AS THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY A.D. unfolds, and as we view the forces at work in cultures and nations—the mixed ethnos of a developing potential global hegemony—we are fully aware of the turbulent times in which we live. Almost every nation has dissention within, and powerful enemies on their borders. Jesus’ warning is suitable for our time: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matt. 24:7)
Additionally, the dispossessed of failed nations flee across borders by any means possible. Dicken’s opening lines come to mind: *“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” This, especially in its extended version, perfectly describes our own time, when the reviled ‘one-percent’ lords of the earth bask in a shared autocratic ideological glow oblivious to the rising rath fueling paradigm change as the masses strain. The bickering power brokers of all branches of government, church, and culture can only agree to disagree. Paul’s words are appropriate: “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Gal. 5:15) They too ignore the lessons of history punctuated by peasant revolt. The dispossessed and disenfranchised call out for new leaders and new vision—and always, if/when this fails, past times foretell **barbarians at the gates.
It was this way in Israel at the time of the death of their first king, Saul. Throughout Saul’s reign, the powerful northern Philistines had been enemies of Israel, and had frequently been victorious. “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord.” (1 Chron. 10:13) As Saul dies in battle—wounded, he falls on his own sword to avoid torture—David is poised to become king. It will not be an easy transition. Those who were part of Saul’s retinue desperately wanted to stay in power, and there were tensions that divided many of the twelve tribes of Israel over who would lead them.
In David’s favor were his many victories over the Philistines, beginning with his youthful slaying of Goliath, in which we first see David’s zeal for the LORD. “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” (1 Sam. 17:45-46) His legend grew from this point across many skirmishes and battles so that he was known and admired by many.
And this same legend brought him into disfavor with Saul. After Goliath’s death, “all the towns of Israel came to meet King Saul with singing and dancing. As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’” (1 Sam. 18:6-7) The outcome of this was a developing enmity between Saul and his supporters, and David and his growing influence. “And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.” (1 Sam. 18:9)
Now, years later, all these forces are at work as David is at the door of prophecy as it begins to unfold. The tensions are great, and supporters begin to rally around David. We know how important this is; either David becomes king, or chaos will ensue internally in Israel even as the Philistine armies regroup to the north. And here scripture adds a significant detail that we might overlook if we fail to pause and consider it in the flow of events. Armed men, prepared for battle, come to rally around David. Among them are men “from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command.” (1 Chron. 12:32)
There’s going to be a war. Will it be internal, as well as external? Will Israel tear themselves apart, and become vulnerable to a then-overwhelming external enemy? The threat is existential; they may or may not survive these difficult and dangerous circumstances. But two hundred chiefs of Issachar ‘understood the times and knew what Israel should do.’ The bible says no more about what they knew and what they advised, but the transition of leadership at the level of king and supporters ultimately transfers to David, who unifies the kingdom and once again defeats the Philistines, and lays the foundation in both war and peace for the golden age of Israel.
The biblical reason for inserting the mention regarding the chiefs of Issachar is not insignificant. It lines up well with Solomon’s later insight: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov. 15:22) We must consider what two hundred men of uncommon insight and influence might have done in these uncertain circumstances. It is highly probably that their herculean efforts in quiet-corner dialogues were successful to cool down hot-heads, encourage fence-sitters, and change the most critical conversations at multiple levels to focus recognition on the most draconian national and foreign threats and leverage requisite political alliances and counteractions that ultimately led to David’s acceptance as king. The history of the bible records the wisdom of the collective actions—extending past, but critically including the actions of the chiefs of Issachar.
Where are today’s ‘chiefs of Issachar?’ World circumstances seem ripe for imminent destruction in most nations, and the threats are both internal and external. These threats include a restless immigrant class in all first-world nations, some of whom have already exchanged the pitchforks and axes of earlier centuries for today’s technologies of terror. These wide-spread conditions cry out for leaders capable of wielding insightful influence to emerge in governance. It does little good to lament the realistic—perhaps fatalistic—perceptions we may have of such lack—that relegates us to counter-productivity.
For Christians, perhaps our best efforts are to bring influence to bear in the voice of the church. And, this may involve becoming one such leader ourselves. Consider this time-tested challenge for people of faith: “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isa. 6:8)
Q. If I am called, how will I respond?
*Dickens, Charles, “A Tale of Two Cities” – 1775.
**Germanic tribes of Vandal and Goths sacked the once-mighty Roman Empire in the 5 th C. A.D.
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