Chapter 10 – Finding Management in the Bible

Finding Management in the Bible

Management Principles in Biblical Narratives

While the Bible does not explicitly present itself as a management or leadership manual, its narratives abound with leadership and management examples. These stories rarely conclude with “happily ever after” endings – instead, they portray realistic human errors and unexpected consequences. This authenticity stems from depicting humans working for the Lord rather than divinely controlled automatons. Though the Lord maintains peripheral involvement, he rarely micromanages every situation.

While familiar figures like Abraham, Moses, King David, and King Solomon served as organizational leaders, the Lord himself functions as the ultimate manager of his people. He “hired” managers like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, empowering them with direction, resources, and personnel to accomplish assigned tasks while maintaining ultimate authority and master planning responsibility.

Divine Selection and Mission Focus

The Lord’s selection of leaders was purposeful rather than arbitrary. Biblical “heroes” were chosen for specific missions rather than general leadership status. Some figures accomplished focused tasks – Samson’s battles against Philistines (Judges 13-16) or Yael’s assassination of King Sisera with a tent peg (Judges 4:17-23). Others committed to lifelong missions: Noah devoted over a century to ark construction before the rain began, Abraham dedicated his life to divine service even to the point of willingness to sacrifice his son, and Moses spent most of his adult life leading Israelites from Egypt through forty years of desert wandering without entering the Promised Land himself.

These individuals weren’t merely situational or task leaders but devoted followers who dedicated their lives to divine service. Management became not merely their profession but integral to their life purpose.

The Professional Manager

Rabbi Yishmael interpreted the biblical command “you shall choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19) to mean that a person must choose an occupation to earn a living (Talmud Baba Batra 175b). The biblical heroes exemplified this principle by making the management of the Lord’s people their career – yet they didn’t allow their occupation to define their identity. Their actions, not their titles, revealed their character.

The Bible notably omits Noah’s occupation – whether farmer, builder, hunter, or gatherer. This absence highlights that professional identity (“what one does”) matters less than personal character (“who one is”). Contemporary society often equates identity with occupation – doctor, lawyer, professor, athlete – but this misses the more fundamental question: How are they living? Are they maximizing opportunities, acting honorably, serving others?

Biblical managers maintained various professions while simultaneously building a nation. Moses represents the first full-time manager of the Israelites – transitioning from pampered palace resident to shepherd before dedicating himself completely to leading the Lord’s people. Before Moses, patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds and spiritual leaders simultaneously. The only other pre-monarchical full-time manager was Joseph, who served Egyptians rather than Israelites.

The Shepherd Paradigm

Biblical manager development frequently centered on shepherding experience. The patriarchs were predominantly shepherds – a profession requiring attentiveness to others’ needs, directional management, and concern for the vulnerable. Commentaries note that Moses discovered the burning bush while searching for a lost sheep from his flock. Shepherding provided solitary contemplative opportunities to consider life purpose and philosophical questions.

King David similarly developed managerial skills through shepherding (Psalms 78:70-72), as did the prophet Amos (Amos 7:15). Psalms elegantly articulates why shepherding provides ideal management preparation:

“He chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
From tending suckling ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his inheritance.
With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.” (Psalms 78:70-72)

Scripture further reinforces this connection: “set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may go in before them. So that the people of Israel should not be like sheep without a shepherd” (Numbers 27:15-16). This shepherding analogy offers profound management insights – effective managers provide guidance without micromanagement, allowing others to explore, learn from mistakes, and mature while intervening only when necessary to protect from external threats or internal conflict.

Research challenges romanticized notions of herd dynamics. British researchers tracking sheep with GPS devices discovered that when threatened by herding dogs, sheep moved toward the center not for mutual protection but individual safety – demonstrating “selfish-herd theory” where individuals prioritize self-protection by pushing weaker members to vulnerable outer positions (Hutchinson, 2012). Effective managers, like good shepherds, must protect all members, not just the naturally advantaged.

Managerial Qualities

Documentation and Accountability

Biblical management demonstrates the importance of information systems for effective leadership. David established the first civil service system through documenters (sopherim in Hebrew) who held the second-highest governmental positions (II Samuel 8:16-17). These scribes recorded activities not comprehensively but selectively – focusing primarily on whether kings fulfilled divine expectations (Kittel, 1909). This resembles modern balanced scorecards or other measurement tools providing reference frameworks for evaluating managerial success according to established standards.

