After him Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel, and he judged Israel ten years. Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun. Judges 12:11-12
Growing up in a church of an evangelical tradition, we celebrated transformation, applauding dramatic stories of changed lives. I was a gang member until I met Jesus. Meanwhile, I was a boring kid from small town South Dakota with no interesting story to tell. I wish I’d have been a gang member. I lamented that fact that I had no major life disaster and no dramatic story of transformation. I was a stupid kid. As you know, as an adult, I went out an found a life disaster – drug addiction – and I now have an interesting story. My life was a calamity and God did save me from myself. Though I wouldn’t change my past now, if I had to go back and live through it all over again, I’d like to think I’d make very different choices – choosing the boring life of not being addicted to drugs in the first place.
Not every Christian must have a story of dramatic transformation. There are those – like my wife – who have believed in and followed God from a young age. Her faith has saved her from dramatic life failures before they ever happened. Because of her faith, she’s made good, healthy choices. Though I once thought such a story to be boring, I now see that her life is to be celebrated for its lack of profound failures. Because I followed me, God had to save me from myself after my failures, whereas because my wife followed God from the start, he saved her from failures before they happened. The worst life crises she’s been through have all been my fault.
Though we may be tempted to see it as boring, a lack of dramatic moral failure is its own success. That is the lesson from today’s passage. In the story, we’re told very little about Elon, one of Israel’s many judges. There apparently wasn’t much to tell. He judged Israel for 10 years, died in office, and was buried. That’s all. There was no dramatic fall or repentance during his time. He followed God and Israel followed him. This makes for a brief, perhaps boring story, but it is the very lack of dramatic failures that made his time in office a success.
My wife is an amazing woman of faith who, in her honest humility, will object to me saying that about her. Though I once would have seen her story as boring, I’m now desperately thankful for her and her faith. Where I was once jealous of those with dramatic stories of transformation, I now celebrate the faith that has saved her from dramatic failures before they ever happened.