When I was a young minister, I was quite certain that with age would come a deeper and more exhaustive understanding of the Scriptures. However, it has been my recent discovery that I have so many Deeper Doctrines still to Discover, and that my biblical knowledge is a mere work in progress.
For instance, just when I think I have heard of every character in the Bible, I meet a new one right there on the pages of the Word of God. Such is the case with today’s main character, “JAIR, the JUDGE.”
The story of this rather obscure character is found in but three verses tucked in the tenth chapter of the book of Judges. While we do not know much about him, what we know about him speaks much, and is convicting for those who profess Faith in Christ. The three questions that everyone ponders from time to time are, “Where did I come from?,” “What am I doing here?,” and “Where am I going when I die?” The Life and Legacy of JAIR the JUDGE will help us answer all three questions when we consider the Three “P’s” of the text.
“After him arose JAIR, a Gileadite who Judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities… in the land of Gilead. And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.” Judges 10:3-5
First, the Bible tells us of JAIR’s POSITION. In the days when Judges ruled over Israel, JAIR was a JUDGE. This would be a position not only of great authority, but also one of significant responsibility. His duty was to speak to God’s people, “Thus saith the Lord.” He was to Guide God’s people, to Govern God’s people and to Guard God’s people.
Secondly, this brief glimpse into his life tells us of JAIR’s POSSESSIONS. We know that he was blessed with 30 sons and that he was able to provide a Beast of Burden, a Donkey to each of them. While that might not mean much in the days in which we’re living, it spoke volumes in JAIR’s day. A Donkey was a symbol of success. It screamed, “I have Made It!” Possessing a donkey made you the envy of the town. Safe to say, if you owned your own donkey, you were well-established, and had truly arrived in the community. You were keeping up with the Joneses, you were living on the right side of the tracks, you were among the “Who’s Who” in your culture.
Thirdly, we can deduce JAIR’s POSTERITY. He was born, he lived, and then he died. Whether we like to admit it or not, that is our basic story as well. On our tombstone, there will be a birthdate and a death date with nothing more than a dash to separate the two. As it has been said many times, it is what we do with our “DASH” that truly matters.
The lesson that we can learn from the life of this notable character is that life is more than our POSITION and our POSSESSIONS, which are temporary at best. We need to live in constant consideration of our POSTERITY.
Let’s ask ourselves the question, “Is my life truly making a difference?” We must realize that life is more than what we do, where we live, what we have, or what we might be able to accomplish in our comparatively brief time on planet Earth – “But a Vapor…” (James 4:14).
Rather than focusing on the Temporal Trinkets, let’s start being faithful to store up Eternal Treasures (Matthew 6:19-20), To quote the beloved missionary C.T. Studd, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be passed. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
I pray that my legacy will be more than just my Position and my Possessions, but that my Profession in Christ will be remembered long after I’m gone.
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