Juízes 9

Juízes 9

Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission Chart on Judges - Charles Swindoll RECYCLING SIN (The High Cost of Compromise) Jdg 1:1-3:6 Jdg 3:7-16:31 Jdg 17:1-21:25 Introduction History of the Judges Appendix Causes of the Cycles THE REASON Curse of the Cycles THE RECORD Conditions in the Cycles THE RESULTS God's Judgment for Failure Jdg 2:1-3:6 Curse of the Cycles Conditions in the Cycles Living with Canaanites War with the Canaanites Living Like the Canaanites Religious Laxity Political Uncertainty Moral Anarchy About 350 Years of Israel's History - Almost 25%! From Compromise to Confusion! A TIMELINE OF ISRAEL'S HISTORY "in the days when the JUDGES governed" (Note: All dates are approximations & time gaps NOT to scale) Exodus 40 Years Israel Enters Canaan JUDGES Saul David Messiah Redemption from Slavery Wilderness Wandering Canaan Conquered Joshua Dies LIGHT of book of RUTH Shines forth in Dark Days of Judges To obey is better than sacrifice Man after God's Own Heart The Lamb that was slain -- 40 yrs ~24 yrs 350+ yrs 40 yrs 40 yrs Forever MESSIAH'S LINE To Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab To Boaz was born Obed by Ruth To Obed was born Jesse To Jesse was born David the King Jesus Christ the Lord 1445BC 1445 -1405 1405 -1381 1381-1051 1051-1011 1011-971 4AD Another Timeline of Israel's History from Jensen's Survey of the OT Other ways to describe Israel's cycle… Rest > Rebellion > Retribution > Repentance (?) > Restoration Sin > Suffering/Servitude > Supplication > Salvation Apathy > Apostasy > Affliction > Answered Prayer Disobedience > Desperation > Deliverance Disobedience > Bondage >Misery > Liberation and Rest > Compromises Hannah's Bible Outline Parenthesis: the tyranny of Abimelech (Jdg 8:33-Jdg 9:57) Israel's idolatry (Jdg 8:33-35) Shechem's submission to Abimelech (Jdg 9:1-57) Abimelech's treachery to become king (Jdg 9:1-6) Jothan's speech (Jdg 9:7-21) The parable (Jdg 9:7-15) The application (Jdg 9:16-21) Shechem's treachery toward Abimelech (Jdg 9:22-25) Gaal's aborted rebellion (Jdg 9:26-41) Abimelech's capture of Shechem (Jdg 9:42-49) Abimelech's death at Thebez (Jdg 9:50-57) 3. Tola (Jdg 10:1–2) 4. Jair (Jdg 10:3–5) 5. Jephthah (Jdg 10:6–12:7) 1. Israel’s sin (Jdg 10:6) 2. Israel’s servitude (Jdg 10:7–9) 3. Israel’s supplication (Jdg 10:10–16) 4. Israel’s deliverance (Jdg 10:17–12:7) 1. The preparations for battle (Jdg 10:17–11:28) 1. The armies gathered (Jdg 10:17–18) 2. The leader secured (Jdg 11:1–11) 1. His background (Jdg 11:1–3) 2. His covenant (Jdg 11:4–11) 3. The messages to Ammon (Jdg 11:12–28) 2. The vow and victory in battle (Jdg 11:29–40) 1. The vow made (Jdg 11:29–31) 2. The victory secured (Jdg 11:32–33) 3. The vow observed (Jdg 11:34–40) 3. The strife with Ephraim (Jdg 12:1–6) 1. Ephraim’s jealousy (Jdg 12:1–3) 2. Ephraim’s defeat (Jdg 12:4–6) 4. The death of Jephthah (Jdg 12:7) 6. Ibzan (12:8–10) 7. Elon (12:11–12) 8. Abdon (12:13–15) FOLLOWING NOTES ARE COMPLETELY REVISED SPRING, 2022 Judges 9:1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's relatives, and spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother's father, saying, NET Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother's relatives. He said to them and to his mother's entire extended family, BBE Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem to his mother's family, and said to them and to all the family of his mother's father, CSB Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother's brothers at Shechem and spoke to them and to all his maternal grandfather's clan, saying, NLT One day Gideon's son Abimelech went to Shechem to visit his uncles-- his mother's brothers. He said to them and to the rest of his mother's family, Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal: Jdg 8:31 Shechem to his mother's relatives: Ge 33:18 34:2 1Ki 12:1 and spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household: 2Sa 15:6 1Ki 12:3,20 Ps 83:2-4 Jer 18:18) Judges 9 Resources Who was Abimelech in the Book of Judges? Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim with Shechem in middle SELFISHLY AMBITIOUS ABIMELECH SEEKS A COUP IN THE CLAN Warren Wiersbe entitles Judges 9 "My Kingdom Come" of course alluding to the evil ambitions of Abimelech which are in stark contrast to the petition in the Lord's (Disciple's) Prayer "Thy Kingdom Come." Indeed, ambitious men like Abimelech will continue to perpetrate their evil plans until the King of kings returns. The evil Russian leader Putin is unjustifiably invading the Ukraine even as I write May, 2022! In this chapter we see that the apostasy of Israel after the death of Gideon is punished, not as the former apostasies by a foreign invasion, or the oppressions of any neighboring power, but by conflict within. Interestingly in after Judges 8 