Divine Attributes as Management Model

Moses’ relationship with the Lord established a timeless management guide. When seeking the Lord’s essence, Moses received this description: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin…” (Exodus 34:6). These thirteen attributes characterize divine love but also provide guidance for human interaction. Created in the divine image, humans can emulate these attributes – not through supernatural miracles but by creating miraculous conditions through righteousness. Managers who embody these qualities naturally inspire follower commitment.

Challenging Idolatry

The extra-biblical story of Abraham shattering his father Terach’s idols offers profound management insight. After destroying the shop’s idols, Abraham explained to his angry father that the stronger idols attacked the weaker ones. When Terach protested that idols couldn’t act, Abraham responded, “Why then do you pray to them if they cannot do anything?” Though not biblical, this narrative illustrates the universal human tendency toward unhealthy attachments—whether to television, unhealthy foods, or digital devices. Like addiction, idolatry creates protective denial until external intervention exposes underlying falsehood. Abraham helped his father recognize misguided priorities, eventually prompting Terach to leave Ur Kasdim toward Canaan (Genesis 11:31). Similarly, effective managers recognize when intervention is necessary to redirect unhealthy patterns or refocus priorities.

Compassion for the Vulnerable

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes divine responsiveness to disadvantaged voices—the childless, orphans, widows, converts, and enslaved. This compassionate orientation contrasts sharply with prevailing management approaches. Imagine workplaces where decisions considered impacts on all employees and customers rather than merely financial outcomes. This ethical framework distinguishes memorable, righteous management.

The Holiness Imperative

The Hebrew concept Kodesh (holiness) pervades Jewish life – from wine blessings to marriage ceremonies to prayers for the deceased. This principle establishes that human conduct remains perpetually under divine observation. Emulating divine holiness requires acting as if constantly observed – a principle equally applicable to management ethics without requiring religious adherence.

A practical holiness standard might involve imagining maternal oversight of managerial decisions. Would a manager’s mother approve of actions harming others? How would she respond to unethical conduct publicized in newspapers? Divine observation raises these accountability standards exponentially.

Biblical commandments establish specific holiness guidelines for managers:

• Prohibition against theft extends beyond personal property to business contexts and misrepresentation (trust theft)
• Prohibition against placing stumbling blocks before the blind (Leviticus 19:14) and misleading the visually impaired (Deuteronomy 27:18) extends to those with information disadvantages – like employees unaware of rightful benefits
• Prohibition against profiting from neighbors’ blood/work prevents sabotaging others’ livelihoods
• Requirement for honest weights and measures (Deuteronomy 25:13-16) mandates fair pricing without corner-cutting
• Impartial judgment requires equal treatment without favoritism in workplace disputes
• Post-judgment equality prevents ongoing grudges from clouding future interactions

Holiness transcends regulatory compliance, requiring managers to evaluate actions against higher ethical standards. While popular management stereotypes celebrate ruthlessness and collateral damage in pursuit of objectives, biblical ethics demands super-ethical conduct beyond minimal legal compliance.

The Management Journey

Every manager must develop a distinctive approach. The Bible illustrates various management journeys, including Moses’ path to receiving the Ten Commandments. Initially, the Lord instructed Moses to descend and then ascend with Aaron alone (Exodus 19:24). Later, in Exodus 24:1, the Lord directed Moses to ascend with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders. The text then describes Moses ascending with his protégé Joshua, who stopped midway while Moses continued alone. Moses instructed the elders to wait at the mountain base, appointing Aaron and Hur (Miriam’s and Caleb’s son) to resolve disputes during his absence (24:14).

This seemingly contradictory narrative perplexes scholars but illustrates important management principles: Some journeys require companions while others demand solitary effort. Even essential tasks cannot be accomplished alone – requiring support from others at various stages while maintaining concern for those left behind.

Moses’ management journey began with his father-in-law Jethro’s critique of his dispute resolution approach. Moses explained that when people had disputes, they would seek his judgment to learn divine decrees and teachings (Exodus 18:16) – essentially suggesting that justice represented divine manifestation, and people sought divine justice through Moses (Exodus 18:15). This represents the Bible’s first example of continuous managerial dispute resolution, contrasting with Moses’ earlier unsuccessful mediation attempt between Egyptian slaves (Exodus 2:13-14). The constant responsibility required delegation, as Jethro suggested.

When beginning his Ten Commandments journey, the Lord initially suggested Aaron’s accompaniment, possibly as assistant. Aaron’s reputation as rodef shalom (peace pursuer) may have qualified him for judging while Moses focused on strategy and leadership. Despite the Lord’s initial instruction to bring Aaron, the second command directed Moses to ascend alone. Moses delegated dispute resolution authority to Aaron and Hur during his absence (Exodus 24:12-14) – representing the Bible’s first complete power delegation outside royal succession.

