Jair, one of the military commanders of ancient Israeli Army is our interviewee in this edition of the magazine. He also served as a judge in the country after the death of Tola. According to Judges 10:3-5, Jair had thirty sons who rode thirty ass colts. They controlled 30 cities in Gilead, which came to be known as Havoth-Jair.
Shepherd Heart: Thank you Sir, for honouring our invitation.
Jair: The pleasure is mine.
Shepherd Heart: Kindly introduce yourself to our readers:
Jair: I was born in Gilead, east of the Jordan River, of the tribe of Manasseh. My father was Segub, the son of Hezron. I judged Israel for 22 years after the death of Tola, who had ruled for 23 years.
Shepherd Heart: What was it like stepping into the shoes of Tola, who was able to stabilise Israel after the disastrous reign of Abimelech, son of Gideon?
Jair: It was a seamless transfer of power since none of Tola’s children was interested in succeeding him. I was also a commander in his army and enjoyed the respect of elders of Israel.
Shepherd Heart: Did the elders appoint you a judge?
Jair: (Laughs) The state of affairs in Israel at this point in time did not make it an attractive enterprise that necessitated leadership tussles. Tola’s children could have succeeded him without any hassles but they chose to avoid politics and attendant warfare. I am sure you have read Judges in the Old Testament. Heading the army of ancient Israel was more of a sacrifice than an opportunity for self-glorification.
Shepherd Heart: What was your relationship with God like during your reign?
Jair: I still refer you to the book of Judges. Most of the people who ruled Israel during this unfortunate era were God-fearing men. It could not have been otherwise because my kinsmen were an unruly bunch. As Judges 21:25 explains, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
Shepherd Heart: How did not nurture your relationship with God at this time?
Jair: It was more of a personal devotion than community fellowship. I tried to stay out of other people’s religious space due to the general apathy towards God among my people. Of course, we made every effort to protect them from attacks by neighbouring countries. We equally settled disputes among Israelis as much as we could.
Shepherd Heart: Leadership has always been a problem in the community of believers when God is not the focus of the devotion. In our generation, this has contributed to divisions within the body of Christ, which we glamourize as ‘denominationalism’, instead of using the right word, ‘division’. In your opinion, who or what is responsible for this state of affairs in the church of Jesus Christ?
Jair: (Laughs) I think I would settle for the “who” question. The Lord Jesus Christ said in Mark 3:25, that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” This is a principle that satan is very familiar with, and he is doing everything he can to keep the church divided for obvious reason. A united church, under the control of the Holy Spirit is his Waterloo.
Shepherd Heart: I agree totally with you. The devil also knows that the more he fuels division in the body of Christ through false doctrines, the more the opposing sides will turn on each other instead of taking the battle to his gate.
Jair: Satan may be a fool compared to God’s wisdom, but he is 100% crafty. Doctrines of demons or devils have become his greatest weapons against the church. This is despite the fact that the Holy Spirit had warned through the Lord Himself, and the early apostles against these errors.
Shepherd Heart: It is actually difficult for anyone with a sane mind to understand why many Christians accept these demonic doctrines rather than the word of God.
Jair: It is the same way satan was able to entrap Adam and Eve, by exploiting the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. He has not changed his strategy at all, and the church ought to know better.
Shepherd Heart: Yeah. The church has no excuse for falling prey to the antics and tricks of the devil. 2 Peter 1:3 explains that God’s “divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” The church is well equipped to call satan’s bluff and take the battle to the gate of his dark kingdom to set the captives free. Unfortunately, doctrines of demons have polarised believers along these lines. In fact, in some cases, satan is not even considered the enemy! In Western Europe and the United States of America, many denominations are contesting the inerrancy of Scripture, especially God’s position on sensitive issues like same sex marriage and abortion.
Jair: That shows the extent of infiltration of the church by satan and his demons. On what grounds would a Christian support the murder of innocent infants which is actually child sacrifice; or the abominable act of sodomy? In Ephesians 5:3, Paul was of the view that sexual sins, other impurities and greed should not even be mentioned among believers!
Shepherd Heart: What do you think the church can do to address the situation?
Jair: Firstly, Jesus’ charge to the Church of Ephesus to return to its first love applies to all believers in your era. While the early church preached Christ, modern Christians have introduced diverse doctrines that have no bearing with the gospel or the salvation of souls, which is God’s primary focus on earth. We, the cloud of witnesses are shocked by the level of polluting influences of satan and his agents in the church. What does it matter if every Christian becomes a billionaire? Will that save his soul? Salvation of souls through the finished work of Christ should be the focus of all ministries in the church. It is either that or the false gospels that the devil has birthed in the pit of hell that would lead their adherents to the lake of fire. Secondly, the church must revere God and His word. Too many Christians are taking liberties with the word of God. Instead of them allowing the word to be their judge, they sit in judgement against Scriptures that do not align with their warped ideas or narratives. Many Bible Schools and Seminaries reject the inerrancy of the word of God; hence, most of their graduates have become agnostics or even atheists.
Shepherd Heart: You have hit the nail on the head Sir. We have opened too many doors to the enemy to penetrate the church. We pray that your wise words would open the eyes of our readers to the truth and help the church to reject these errors.
Jair: Thank you for having me.