Tola is the only judge from the tribe of Issachar. He is the only notable member of the Tribe of Issachar until Baasha who founds the second dynasty in the Northern Kingdom. He is the judge in Shamir, near the hill country of Ephraim. He brings peace for 23 years after the story of Abimelech.
The name Tola means worm or grub. The name along with what has just occurred in nearby Shechem creates an interesting dynamic. Worms/grubs eat the dead and decaying matter. Tola is the one who eats up the decay left by Abimelech and resets the order from kings to judges.
This got me thinking about the decaying things in my life. God is not against decay, but He wants us to live to the full which means leaving the rot behind sometimes. That’s not to say that you still won’t have consequences from the death you have left behind. Refuse still smells, as every dirty diaper I change reminds me.
One of the things I am leaving behind from my youth is my arrogance. I still remember a friend from high school telling me that others thought I was arrogant. At the time I was sure that was a good thing. I wanted to make an impact on people and my self-assuredness was an incredibly easy way to achieve that goal.