Gideon's name per se is never mentioned again. In Judges 9 he is always called Jerubbaal! One major theme of this sequel to the Gideon episode is divine retribution as is made clear by Jdg 9:23, 24 and Jdg 9:56, 57]. It is an account of how God allowed the evil that Abimelech and the men of Shechem sowed to be reaped and to rebound upon their own heads. Gary Inrig applies the truth of Judges 9 to our life - The message of the story of Abimelech is a simple but powerful one: if we reject the true King, we will be ruled by a usurper. If the throne is not filled by God the King, it will be filled by an Abimelech, a bramble king. That is the experience of Israel in Judges 9, but it remains just as true today. It operates in a personal way in our lives, so that Paul can declare in Romans 6:16: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” If Jesus Christ does not rule my life, my sinful nature will. This same principle applies in our organizations, whether they are political or congregational. If we do not seek and follow leaders who will direct us to the kingship of Christ, we will fall under the hands of someone whose leadership is negative and destructive. Nature abhors a vacuum, and something will immediately rush in to fill it. The same principle operated spiritually in the nation of Israel. Sadly, although he was used by God to deliver his people from the Midianites, Gideon left his nation in a spiritual vacuum. It is ironic that Gideon’s original victory was due to the fact that he was obedient to God’s Word, but the greatest failure of his life was that he did not consistently practice the Word of God. In fact, as we read the account of Gideon’s judgeship, there is no suggestion that the Word of God had a very important place in his life. If he had Scripture at all, he simply ignored it, and that led him to the sin of the ephod and to his backsliding into a royal lifestyle. Despite the great affirmation of 8:23, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you,” Gideon did not establish the Lord in His rightful place in Israel. Confession of God’s kingship without consistent practice of that kingship is hollow. As a result, when Gideon died, his life made no permanent difference on the spiritual life of the people of Israel. For the fifth time in Judges, the cycle of sin began as the people turned away from the living and true God to the depraved pagan worship of Baal. Gideon had led a compromised, syncretized worship of the Lord, but upon his death “they set up Baal-Berith [meaning “Baal of the covenant”] as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side” (Jdg 8:34). This time, however, there was a difference. The oppression did not come from a foreign power but from within Israel’s own ranks. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) And - While there is no specific time phrase here, this copulative raises the possibility that as soon as Gideon's corpse was cold, this cold, calculating concubine's son sprang into action to gratify his lust for power and glory! Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem (map) to his mother's relatives (lit = "brothers"): Deborah & Gideon took place in north, Ehud & Othniel in SE & S, Jephthah E of the Jordan, and Samson in SW. Abimelech's story takes place in the CENTRAL part of Israel and portrays the spiritual condition in that area and is the only story in Judges which depicts the central region of Israel. George Bush - Abimelech—went to Shechem. As Shechem was a city of note in the tribe of Ephraim, and the Ephraimites appear to have been a rash, high-spirited, and excitable people, particularly jealous of their brethren of Manasseh, and perhaps still cherishing the memory of the fancied slight put upon them by Gideon, Jdg 8:1–3+, Abimelech, no doubt, promised himself, on this ground, the speedy concurrence of the Shechemites in his infamous designs. But his first step was to enlist his relatives in his interest, and with this view he applies himself to them, undoubtedly, with all the arts of an aspiring demagogue. (Judges 9 Commentary) Abimelech is going to Shechem to incite a conspiracy against the sons of Jerubbaal. Abimelech's evil action would be turned around on him in (Jdg 9:26-29) when Gaal comes to Shechem to incite a conspiracy against Abimelech. What goes around comes around! Shechem was about 30 miles from Ophrah (map) and was the home of Gideon's concubine (Abimelech's mother). It was the main city of the central region, located in a fertile valley (see map above) between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim, on a strategic crossroad of the route from the coastal highway in the west to the Jordan Valley in the east and the ridge route from Jerusalem in the south to the northern sites in the Jezreel Valley. Shechem had a hallowed place in Israel's