Wise, Respected Leaders?

In Deuteronomy Chapter 1 Moses is giving the Israelites a "recap" of their wilderness journey as they are encamped east of the Jordan, preparing to finally enter their inheritance in the Promised Land. He reminds them of how the Lord instructed him to choose some men and appoint them to high leadership positions over the people.
Deuteronomy 1:13-15: "Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you. So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you - as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials."

Moses was told to find wise, understanding and respected men. What he apparently got was wise and respected men. I wondered, "What happened to the word understanding? It is left out of verse 15! Why?

When we need to go deeper, we must always go to the Hebrew. The Hebrew word used here for "understanding" is biyn, which means discerning, prudent, observant. Now we get some clarification about what was missing in these leaders. They were wise - meaning they had knowledge, common sense, and probably good leadership skills. And they were respected - men of notariety among the tribes, those whom the people looked up to. But they were apparently not discerning or observant. Does this ring a bell with you regarding our current leaders, not only of the U.S., but around the world? Oh, we have plenty of leaders in power who are respected and smart, well-versed in the ways of the world, crafty in how to maneuver the masses. But are they discerning? Do they seek the counsel and advice of the God of Israel as they lead us? Do they spend time in the Word of God to receive their wisdom and strength? Do they trust in Him to direct and guide their steps? And what about the leaders in the Church? Shouldn't we be asking the same questions about them?

It seems we are in the same predicament Moses was in! We have "wise and respected leaders" who have no discernment, and who observe with eyes of the flesh instead of the Eyes of the Spirit. Thus should WE be ever more discerning in this hour, brothers and sisters. We should be vigilant, hiding the Word in our hearts and testing every spirit and every teacher. We cannot enter our own inheritance in the Promised Land following after the false and negative reports of the ten spies! Listen to the Still, Small Voice that leads and guides you, and reject the rest.