The Lonely Burden of Leadership

Conviction, Consequences, and the Courage to See Decisions Through

Tikkun Global

Jerusalem, Israel

As I sat at my children’s Purim play, which had been scheduled for two weeks earlier but, like so many things in Israel these days, was postponed because of the war with Iran, I watched the children take the stage in their costumes and bring to life that timeless story from the Book of Esther. As I watched the familiar drama unfold, I was struck again by how the entire crisis begins with the decision of one man.

Mordechai.

Mordechai was not an anonymous Jew in the Persian Empire. He lived in the capital city of Shushan and is described as someone who was a regular “sitting at the King’s Gate.” (2:19, 2:21) This means that he was a respected official and an influential figure, who also happened to be Jewish.  At a key moment in the history and politics of the empire, Mordechai makes a decision based on conviction: he refuses to bow down to Haman, the new prime minister appointed by none other than the king himself. 

From Mordechai’s perspective, it is simply a matter of principle. But leadership decisions rarely remain personal for long. Very quickly the consequences expand far beyond the individual.

Haman’s rage erupts into something much larger than a personal grievance. Within a short time a decree is issued declaring what we would today call a Shoah—a Holocaust—against all the Jews of the empire.

You can imagine the reaction among Jewish communities scattered across Persia when the news reached them. Many of them must have wondered how this catastrophe began. And it would not have taken long before someone explained: it started with Mordechai in Shushan who refused to bow to Haman.

It’s not hard to imagine that many Jews were angry, to put it mildly, with him. I’m sure there were those who said things like: “why can’t Mordecai just bow down, like other officials, as a sign of respect to the new PM? It’s not like he was asked to bow down to some idol at a pagan shrine…and now we all have to die because of this?  It’s crazy!!”  One man’s conviction had suddenly placed an entire people in mortal danger.

That dynamic appears elsewhere in Scripture. When Moses kills the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, he acts out of moral conviction. But the very next day, when he tries to intervene in a dispute between two Hebrews, they challenge him: “Are you going to kill us the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?”

In other words, everyone already knows. Word of Moses’ action has spread through the community, and suddenly the consequences are far larger than he expected. Within a short time Moses must flee from Pharaoh and run into exile.

Leadership moments often unfold this way. A decision made in a moment of conviction can trigger consequences that escalate rapidly and unpredictably.

We are witnessing something similar in our own time.

In the current war with Iran, President Trump together with Prime Minister Netanyahu made a monumental decision two weeks ago: to launch a preemptive strike after decades of conflict, threats, terrorism, and tension with the Iranian regime. For forty-seven years the shadow of that conflict has hung over the region, and the world. 

When the operation began, the early hours appeared stunningly successful. Several of the regime’s top leaders were assassinated—including Ayatollah Khamenei himself--and the strike shook the Iranian leadership.

But wars never remain contained to their opening moments. Already the effects are rippling outward—through global energy markets, through international diplomacy, and through political debate. Voices around the world are asking difficult questions. Even within President Trump’s own political circle critics are asking, “What have you gotten us into? How will this end?”

That is the burden of leadership.

When leaders act on deep conviction, they often must make decisions that others would prefer to avoid. And once those decisions are made, the consequences cannot always be controlled. Criticism will come. Doubt will arise. Pressure will build from every direction.

Yet leadership requires something more than the courage to make the decision. It requires the endurance to stand by it.

Mordechai did not bow.

Moses did not abandon his calling.

And our leaders today must often carry the same burden: acting on conviction and then walking through the storm that follows, trusting that the decision was right and seeing it through to the end.

That is the true burden of leadership, and the reason why Scripture commands us to give thanks, pray, and intercede for our leaders. (1 Tim 2:1-3) 

Let’s re-dedicate ourselves to pray for the leaders of the US and Israel: President Trump and VP Vance, Secretary of War Hegseth, and Admiral Brad Cooper who leads the coordinated US military effort in the Middle East.  For PM Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Katz, for our Chief of the Military, Eyal Zamir. 

These men are facing immense pressures and need to make huge decisions every day.  Let’s pray for their health, their families, their sleep and that the counsel of God Himself will stand in their midst, according to Psalm 33:10-12.