favoritism.
6. Also make sure you communicate to those under your leadership while certain rules are change so they know your motivation.
7. Take responsibility first as a leader for those who have problems under your leadership. You don’t want to be the leader who can only see faults in others but not yourself, that would not be fair.
8. Give credit of what others are doing well. Leaders are praised when things go well but to be fair it is possible because of the contribution of those under your leadership.
9. Pray to the Lord for grace to be fair.

 

 

[1] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fairness.

[2] Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fair.

[3] Source: https://journeytoleadershipblog.com/2018/01/07/importance-of-fairness-justice-equity-leadership-quality/