Sacrificial Succession - Dangerous Dynasties Sacrificial Succession

Day 18 – Dangerous Dynasties
“Warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 1 Samuel 8:9
It is worth noting that Israel’s demand for a king came in response to the prophet Samuel’s failing family dynasty. He allowed his evil sons to succeed him. They turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepted bribes, perverted justice. (1 Samuel 8:3)
I wonder if he would have allowed someone else’s sons to behave so terribly? Probably not and that is the point about dynasties. We should not show favouritism (James 2:9) because it distorts our judgement of people, which is a sin. God’s warning about dynasties are as pertinent today as they were then.
They must be taken seriously, especially in successions, because precedents set about favouritism due to family and ethnicity have immediate and generational impact. Favouring successors due to family, ethnic or professional factors are a challenge for all leaders.
Sacrificial succession cannot endorse dynasties because of the danger family favouritism poses to unselfish motivations for sacrifice. There is no evidence of family dynasties in the early Church, neither should there be in ours. Jesus confirms this truth in Mark 3:35, “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and sister and mother.”
What dynasties have you experienced? How do you avoid this form of favouritism?
Practically, we outwork this true succession principle in our projects by requiring our predecessors to personally prepare successors that they have discipled themselves from the target nation that they are impacting.
To avoid biological conflicts of interest such as dynastic nepotism, in most of our projects, predecessors are explicitly forbidden from discipling or handing over leadership to successors who are family members.
Preparing successor candidates from their own ethnic or professional group, when we are working across cultures and professions, is also discouraged.
Dynastic relationships through marriage and family ties are complicated and often compromised by the strong potential for favouritism due to this kinship.
Therefore, we cannot endorse this model of leadership for Sacrificial Succession, despite recognising that there are and can be exceptions to this rule, especially in family owned businesses.
Biblically, dynastic succession is not God’s original will, yet something that He allows, with the caveat being that favouritism and self- interest will always be a risk, 1 Samuel 8:10-22.
A study of the dynasties of Israel confirms these risky consequences. Less than a quarter of these kings were good.
There is no precedence for nor evidence of dynastic successions in the New Testament other than (maybe) James the brother of Jesus being a leader of the Jerusalem church, Galatians 1:18. However, it is unlikely that James was a physical brother of Jesus. More likely he was a spiritual brother or a relative.
Lord help me to not be dynastic by showing family favouritism in leadership.

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