The year is 1002 BC, one king has died and a new king has been annointed. If you could have stood on the high, strong walls of the ancient city of Hebron, you would have looked down on a kingdom perched on the knife’s edge of failure and opportunity.
The former king, Saul, after losing a battle with his sworn enemies, the Philistines, heroically upheld his honor, choosing to fall on his own sword rather than suffer humiliation and suffering at his enemy’s hands. The new king, David, is gathering his armies, and choosing his path for the future.
Standing in the walls of Hebron in these days would have put you in the epicenter of a catalytic moment.
Armies are gathering from all the tribes of Israel. Thousands upon thousands of troops. Each tribe bringing a unique, specific skill set, shaped by their environment, honed by experience, and offered in support of the kingdom.
Judah brought shields and swordsmen. (1 Chronicles 12:24 The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops)
The Simeonites were war-hardened men accustomed to the pains of battle. (1 Chronicles 12:25 Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100)
The Levites, men of the temple, showed up with great intentions. (1 Chronicles 12:26 Of the Levites 4,600)
All the tribes, gathering their thousands under the leadership of David, would pass through the gates of Hebron, offering their skill set to aid the king as he leads them into an uncertain future.
But one tribe stands out. One small tribe coming through the gate, making their way through the masses of warriors and mighty armies, would be an oddity among the troops, peculiar both for the size of their contingent and the skill set they offer to the kingdom.
They are the men of Issachar. A group of 200 in the company of thousands upon thousands. And what they bring in the midst of looming battle and roiling insecurity was not another instrument of war. They bring wisdom.
These were the men “who knew the signs of the times and knew what Israel should do.”
They brought perception to see what thousands of warriors missed.
They brought wisdom to guide armies and discover best strategies.
They were the people who could tackle the most tangled problems and answer the most difficult questions, and they showed up in Hebron to offer their skill set for the good of the kingdom.
I see that moment in 1 Chronicles 12 as a helpful metaphor to consider right now, because I think I live in a church culture that has been defeated in battle.
To be very clear, what I am saying is that American Christendom has fallen.
I am not an alarmist. I do not think the Kingdom of God is threatened by anything. Full stop. I do not write this out of fear. And it should not be received with fear. At all.
Fear is the tool of the Enemy.
“Do not fear” is the clarion call of our Kingdom.
If you feel the Kingdom of God is threatened by anything in our culture you need to enlarge your trust in our King.
The Kingdom of God is never under threat. But our little kingdom of American Christendom, if not dead already, is surrounded by its loved ones receiving its last rites.
We are in a post-Christian culture. Dr. Stuart Murray-Williams defines post-Christendom in this way:
‘Post-Christendom is the culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses coherence within a society that has been definitively shaped by the Christian story and as the institutions that have been developed to express Christian convictions decline in influence.’
Christianity has lost coherence with the values of our society. Christian institutions have been declining for fifty years. Our assumed control and influence have waned, and our institutions of authority are falling.
We are the kingdom of Israel after losing the battle to the Philistines.
The question confronting us now is which king will we choose to be?
Will we heroically fall on our swords, desperately trying to preserve our honor and demonstrate our fidelity in the face of defeat?
Or will gather together the resources available to us, seek the signs of our times, and let wisdom guide our future steps?
I want to follow David’s lead. I am trying to identify the men of Issachar who will help me know what we, the people of God in the American church should do, and this series of Rethinking Church will help me do exactly that.
A Modern Issacharian Worth Your Time: Brad Briscoe and his book, Rethink. Get it for free at New Churches.
There is a new Bourne movie coming our way, and my wife and I cannot wait. Jason Bourne is one of my favorite action movie heroes for lots of reasons. He is humble. He never quits. He can do just about anything. And he is always the underdog, hopelessly outmatched, but able to find a way through. Aside from the character, the music always great, the acting is top notch, the cinematics are flawless, and the greater story arc pushes the individual movies. They are really great movies.
Just Thinking 