This initial delegation experiment failed catastrophically – Aaron couldn’t successfully mediate the dispute over Moses’ delayed return, and commentaries suggest Hur died trying to prevent the Golden Calf rebellion. Despite this setback, Moses persisted with delegation, appointing judges as Jethro suggested. These judges helped minimize disputes during 38 relatively peaceful desert years.

Moses eventually developed a comprehensive governance system incorporating lessons from both Jethro’s advice and his personal managerial failure:

• Judicial/law enforcement system (Deuteronomy 16:8-17:13)
• Executive branch kingship (Deuteronomy 19:15-21)
• Civil service Levites (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)
• Inspirational prophetic leadership (Deuteronomy 18:9-22)
• Foreign relations guidelines, including pursuing peace before warfare (Deuteronomy 20-21)

Moses’ management evolution demonstrates transition from potential autocracy to participatory, open-book management – a journey divinely endorsed through its association with the Ten Commandments reception. Though delegation initially failed, many management journeys produce unintended consequences without diminishing their holy intent.

Biblical Leadership Styles

Chapter 2 acknowledged leadership’s sometimes ambiguous nature, but biblical narratives illustrate various leadership approaches:

Transactional Leadership involves bilateral exchange for achieving organizational goals – fulfilling employee needs in exchange for meeting performance expectations (Dainton and Zelley, 2011). Transactional leaders establish clear objectives, exchange rewards for effort, and address followers’ self-interest. The Lord demonstrated this approach with Noah, providing clear ark-building and animal-collection expectations, supplying necessary resources, and ultimately saving Noah’s family. Without anticipated benefit, Noah likely wouldn’t have devoted over a century to ark construction. Similarly, Abraham’s journey began with a covenant promising future rewards.

Transformational Leadership focuses on developing attitudes and behaviors advancing organizational goals without threats or incentives, instead inspiring exceptional performance through clear vision, intellectual challenge, and individualized consideration of needs and abilities (Dainton and Zelley, 2011). Biblical examples include:

• The forty-year desert journey building unity and shifting from slave mentality to growth mindset
• The “land flowing with milk and honey” vision
• Intellectual stimulation through biblical study requirements
• Structured tribal formation during desert travel
• The promise to David that his son would build the temple

These promises and fulfillments created dedicated followership. The Lord promised considerable benefits while requiring only devotion and law observance benefiting humanity.

Maimonides’ Laws of King (4:1) states that true leadership aims “to elevate mankind’s faith, and to fill the world with justice.” Effective managers instill faith in followers while creating more just environments. The Lord consistently led Israelites toward improvement, with messianic peace remaining an enduring aspiration.

The Bible challenges managers to examine their leadership purpose. Effective managers inspire broader vision rather than self-aggrandizement. True “leaders” develop other leaders rather than accumulating followers, inspire rather than control, and preserve others’ autonomy (Jacobson, 1995). While few managers consistently embody these ideals, they represent biblical management standards. This divine standard has sparked theological debates about suffering, natural disasters, and historical atrocities.

The Lord customized leadership approaches based on individual manager capabilities—Noah perhaps needed more guidance than Jacob, while Moses required more direct intervention than the relatively independent Isaac. This personalized approach acknowledges that management development requires individualized strategies rather than universal formulas. The Bible’s diverse management examples offer versatile lessons applicable across different contexts and leadership styles.

Deliverables

The Bible combines laws and narratives that offer numerous management lessons – ethical conduct, workplace holiness, and shepherding-inspired stewardship. It explores delegation challenges and faith in others despite initial setbacks. The Bible presents a distinctive perspective on transformational leadership, with divine transformation establishing expectations that humans continually strive to meet.

Management principles derived from biblical narratives include:

1. Mission-Driven Management: Focus on purpose beyond immediate tasks or personal advancement.
2. Character-Based Leadership: Develop leadership identity through actions and values rather than titles or roles.
3. Shepherding Approach: Provide guidance while allowing exploration and growth, intervening only when necessary to prevent harm.
4. Documentation Systems: Establish accountability frameworks focused on adherence to organizational values and standards.
5. Ethical Excellence: Pursue super-ethical conduct that exceeds minimal compliance requirements and considers impacts on all stakeholders.

Discussion Questions

1. Where have you seen management in the Bible?
2. Can you provide an example of good management and bad management in the Bible?
3. Why do you think Moses did not have Aaron go up Mount Sinai? Why do you think the Lord initially asked Aaron to accompany Moses up Mount Sinai and then changed the request?