Underwhelming Epitaph (Judges 10:1-2)


"[Tola] was from the tribe of Issachar but lived in the town of Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel for twenty-three years. When he died, he was buried in Shamir." Judges 10:1-2

As we read through this era of Israel's history known as the time of the Judges, we see the rise and fall of many illustrious, and sometimes unscrupulous leaders of the nation. 

One of the lesser known rulers was a man named Tola. You've probably never heard of him and there's a perfectly good explanation as to why found right here in this passage. This particular leader was allotted exactly 2 whole verses in Scripture. During his rule (23 years to be exact), we are told volumes about his leadership by the deafening silence surrounding it. 

What was his lasting legacy? 

Nada. 

Surely in 23 years he managed to accomplish something significant, right? 

Nope. 

Between the time of his birth and his death we known nothing more than his name, where he lived, and where he was buried. Verses 1-2 basically say "this guy lived, died, and was buried. The End." He left no legacy and accomplished nothing in his life even worth mentioning.

Tola somehow he managed to invest his time, talents, and resources doing things that didn't really matter. The irony, however, is that his life is forever recorded in the pages of Scripture as a permanent chapter of the most amazing and important story of all time- God's story. 

But what about us? What will God say about our part in His story? 

I don't think anyone ever sets out to waste 23 years of their life. Nobody really plans to squander the most important opportunities God sets before them. But it happens. We all run the risk of developing and underwhelming epitaph before The Lord, "to whom we must all give an account."(Romans 14:12).

We all have been given a tremendous opportunity to partner with the Creator and Savior of the world to live our lives for a purpose far greater than ourselves and a legacy farther reaching than we could ever imagine. The lingering question for all of us is, "What are we going to to do with God's offer?"

I'll leave you with 3 final thoughts to ponder:

"Am I truly living for Lord or merely existing?" 

"How is the sum of my life going to matter in eternity?"

"What can I do about it today?"

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