history and had been a religious center since the time of Abraham. Yahweh first revealed Himself to Abraham at oak of Moreh in Shechem on his arrival from Haran (Ge 12:6,7), Jacob lived at Shechem (Ge 33:18-20), and Joshua led the Israelites to Shechem during the time of the conquest for a recitation of the blessings (on Mt Gerizim) and cursings (on Mt Ebal) of the Law (Joshua 8:30-35) and it was also the site of the further covenant renewal ceremony before Joshua’s death (Jos 24:1-28). Under Joshua, Shechem was both a Levitical city and a city of refuge. What a tragic blot the tale of Abimelech leaves on such a significant city in Israel's history! Lawson Stone - Shechem features in treaty-making in the OT: Jacob and his sons entered into an agreement with the inhabitants of Shechem (Gen 34); Israel, upon entering the land, renewed the covenant at Ebal and Gerizim, the two mountains overlooking Shechem (Deut 27, Josh 8:30-35); and the book of Joshua ends at Shechem (Josh 24:1, 25) with Joshua making a covenant. This covenant united Yahweh, the Israelites, and apparently others who had joined with them. A stone and an oak figure in Joshua's covenant, as they do in the crowning of Abimelech (cf. 9:6). Shechem certainly has the stone, but the tree, naturally, is long-gone, though numerous archaeological indications at other sanctuaries all but ensure that one was indeed present at Shechem (Stager 1999:241-243). The Hebrew word for treaty or covenant, berit/berith/beriyth, appears in the name of the deity "whored after" by Israel, Baal-berith (Jdg 8:33). Later referred to in the narrative as El-berith (Jdg 9:46NLT mg), his temple treasury in Shechem funded Abimelech's adventures (Jdg 9:4). Shechem emerges one last time as a town for deal-making in 1 Kings 12, where Rehoboam seeks the rubber-stamp approval of the northern tribes for his kingship (ABD 5.1174-1186; Stager 1999:2003).....No other town in the central highlands of Israel equaled Shechem in importance. (See Joshua, Judges, Ruth) Henry Morris on went to Shechem. The rebellious and ambitious Abimelech had apparently been brought up in Shechem by Gideon's concubine and had acquired enough influence over the Shechemites to persuade them to follow him in setting himself up as king of Israel. This involved murdering all his brothers (except Jotham, who escaped), and then establishing his supposed capital in Shechem (Judges 9:3-6). Abimelech thus presumptuously assumed by force a position which had been declined by his father. And spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother's father, saying: Hebrew = “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.” In the ancient East since concubines usually remained with their own clan the son of a concubine had a closer relationship to his mother’s family than to his father’s. Warren Wiersbe on selfish ambition which characterized Abimelech - “You shall not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:17NKJV), but breaking it is the first step toward breaking the other nine. Of itself, ambition isn’t an evil thing, provided it’s mixed with genuine humility and is controlled by the will of God. If it’s God’s wind that lifts you and you’re soaring on wings that He’s given you, then fly as high as He takes you. But if you manufacture both the wind and the wings, you’re heading for a terrible fall. “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar,” said Helen Keller; and her counsel is good, so long as the impulse to soar comes from the Lord. Selfish ambition destroys. “I will ascend into heaven!” turned an angel into the devil (Isa. 14:13NKJV), and “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built” turned a king into an animal (Da 4:28–37NKJV). If we exalt ourselves, God has many ways of bringing us down (Mt. 23:12). (See The Bible Exposition Commentary) Criswell - (Jdg 8:1,2) Whatever type of leadership Gideon exercised (Jdg 8:23), Abimelech, Gideon's son by a Canaanite of Shechem (Jdg 8:31), attempted to usurp and expand it by viciously massacring his brothers. His leadership was centered in Shechem and apparently did not extend beyond the territory of Manasseh. (Believer's Study Bible) A R Fausset - And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, unto his mother’s brethren [ch. 8:31: of the original Canaanite population, which ought to have been exterminated according to God’s command. Gideon’s neglect of this eventuated in his concubinage with them entailing judgment upon his house after his death], and communed with them, and with all the family of the house [i.e., the whole clan] of his mother’s father, saying, POSB - insurrection, rebellion, revolt, war, assassination, terrorism, or convincing arguments. Seeking power and authority is a common ambition within the hearts of people, an ambition that is present within every