Judges 9B. Can there be anything better on a Sunday morning at church than to hear a story of treachery, murder, cursing and jealousy?

Transcription

1 Judges 9B Can there be anything better n a Sunday mrning at church than t hear a stry f treachery, murder, cursing and jealusy? Well, that s what we have befre us tday n the pages f scripture And it s this way because this is what Giden s legacy left the peple f Israel and us His death gave way t a civil war f srts His seventy heirs have been reduced t a single sn hiding fr his life in wells And Abimelech, the sn f a slave wife, attempting t rule Israel as a king Abimelech is an ungdly man, nt a judge much less a king, and he s determined t hld n t pwer thrugh any means necessary But like an despt, he has enemies, which we see this mrning Judg. 9:22 Nw Abimelech ruled ver Israel three years. Judg. 9:23 Then Gd sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men f Shechem; and the men f Shechem dealt treacherusly with Abimelech, Judg. 9:24 s that the vilence dne t the seventy sns f Jerubbaal might cme, and their bld might be laid n Abimelech their brther, wh killed them, and n the men f Shechem, wh strengthened his hands t kill his brthers. Judg. 9:25 The men f Shechem set men in ambush against him n the tps f the muntains, and they rbbed all wh might pass by them alng the rad; and it was tld t Abimelech. Judg. 9:26 Nw Gaal the sn f Ebed came with his relatives, and crssed ver int Shechem; and the men f Shechem put their trust in him. Judg. 9:27 They went ut int the field and gathered the grapes f their vineyards and trd them, and held a festival; and they went int the huse f their gd, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. Judg. 9:28 Then Gaal the sn f Ebed said, Wh is Abimelech, and wh is Shechem, that we shuld serve him? Is he nt the sn f Jerubbaal, and is Zebul nt his lieutenant? Serve the men f Hamr the father f Shechem; but why shuld we serve him? Judg. 9:29 Wuld, therefre, that this peple were under my authrity! Then I wuld remve Abimelech. And he said t Abimelech, Increase yur army and cme ut Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Judges 9B 2 f 13 Judg. 9:30 When Zebul the ruler f the city heard the wrds f Gaal the sn f Ebed, his anger burned. Judg. 9:31 He sent messengers t Abimelech deceitfully, saying, Behld, Gaal the sn f Ebed and his relatives have cme t Shechem; and behld, they are stirring up the city against yu. Judg. 9:32 Nw therefre, arise by night, yu and the peple wh are with yu, and lie in wait in the field. Judg. 9:33 In the mrning, as sn as the sun is up, yu shall rise early and rush upn the city; and behld, when he and the peple wh are with him cme ut against yu, yu shall d t them whatever yu can. Abimelech settles int a limited frm f ruling He rules a limited sectin f Canaan in and arund Shechem And after three years, it becmes evident t everyne that this man isn t ging t rise t significant pwer Instead f a vast empire, this man has nly managed t becme a ruler ver a city the surrunding cuntryside Abimelech resides in Arumah as we see a little later and his vassals are required t send him payments And he uses this pwer t rb the peple f their wealth Naturally, this treatment breeds resentment with the peple Irnically, they wanted Abimelech as king because they were afraid f bad treatment at the hands f Giden s sns And yet after nly three years, they have exactly the situatin they were trying t avid Because they selected an evil man cntrary t the Lrd s will Mre imprtantly, the Lrd Himself takes steps t ensure this false leader can t remain in pwer fr lng As we saw last time, the Lrd sends an evil spirit t stir up discntent between Abimelech and thse he rules That discntent bils ver int civil war Until the sins f Abimelech cme back t rest n his wn head as the terrible things he did t Giden s sns are dne t him 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Judges 9B 3 f 13 It starts with the men f Shechem sitting in ambush fr thse wh travel dwn the rad leading int the city There is a rad that passes between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal n its way int the city Anyne cming int Shechem wuld travel thrugh this pass making them vulnerable t an ambush frm abve Abimelech required that the surrunding villages under his cntrl pay him tributes and taxes And these payments cam by way f this rad S when the men f the city decide they have had enugh f this man s rule, they take it upn themselves t steal his tributes They ambush travelers taking their pssessins in a highway rbbery And