What kinds of temptations do leaders face?

2 Samuel 11:1-2, 4In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.

Leaders are often tempted to abuse their power for personal reasons, especially when everything is going well and people hold them in high regard. David had reached the place where he could enjoy an amount of freedom because he had won many battles and had a trusted leadership team in place. But the battlefront of temptation is one where no one else can fight for us.

Deuteronomy 17:16-17“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.”

1 Kings 11:1-4Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. . . . The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. . . . And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.

Luke 12:15“Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Many leaders are tempted to think that they are special and exempt from the standards that apply to everyone else. In fact, God established even higher standards in some areas for the kings of ancient Israel. We see in Scripture that leaders are tempted to accumulate money and possessions, and to move toward opportunities for new alliances and power. An excessive desire for any of these can draw leaders away from God’s path. Because leaders are human, they are subject to the same weaknesses as everyone else. Solomon was given wisdom beyond any man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:12), but he made the foolish decision to ignore God’s warnings and paid the price.

John 12:4-6Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself.

Jesus had many followers, and as one of the Twelve, Judas was a part of the leadership team under Jesus. Like many leaders, Judas was tempted to take advantage of the trust given to him as a means of personal gain.

2 Chronicles 26:14-16Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and sling stones. And he built structures on the walls of Jerusalem, designed by experts to protect those who shot arrows and hurled large stones from the towers and the corners of the wall. His fame spread far and wide, for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.

2 Chronicles 32:24-26About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

The very achievements that God allows and enables can make us vulnerable to pride and the temptation to act purely on our own will. Uzziah’s success led to the presumption that he could act as a priest, something forbidden by God’s law. Similarly, Hezekiah’s pride led to prideful and unwise actions that displeased God. Fortunately for Hezekiah and for Israel, Hezekiah repented before the consequences took root.

1 Samuel 18:7-9This was their song: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!” This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

A leader who falls into pride often falls into jealousy as well. Saul’s jealousy toward David led him to try to kill a faithful and talented subordinate. Though David responded with restraint and respect, Saul’s reckless jealousy still splintered Israel’s loyalties and distracted Saul from his responsibilities as king.

Numbers 20:7-12The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.” So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

Leaders are often tempted to become frustrated and angry with those they lead. Moses gave in to his anger with the people and forfeited the opportunity to lead them into the Promised Land.