group or body of people. The desire for some level of authority or power is within the heart of all of us, ranging from the family through social groups, community organizations, businesses, and all departments of government. What we must realize is this fact: there is a good and an evil seeking of authority, a legitimate and an illegitimate seeking of power. There is good ambition and bad ambition, a righteous ambition and an evil ambition. Ambition becomes evil when it is for selfish purposes. When power is sought to gain more and more for the purpose of dominating others or for living in extravagance, indulgence, and license, it is evil. When the ambition for power leads a person to hoard and neglect others or to harm and damage others or oneself—that ambition or power is wrong. The present passage has to do with the evil ambition of seeking power for selfish purposes. The guilty culprit was Abimelech, one of the sons of Gideon. When his father died, he wanted to become the king over the territory that his father had served as judge. This chapter is the story of Abimelech: The Illegal, Renegade King, Abimelech: The Event That Shows Just How Corrupt the Israelites Had Become, 9:1-57. (Posb KJV DLX, Judges-Ruth) 1. The conspiracy of Abimelech: a picture of selfish ambition and the lust for power (Jdg 9:1-6). 2. The parable and prophetic curse upon Abimelech: a declaration of God's judgment (Jdg 9:7-21). 3. The rebellion against Abimelech: the picture of division—a divided kingdom (Jdg 9:22-41). 4. The destruction of Shechem by Abimelech: a picture of evil vengeance (Jdg 9:42-49). 5. The death of Abimelech: the just judgment of God (Jdg 9:50-57). Gary Inrig - Two factors influence a man supremely—his parents and his home environment. Unfortunately, both of these left deep scars on Abimelech. They do not excuse his actions or remove his guilt, but they are important considerations in understanding him. The greatest influence on our lives comes from our parents. That may seem to be something in Abimelech’s favor. After all, he was a son of Gideon, the hero of faith. But in his case that was not an unmixed blessing, for Abimelech was the product of Gideon’s years of backsliding. His mother was a part of Gideon’s harem, but Gideon did not even give her the dignity of being his wife. She was a convenience, not a life partner. The son of a concubine was in a very divided situation. Legally, he had no rights from his father, and he belonged to his mother’s family. So Abimelech had his father’s genes but not his father’s name. He could hardly respect his father for his lifestyle or his morality or love him for his fatherly care. He was an outsider, and the bitterness that he felt towards his father and his half-brothers made him desperate to right the wrongs he felt he had endured and to get his revenge. Gideon not only failed to express love to Abimelech (ED: THIS IS A BIT CONJECTURAL AS THE TEXT IS SILENT), he failed to communicate spiritual truth to him. We are told that Gideon’s ephod was a snare not only to Gideon but to all his family. It engaged his entire family in spiritual adultery and kept them from the truths of God’s Word. There was no one snared more severely than Abimelech. His very name, “My father is king,” bore witness to his father’s sad decline. No wonder Abimelech found Baal worship easy to adopt. The second major influence in Abimelech’s life was his city, Shechem, which vividly symbolized the spiritual confusion of the nation. It was a city rich with associations with the life of Abraham (his first well); Jacob (a well bearing his name); and Joseph (the place his bones were buried). It was also just outside the city where Joshua had led the people to commit themselves to God’s covenant, as they recited its blessings and cursings from Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. But when the people refused to obey God and drive out the Canaanites, Shechem became a mixed city. Canaanites and Israelites lived side by side, and together they worshiped Baal-Berith in the house of Baal (9:4). The city was saturated with Baalism, and because Abimelech saw no evidence of a vital faith in the Lord in his father’s life, he fell easy prey to the seductive, sensual worship of Baal. Abimelech was a shrewd man. He was determined to build a power base of his own before he took action. His mother’s family in Shechem was a natural place to begin. One thing Abimelech had gained from his family tie was the feeling that Gideon’s descendants had a right to rule. This again contradicted Gideon’s bold affirmation in Jdg 8:23, but apparently it was generally expected that one of Gideon’s seventy sons, or the entire group, would rule. So, building on that expectation, he approached his clan with a proposal: “Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.” If there