eventually the news reaches Abimelech that his tribute was being taken And mre imprtantly, his authrity and rule were being challenged Even mre trubling fr Abimelech, anther man arrives n the scene t challenge his authrity A man named Gaal, a Canaanite wh was ppsed t Giden s family, Yahweh and any wh were assciated with the Lrd Since Abimelech was a sn f Giden, Gaal was set against him He decides t enter in Shechem and wins ver sme f the men f the city against Abimelech T cement their new alliance, they take grapes frm the fields belng t Abimelech and make a quick wine fr a festival This was a wrship act intended t frmalize their relatinship and establish a new gd ver them They cursed Abimelech, which means they entered int a cnspiracy against him In the curse f that feast, Gaal declares wh is this man Abimelech that the city shuld serve him 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Judges 9B 4 f 13 He is the man f an enemy but instead the city ught t serve the Canaanite descendants f Hamr wh funded the city And in a phrase similar t the ne Abimelech himself used t justify his reign, Gaal says wuldn t it be better t be ruled by me And Gaal issues a challenge t Abimelech t gather his army and defend himself in battle Gaal said this knwing that Abimelech had his spies in the city wh wuld reprt back what Gaal said And sure enugh, the ruler f the city, Zebul, Abimelech s lieutenant, hears these basts and ges int a rage He sends messengers t Abimelech and infrms the wuld-be king that Gaal has challenged his authrity And he calls upn Abimelech t cme back by night when he can attack Gaal at dawn in the city Judg. 9:34 S Abimelech and all the peple wh were with him arse by night and lay in wait against Shechem in fur cmpanies. Judg. 9:35 Nw Gaal the sn f Ebed went ut and std in the entrance f the city gate; and Abimelech and the peple wh were with him arse frm the ambush. Judg. 9:36 When Gaal saw the peple, he said t Zebul, Lk, peple are cming dwn frm the tps f the muntains. But Zebul said t him, Yu are seeing the shadw f the muntains as if they were men. Judg. 9:37 Gaal spke again and said, Behld, peple are cming dwn frm the highest part f the land, and ne cmpany cmes by the way f the diviners ak. Judg. 9:38 Then Zebul said t him, Where is yur basting nw with which yu said, Wh is Abimelech that we shuld serve him? Is this nt the peple whm yu despised? G ut nw and fight with them! Judg. 9:39 S Gaal went ut befre the leaders f Shechem and fught with Abimelech. Judg. 9:40 Abimelech chased him, and he fled befre him; and many fell wunded up t the entrance f the gate. Judg. 9:41 Then Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul drve ut Gaal and his relatives s that they culd nt remain in Shechem. Judg. 9:42 Nw it came abut the next day, that the peple went ut t the field, and it was tld t Abimelech. Judg. 9:43 S he tk his peple and divided them int three cmpanies, and lay in wait in the field; when he lked and saw the peple cming ut frm the city, he arse against them and slew them Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Judges 9B 5 f 13 Judg. 9:44 Then Abimelech and the cmpany wh was with him dashed frward and std in the entrance f the city gate; the ther tw cmpanies then dashed against all wh were in the field and slew them. Judg. 9:45 Abimelech fught against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the peple wh were in it; then he razed the city and swed it with salt. Abimelech executes the plan f Zebul He cmes t the fields near Shechem and sits in wait in fur cmpanies Then in the early mrning light, Gaal ges t the city gate t watch fr an expected attack When he sees Abimelech s army rising up frm the fields and hillsides surrunding the city, he realizes he is under attack His plan must have been t remain in the city walls and defend the city frm attack But the Zebul realizing that Gaal wasn t s easily fled tries t cnvince the man that this isn t an attack at all He cmes up with a feeble explanatin that these were just shadws in the early light But Gaal isn t fled, and he sees that Abimelech s army has been divided int camps that apprach frm varius directins Realizing that his deceptin isn t wrking, Zebul cmes clean in v.38 telling Gaal be a man and fight the battle yu asked fr S in v.39 Gaal lead the leaders f the city int battle against Abimelech The city leaders have aligned with Gaal, s everyne knws this is a battle t the death fr either side In this battle, Abimelech s frces are victrius in killing the sldiers wh cme ut f the city fr battle But the city itself is still