Two Minor Judges With A Major Impacts on Their Nation.

Minor Judges are judges with very little written about them.  Tola and Jair are minor judges number 2 & 3.  The term "Minor" is somewhat of a misnomer.  Their job was no less as difficult nor arduous as other judges.  What they must do is 1) unite a fracture nation by a would-be-king and 2) maintain the peace brought about by Gideon.  Let's see how they did.

"10 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…."

Here is what we know about Tola?
1) His grandfather was from Issachar,
2) his dad, many translators believe, was the Uncle of Abimelech.
3) That means Tola had a front row seat to the destruction of his Nephew - Abimelech.

Now, with the death of Abimelech, there was a hole in the dam and if someone doesn't step up and judge rightly, what would become of the nation?  Thankfully we don't have to wonder - we have Tola.

When I think about Tola I think about a judge who understood what was years later in Ezekiel 22:30 - “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it…"  Tola became that man.  Notice from the text:  "there arose to save Israel Tola…"  "Save" in this text isn't to judge, nor is it to battle like Gideon.  "Save" means "to give victory from moral troubles."  He brought them back to what Israel was suppose to be - a light to the surrounding nations and an example to all that Jehovah is the one true God.  He brought them back to the God of Joshua, Moses and Jacob.

But he didn't just "save", he also "judges".  "...And he judged Israel twenty-three years…" He "judges" in the sense like Deborah from chapter 5.  Tola went to Shamir.  Shamir was near Shiloh, where the temple was located.  For twenty three years he sat and sorted out the disputes of the men of Israel.  He was a peacemaker.  (Matthew 5 - 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.  5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.)

Application from the life of Tola is an important one - when the opportunity to stand in the gap for a generation and lift high the name of Jehovah - will you do it?  Are you willing to train a generation to be ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness?  Will you train them to be peacemakers, to be men and women of mercy and to have a pure heart? Will you?  Men and women can learn to step out and lead like Tola.

Back to the text:  "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."

Jair was the next minor judge.  What happens when we have a ruler who has ruled well and now passes away?  There is a bit of speculation as to what will happen next.  Jair was the man for the job.  Now, we may think that what was said of him was a bit weird - he had 30 sons who rode donkeys.  Here in America that would mean nothing-  in fact it might even be part of a "funniest home video" or a "donkey basketball game."  But hang with me - Jair was a great administrator.  He judges like Tola, but takes it a step further.  How?  The term - "riding on a donkey" meant something to the Israelite s.  It was actually a sign of nobility.  What Jair did was set up his sons as mayors in 30 different cities which helped him keep the peace.  Jair served Israel as a great administrator.

The result - between Gideon, Tola and Jair  there was an incredible 85 years of peace.  No other time in their history was there such a stretch of peace.  Why was it the greatest time of peace in this period of Judges?
 Three reasons
1) When men (and women) are willing to be mold-able clay in the masters hands they can and will do great things for God.
2) When men (and women) who are willing to stand in the gap for things that are right they will be uplifted and strengthened by God for the task ahead.
3) When men (and women) who have been given leadership gifts and abilities use them for the kingdom of God, great things happen.

Tola and Jair - Minor Judges, Major contributions - see you Sunday