{"id":55463,"date":"2019-05-14T13:57:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T10:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=55463"},"modified":"2022-12-06T09:20:52","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T07:20:52","slug":"imperfect-leadership-versus-no-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/imperfect-leadership-versus-no-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Imperfect Leadership Versus No Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[835,402],"acf":{"old_id":"55463","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":46656,"related_cahpter":"219","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The dangers of a political vacuum","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following Gideon\u2019s role in the deliverance of the Jewish nation from Midianite oppression, the Israelites ask Gideon to become their monarchic ruler. With the language in verse 22 of \u201cRule over us, also your son and your son\u2019s son\u201d, the populace is exploring a new leadership model. After a succession of judges who lead the people to glory followed by what now seems to be the inevitable cycle of the judge\u2019s death &#8211; spiritual decline of the people &#8211; new oppressor &#8211; new judge, could it be that they have become weary of this repeating sequence? Are they now considering that a monarchic dynasty would provide them with a continuity of leadership that would stabilize their nationhood?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gideon refuses the request, reminding the Israelites that God is their one true King. Eliyahu Assis suggests a tension between Gideon\u2019s refusal to become a king of the Israelites and his subsequent king-like behavior of proffering items that could only logistically be from his own spoils of battle against the Midianite kings. Together with his addition to the contribution of the rest of the people, Gideon creates a conspicuous, if perhaps unintentional monument to his leadership (see his \u201cSelf-Interest or Communal Interest: An Ideology of Leadership in the Gideon, Abimelech and Jephthah Narratives,\u201d Vetus Testamentum, 2005: 106). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though Gideon meant for the ephod to remind the Israelites of God\u2019s deliverance of them from the Midianites, it is not surprising, especially considering the precedent of the golden calf, that this ephod \u201cbecame a snare to Gideon and to his house (verse 27)\u201d and started the people down yet another path of idol-worship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Had Gideon accepted the role of king, he undoubtedly would have groomed a suitable successor and the catastrophe of Avimelech that followed Gideon\u2019s death might have been avoided. Menachem Leibtag (tanach.org) argues that we may learn from this story that Samuel\u2019s point in including it in the Book of Judges is to argue the danger of allowing a leadership vacuum and that, perhaps, equally as dangerous as appointing the wrong person is not appointing anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When election times come around, we might be well-advised to remember this lesson about balancing no leadership with less than ideal leadership. Had the Israelites benefited from Gideon\u2019s imperfect leadership they may well have avoided the disastrous evil leadership that filled the void. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians \/ Pixabay<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":55465,"id":55465,"title":"jud8-king","filename":"jud8-king.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jud8-king.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/imperfect-leadership-versus-no-leadership\/jud8-king\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jud8-king","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":55463,"date":"2019-05-14 10:57:03","modified":"2019-05-14 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