Fatherhood and Leadership

Sometimes the best kind of leaders are the ones who don't make the "headlines" of the Biblical narrative. Tola and Jair are two of that kind of leaders. After the long stories of Gideon and Abimelech which cover four chapters between them, we have exactly 5 verses dedicated to two longstanding judges mentioned in Judges 10.

Judges 10:1–5 (ESV) After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir. 3 After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

We would be tempted to overlook these men. In my former daily readings when I read through the Bible in a year, I would have rushed right past these men. But in light of the debacle that was Gideon's latter half and Abimelech's self-absorbed power grab, I find these two men refreshing.

A world in love with headlines and the salacious will often not pay attention to such men as these but perhaps they are exactly the kind of men we need. Between Tola and Jair, we find they judged Israel 45 years. Faithful, quiet and scandal-free leadership for a nation rocked by a civil war is just what the doctor ordered. 

But what was it about these men that seemed to make the difference? The text provides gentle hints that fathers are the key.

The text does not just mention Tola's father but also his grandfather. The text also mentions his grandfather as "a man of Issachar", not simply "from the tribe of Issachar." The tribe of Issachar is mentioned in David's lifetime as "men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do." (see 1 Chronicles 12:32). These were not just guys. They were men of wisdom and insightful leadership. Abimelech's problem was fatherlessness as he joined forces with his mother (Gideon's concubine) to initiate a coup. Tola stands as a symbol of faithful fatherhood. Again, this doesn't make headlines in a gossip-loving world and that's a good thing. He judged Israel and passed on. Faithfulness achieved because of fatherhood.

When it comes to Jair the text has nothing to say about his father but something interesting to say about his own fatherhood. 

Judges 10:4 (ESV) And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

Jair was fair to his sons. They were treated with equal dignity and opportunity. This is another important contrast between these quiet faithful judges and Abimelech. Abimelech was not treated the same as his 70 brothers. He pursued power and importance because he lacked it from his father. Jair had 30 sons who were each given a donkey and a city and no eruption of violence occurs. 

I know it's sensitive in today's broken family age but fatherhood REALLY matters. Sons need a man they can trust and look to for guidance. Perhaps your marriage is hard. But if you have children, for their sake, do all you can to stay together and love one another. The next judge in the book will be another wreckless father. I'm beginning to pick up a theme in Judges and it points to our redemption in Christ. In Christ, we gain an eternally loving Father who is also our righteous judge. You cannot have one without the other.