Life Has A Default Drive

Judges 5:7

Jim Davis

A computer has a default drive; it is usually C drive. It is chosen by your default to choose another drive. You could set up your computer to boot up on any drive, but if you don’t choose another drive, the computer is designed to default to C drive.

Have you ever noticed that bosses usually default the most work to those willing to do the work? Sometimes it feels like abuse, but usually it is the person the boss can depend upon in the crunch.

Sometimes doing things by default is good and sometimes it is costly. There are no longer late fees at Blockbuster. However, if you fail to return the movie, seven days past your due date, you have bought it through default. You have defaulted in your rental return agreement, and now it becomes a purchase charged to your account through your default, which is your fault.

Defaults occur because of personal failure to make decisive decisions to live up to our responsibility. Leadership in the home is often defaulted solely to one spouse. Recent surveys have suggested that spiritual leadership in the home is in the name of the wives. The wife may be forced to become the spiritual leader through the default of the husband. The husband may be forced into a role in the home through the default of the wife. It is more shocking when the parent’s role is defaulted to the children. 

Leadership in God’s kingdom today is often chosen by default. It is defaulted to those willing to do the work, to those willing to make things work, and to those willing to make things happen. Default leaders usually feel a keen sense of responsibility that the work must be done, regardless of who does it. They usually tackle the work out of a sense of responsibility, although they wish others would lead. 

You may think that default leadership is intentional. You may sell that ideal to others to cover your faults. This just makes the work of those chosen to lead through default more difficult. But trust me, the direction isn’t intentional on the part of those forced to lead through no fault of their own. It isn’t intentional, and it defeats God’s intentional will. Those serving in default leadership had much rather see those who should be leading, lead. 

The prophetess Deborah was chosen to lead God’s people by default. There were no men in Israel who were willing to accept their responsibility. They had judged themselves unfit to lead, so it defaulted to Deborah who felt responsible. There are times when the work of the local congregation is in default. Default leadership is not God’s idea way of accomplishing his purpose? 

Deborah sang, “Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel” (Judges 5:7 NIV). This was Deborah’s song of praise to God; it was also a song of joy. There is something strange about leaders chosen by default—they seem to be filled with joy despite the fact that they were only chosen as leaders through the fault of others.