A Colorful Group
Thursday, March 27
A Colorful Group
Judges 12:8 & 11 & 13
After him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. … After him Elon the Zebulonite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. … After him Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel.
Sometimes the most mundane elements of the biblical narrative conceal bedrock theological principles, and I see this one peeking through the descriptions of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon: God raises up leaders from every tribe of his people, from every walk of life, from godly homes to broken homes, because He’s no respecter of persons. In fact, a brief survey of the list of judges we’ve encountered expounds on that truth. First, there was Caleb’s half-brother, Othniel the Kenazite. Then there was Ehud, the left-handed Benjamite. Then Shamgar, the bone-wielding Anathite. Then came the prophetess, Deborah, from the back hills between Ramah and Bethel, who called Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh-Naphtali. Next came Gideon the Abiezrite, followed by Tola the Issacharite, and Jair the Gileadite, and Jephtha, the son of Gilead through a pagan prostitute—a man without a tribe as it were—and now Ibzan the Bethlehemite, Elon the Zebulonite, and Abdon the Pirathonite. Do you get the picture, friend? Any saint can step forward at any time and say, “Here am I, LORD, send me!” And He will.
We find repeated throughout the book of Judges the phrase, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” But the lack of a monarchial bloodline is actually a strength of this transitional period in Israel’s history, ensuring that no single family retains a monopoly on power. Of all the evils men conjure in these dark days, at least there isn’t any godly king who gives way to a long list of godless sons and grandsons. And that, to me, is what makes this pre-Davidic era so special: that no two leaders look alike or talk alike or share exactly the same culture and heritage. Instead, God raises up men and women from different regions and traditions and occupations as if to exemplify that the coat He’s weaving of His people isn’t monochromatic but a coat of many colors.
Friend, God didn’t fashion us as unique, one-of-a-kind threads in His tapestry so that we would stand out above each other, but so that we would all stand out together.