defended behind its walls While Abimelech s frces have succeeded in defeating Gaal s frces, Zebul begins t fight within the city against thse wh rebelled against Abimelech In v.42 we re tld that Zebul drives Gaal and his frces ut f the city 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Judges 9B 6 f 13 Abimelech is tld that his enemies have been driven ut f the city and are vulnerable hiding in the fields utside the city S he takes his army back t Shechem and split his army int three cmpanies Once cmpany had the task f guarding the entrance gate f the city s that it culdn t be retaken r clsed This ensured that Abimelech s army culd enter the city withut ppsitin The rest f his army defeated the peple f the city wh were in the field And then they fught in the city Until they had defeated the entire city in retributin fr giving safe harbr t Abimelech s enemy T make sure the city wuld never ppse him again, Abimelech salted the earth He prbably didn t apply salt t the entire area but nly a prtin In any case, it was a symblic act indicating that the city wuld never rise again t challenge him But the rebellin isn t ver yet Judg. 9:46 When all the leaders f the twer f Shechem heard f it, they entered the inner chamber f the temple f El-berith. Judg. 9:47 It was tld Abimelech that all the leaders f the twer f Shechem were gathered tgether. Judg. 9:48 S Abimelech went up t Munt Zalmn, he and all the peple wh were with him; and Abimelech tk an axe in his hand and cut dwn a branch frm the trees, and lifted it and laid it n his shulder. Then he said t the peple wh were with him, What yu have seen me d, hurry and d likewise. Judg. 9:49 All the peple als cut dwn each ne his branch and fllwed Abimelech, and put them n the inner chamber and set the inner chamber n fire ver thse inside, s that all the men f the twer f Shechem als died, abut a thusand men and wmen. After the destructin f Shechem, Abimelech learns that sme f the city s inhabitants had escaped and were held up in the nearby military frtress 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Judges 9B 7 f 13 S Abimelech s nt satisfied that anyne survived his retributin He calls upn thse in his army t each cut dwn a limb frm a tree And then the crwd piled the wd up at the base f the twer where the peple were held up And they prceeded t burn the wd and killed everyne inside by smke and burning We re tld a thusand men and wmen died in the fire At this pint, the tyrant is ut f cntrl and perating in pure rage and bldlust He isn t cntent with simply destrying ne city He nw attacks a nearby city prbably ut f suspicin that they t are aligned against him Judg. 9:50 Then Abimelech went t Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. Judg. 9:51 But there was a strng twer in the center f the city, and all the men and wmen with all the leaders f the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up n the rf f the twer. Judg. 9:52 S Abimelech came t the twer and fught against it, and apprached the entrance f the twer t burn it with fire. Judg. 9:53 But a certain wman threw an upper millstne n Abimelech s head, crushing his skull. Judg. 9:54 Then he called quickly t the yung man, his armr bearer, and said t him, Draw yur swrd and kill me, s that it will nt be said f me, A wman slew him. S the yung man pierced him thrugh, and he died. Judg. 9:55 When the men f Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed t his hme. Judg. 9:56 Thus Gd repaid the wickedness f Abimelech, which he had dne t his father in killing his seventy brthers. Judg. 9:57 Als Gd returned all the wickedness f the men f Shechem n their heads, and the curse f Jtham the sn f Jerubbaal came upn them. Thebez is prbably the mdern city f Tubas which is nrtheast f Shechem We have n reasn in scripture fr his attack, which is why we suppse he was perating in pure rage at this pint 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Judges 9B 8 f 13 This city had a strng twer in the center f the city where the peple retreated fr safety Abimelech intends t siege this twer t with fire But befre he can get far with his plan, a wman threw a large millstne dwn n his head We can suppse that the stne kncked him uncnscius at least at first Whatever the initial result, the impact damaged his head t the pint that he expected t die in the end But rather than die frm this injury, Abimelech asked a member f his wn army t kill him Remember we said back in the stry f Debrah that it was a dishnr fr a sldier t be killed by a wman S Abimelech wants t avid this utcme After Abimelech dies, the men in his army lse