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Last week, in The Time Before the Kings, Part 12, we learned from the story of Gideon that we need to put aside our petty differences so that we can rise up and support one another and also the leaders God has placed over us. Only in unity can we stand!
Today we take a look at two lesser known judges, Tola and Jair. In fact, only five verses of the Bible -- two and three, respectively, and all found in Judges 10:1-5 -- can be attributed to these two men! What possible lessons could such unknowns have to teach us?
First there is Tola, the first named judge after the fiasco with Gideon's son, Abimelech. Here is what we know about Tola: His father's name: "...the son of dodo..." (Vs. 1b); What tribe he belonged to: "... a man of Issachar..." (Vs. 1c); Where he lived: "...and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Epjhraim." (Vs. 1e), How long he judged Israel: "…twenty-three years." (Vs. 2a); Where he was buried: "…in Shamir." (Vs. 2b); and finally, What he was renown for: "...rose up to save Israel..." (Vs. 1d)!
Not much to go on at all. It is interesting to see that unlike previous judges, the Bible doesn’t record that Israel needed saving because of Idolatry. Neither does the Bible tells us who or what Israel needed saving from. Maybe Tola saved Israel from the internal strife created following Gideon's death. Or perhaps the Biblical historian was tired of recording how Israel had sinned. Or perhaps Tola's feats weren't all that glorious compared to some of the judges before him. The only thing we know for sure is that Tola was responsible for saving Israel, and this fact earned him the privilege of never being forgotten.
Don’t we all feel insignificant most of the time? We try to do what the Lord calls us to do, but do our efforts bear any kind of fruit?
I take great comfort from the story of unknown Tola. Even though we may never know what he did or why he did it, we know that he did his assigned task well enough to go on and judged Israel for 23 years! Likewise, we are all called to serve the Lord. Our calling may not be as glamorous or as praise-worthy as others; however, what we are called to do or why we are called to do it isn’t important. What’s important is that, like Tola, we just ... do it!
Then there was Jair. We know where he was from: "...Jair the Gileadite..." (Vs. 3a); we know how long he judged Israel: "... twenty-two years." (Vs. 3b); and we know where he was buried: "… in Kamon." (Vs. 5).
So far this is sounding a lot like Tola!
But there is a couple of extra facts provided. We know how many kids he had: "And he had thirty sons..." (Vs. 4a); we know what kind of transportation he provided for his sons: "...who rode on thirty donkeys..." (Vs. 4b); we know each son was given a city: "...and they had thirty cities..." (Vs. 4c); we know where those cities were located: "...in the land of Gilead..." (Vs. 4d); and finally, we know what those cities were called: "...that are called Havvoth-jair to this day." (Vs. 4e).
Am I hearing a loud, “Who cares”? What possible message could there be for today in Jair's story? Why would God inspire such insignificant detail in His Word?
Or … Maybe it wasn't so insignificant after all! Perhaps the fact that the historians of the day felt compelled to include this in the book of Judges speaks volumes. To state just what that significance is would be pure speculation; nonetheless I take great comfort from the fact that this trivia is in the Bible.
I suspect that if you're a little like me, you aren't always aware of the significance of your actions. We all have kids, we buy them their first cars, maybe we even contribute to the purchase of their first homes. It’s stuff that all parents do ... It is, perhaps, the information we are not privy to that is important. How do our interactions shape and mold the lives of our kids? Was there something in our parenting, in our love, that ends up impacting the people that they interact with?
The book of Judges only speaks of those who judged Israel. However, the fact that Jair obviously loved his sons and set them up with transportation and places to live may have impacted those thirty boys far more than even Jair would ever know. Those thirty boys may very well have gone on to make a huge impact on the lives of those living around them.
The point is, even our everyday actions can impact others.
That's kind of a scary thought. There are parts of our everyday actions that we likely wouldn't want people to even know about, let alone remember us for!
Yet every action has a reaction that will even go down in history as famous ... or infamous. This story of Jair is starting to make me understand that I need to ensure each and every action on my part is ordained by the Lord!
Let's remember, then, from the stories of Tola and Jair, that we are all called to serve the Lord; and when we do so, even the tiniest details of that service, or of the way we live our lives outside of that service, will impact people! Let's agree to follow God's calling, big or little, and let's remember to ensure that each and every one of our actions is ordained by the Lord!
Please join us next Saturday to see what the Bible has to teach us about three equally unknown judges of Israel: Ibzan, Elon and Abdon, in "The Time Before the Kings, Part 14"!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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