Tuesday, March 24

Scripture: In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes. (Judges 17:6).

Observation: This verse summarizes the Book of Judges. The only reason the Israelites look to judges for leadership or need a judge-like figure to unite around is the lack of a better alternative. The Book of Judges anticipates what the better alternative will be: a king. So far in Israel’s history, there has been no king. The closest to a king they’ve ever had was Moses, but Moses is long gone, and in the absence of a king, when stronger nations oppressed them, the Israelites rallied behind their mightiest warriors, the judges. Some of the judges, like Gideon, were impressive both on the battlefield and as role models. Other judges, like Samson, were effective warlords but fell far short of moral leadership. The present verse, Judges 17:6, appears in a story about what happens when there is no leader at all, not even a judge. A man named Micah builds a temple, hires his own priest, and installs an idol to an unknown god. Micah repeats the golden calf incident at the foot of Mt. Sinai, when the Israelites invented their own god and priesthood. Micah’s motives are not explained. Maybe the fake temple is a money-making scheme, where Micah can turn a profit off of the sacrifices made in his temple. Or maybe this is a power-play so that Israelite villagers will begin to look to Micah as a judge-like figure, or even a king. The Book of Judges is more concerned with the fact that Micah thinks rebelling against God is a good idea in the first place. Micah is an example of what happens when people do “what was right in their own eyes” and the consequences of what happens when there is no leader to instruct the people in what is truly right.

Application: What is the task of leadership? The Book of Judges answers this question from the position of what it is like when there is no leader. In a vacuum of leadership, people do what is right in their own eyes, meaning, we go our separate ways and invent moralities aligning with our personal preference. That which is “right” becomes relative, for there is no authority figure defining what “right” is; and when righteousness becomes relative, the proverbial Pandora’s box is opened and a chaos of what passes as righteousness reigns. When there is no leader, there is no clarity on what counts as wellness in a human life and for life together, so wellness is confused with sickness, and too soon, what God calls “sickness” people agree is “wellness.” Therefore, the task of leadership is to clarify wellness. Leaders give us clarity on what makes for a life that is well, a quality of living that is well, and a life together in community that is well and promotes wellness. Leaders unite us around a common vision of wellness. Without leadership, there is no vision of wellness and we do what is well in our own eyes. But with leadership, thank God, we are led toward a common vision of wellness and see with the vision with the same eyes.

Prayer:

There are good people in leadership, You know that, and for these wise souls I pray for your guidance and protection and nothing shorter than an Everest of patience for the people they lead. Please, for your sake, lend a hand to the parents and the school principals and the school teachers and the clergy who just want to do Your will; and to the parents and the presidents and elected officers and the bosses that want to do bossing justice; and to the parents and the PTO chairpersons and the captains and chiefs and generals and administrators of all professions and branches of service; and to the parents and CEO’s and middle-managers and supervisors of remote workers and supervisors of housekeepers and supervisors of all the keepers of the earth; and to the parents. For the people in leadership who are falling short of the calling, show them the way forward, for I know what it’s like to be in their shoes, wanting to do leadership justice but the inner well of hope is drying up. For the people in leadership who are burned and burned out, give them margin for recovery. For leadership that calls people to a common vision of wellness in alignment of Your Son, our Great Physician, make a highway in the desert, and make me eager to follow. Onward we go: Amen.