was a vacuum of leadership, Abimelech was going to fill it, at whatever cost. His extended family was impressed enough by Abimelech’s abilities that they approached the leaders (the word translated citizens in the New International Version actually refers to the city’s leaders) on his behalf. They blatantly appeal to self-interest (“he is our brother”) and to the animosity that obviously existed towards Gideon’s descendants. The Shechemites fell in line with the plan, using the Baal temple as the source of their funds. Life was cheap—they provide only seventy shekels for the lives of seventy men—one shekel each! But by taking this money, Abimelech was acting as an agent of Baal, an employee of the temple. (Borrow Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay) ILLUSTRATION - When George Washington’s army defeated the British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, the end of the Revolutionary War began. Winning the war didn’t automatically end the problems that the colonies faced. Things became so bad economically that one of George Washington’s colonels wrote Washington a secret letter, urging him to use his army to make himself king or dictator. To the colonel, this was the only way to get the affairs of the young nation under control. Washington rejected the plan, but with his popularity and power he probably could have become king if he had so desired. Abimelech was just the opposite. He had such a passionate desire to be king that he allowed nothing to stand in his way, not even the lives of hundreds of innocent people. This is the longest chapter in the Book of Judges and one of the most depressing. If the awful carnage recorded in this chapter upsets you, just be reminded that modern dictators like Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, and Adolph Hitler have done far worse. Norman Cousins estimated that for every word in Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, 125 people died in World War II! (See The Bible Exposition Commentary) Life Application Study Bible Notes on Abimelech - People who desire power always outnumber those who are able to use power wisely once they have it. Perhaps this is because power has a way of taking over and controlling the person using it. This is especially true in cases of inherited but unmerited power. Abimelech's life shows us what happens when hunger for power corrupts judgment. Abimelech's position in Gideon's family as the son of a concubine must have created great tension between him and Gideon's many other sons. One against 70: Such odds can either crush a person or make him ruthless. It is obvious which direction Abimelech chose. Gideon's position as warrior and judge had placed Abimelech in an environment of power; Gideon's death provided an opportunity for this son to seize power. Once the process began, the disastrous results were inevitable. A person's thirst for power is not satisfied when he gets power—it only becomes more intense. Abimelech's life was consumed by that thirst. Eventually, he could not tolerate any threat to his power. By this time, ownership had changed: Abimelech no longer had power—power had him. One lesson we can learn from his life is that our goals control our actions. The amount of control is related to the importance of the goal. Abimelech's most important goal was to have power. His lust for power led him to wipe out not only his brothers but also whole cities that refused to submit to him. Nothing but death could stop his bloodthirsty drive to conquer. How ironic that he was fatally injured by a woman with a farm implement! The contrast between Abimelech and the godly people of the Bible is great. He wanted to control the nation; they were willing to be controlled by God. (Borrow the Life Application Study Bible: Old Testament and New Testament) Judges 9:2 "Speak, now, in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh." Which is better for you, that seventy men: Jdg 8:30 Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh: Ge 29:14 2Sa 19:13 1Ch 11:1 Eph 5:30 Heb 2:14 Judges 9 Resources Related Resource: Judges 8:23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you (ABIMELECH IS HIS SON!); the LORD shall rule over you.” Joshua 20:7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. Joshua 21:21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands, Joshua 24:25-26 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there (AT SHECHEM) under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. Joshua 24:32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. Speak, now, in the hearing of all the leaders (ba'al) of Shechem: Hebrew = “Speak into the ears of.” The Hebrew for leaders is the word ba'al which means "lords." One thought is that Abimelech may have been shunned by his half-brothers, but that is only conjecture.