A Forever Leader

The Old Testament is littered with stories about good leaders and the bad that followed them.  So often a mighty, God-fearing leader was raised up only to be followed by a major let down of a leader.  Throughout the history we read in the Bible we are left wishing the good leaders could live forever.

Think of the Israelites in Egypt.  When Joseph was alive there was a righteous Pharaoh that treated Israel and his sons with dignity and respect.  The people thrived in Egypt under righteous leadership then it went downhill.

"Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.  'Look,' he said to his people, 'the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.  Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.'

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor..." Exodus 1:6-11a

Or think about the period of the judges.  After Joshua, a strong and righteous leader, died the people were left with poor leadership.  Time after time the people would do wicked things and then be punished by God, then God would raise up a judge (leader) who would rescue them and then the nation would live righteously until the judge died and the people would return to evil.

"After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin..." Judges 4:1-2a

"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years He gave them into the hands of the Midianites." Judges 6:1

"No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals." Judges 8:33

"Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines." Judges 10:6

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." Judges 13:1

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." Judges 21:25

If you thought things got better when the kings came, you would be wrong.  There was peace and righteousness under good kings, like David or Josiah, but as soon as they died they were almost always followed by a period of evil, civil war and captivity.

When you read the history of the Old Testament you're left thinking, "What if the good leader could have just lived forever?"

In the New Testament we see a passage that makes us remember the thought we just had.  This passage comes during a brief trial before the Sanhedrin involving the apostles.

"But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  Then he addressed them: 'Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him.  He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt.  He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone!  Let them go!  For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."  Acts 5:34-39

See, other movements of righteousness and shalom had been tried, but when the leader died the people following him stopped following his ways.  When the leader died the people returned to subjectivity or idolatry. 

But Christianity is different.  The apostles kept following because their leader isn't dead.  Jesus did die like other great leaders of the Bible or leaders of other revolutions, but Jesus didn't stay dead.  The Jesus Movement continued then and continues today because Jesus is still alive!  The resurrection is the reason why continued righteousness is possible for His followers.  The resurrection is the reason why the peaceful revolution continues.

Because He lives our hope lives with Him today.