all interest in pursuing any further bldshed Samuel says in v.56 that this is hw the Lrd repaid this man fr his wickedness t Giden s family We are t understand that all that transpired happened under Gd s hand He sent the evil spirit He rchestrated certain events and utcmes S that Abimelech wuld knw the full utcme f his wn treachery T include ensuring Abimelech s death wuld dishnr him in the eyes f the peple Samuel says that the men f Shechem likewise experienced judgment fr the wickedness they displayed in wrking with Abimelech against Giden s family Ntice Samuel adds that these things happened because f the prphetic curse spken by Giden s nly surviving sn 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Judges 9B 9 f 13 We can nly marvel at the pwer f Gd t turn peple and events precisely s they accmplish all His desires Ntice that Abimelech was able t defeat the city f Shechem, which appeared t be a victry fr the bad guys Except that nw we see the Lrd simply used Abimelech t punish the men f Shechem fr killing Giden s sns And then nce the peple f Shechem had paid the price, the Lrd turned His attentin back t Abimelech And the Lrd used a wman in a twer t kill him N army was necessary Des this stry braden yur understanding f hw the Lrd wrks t accmplish His will? He allws Abimelech t rise t pwer as a means f demnstrating the evil in the peple s hearts He allws Abimelech t kill Giden s sns t illustrate hw Giden s actins t keep slave wives and t prduce sns were in errr Th Lrd spares ne sn s that sn can be used by Gd t prnunce a curse n the leader And he allwed the king t rule harshly ver the peple fr three years t demnstrate the flishness f their desires After three years, the Lrd prceeded t judge Abimelech fr his sin in killing Giden s family He brings an evil spirit and an ppnent int the situatin t bring dwn Abimelech But nt befre He used Abimelech t judge thse wh partnered with him in Shechem The entire episde is a sad lessn in hw far the depravity and sin f the human heart can take us when it s left unchecked But even mre, this stry is a tur de frce f the Lrd s svereignty 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Judges 9B 10 f 13 We simply can t verlk r explain away hw the Lrd rchestrated every detail in this situatin t suit His eternal purpses He never caused anyne t sin nr tempted them t d s He used evil t accmplish gd and He did everything with perfect justice fr all invlved This is a lw pint in Israel s time since Jshua They are rudderless, nt because the Lrd has stpped ruling His peple but because His peple are n lnger listening Giden ruled fr many decades, but his heart wandered severely And as a result, he left the peple in a state f rebellin Frm there it was as shrt step int civil war This is the first time in Israel s histry that Jews had fught ther Jews in all-ut warfare And it begins a new pattern Frm the time f Giden nward, it s cmmn fr judge s death t result in civil war amng the peple The decline f Jewish sciety is all the mre evident in this cycle But then between these mments, we still find perids f peace in the land After Abimelech is gne, the Lrd reasserts His cntrl ver the natin fr 45 years with tw judges described at the beginning f chapter 10 Judg. 10:1 Nw after Abimelech died, Tla the sn f Puah, the sn f Dd, a man f Issachar, arse t save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill cuntry f Ephraim. Judg. 10:2 He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir. Judg. 10:3 After him, Jair the Gileadite arse and judged Israel twenty-tw years. Judg. 10:4 He had thirty sns wh rde n thirty dnkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land f Gilead that are called Havvth-jair t this day. Judg. 10:5 And Jair died and was buried in Kamn Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Judges 9B 11 f 13 These tw judges preside ver a relatively peaceful perid in the land There isn t much t be said abut these men except perhaps the secnd judge Jair His rule seems t have arrived at a similar end t Giden He has 30 cities and much wealth His sns rad arund n dnkeys in a time befre Israel had hrses S it seems they tk upn themselves a life f privilege again Als, the man had thirty sns which must mean he had multiple wives as Giden did It wuld seem that Samuel elected nt t say much mre abut these tw men because the main pint is bvius We can see the Israel s tendency t return t the same sins again and again And even thugh a judge had ruled them withut incident fr 23 years didn t stp the decline f the peple again And because f the excesses f Jair, the peple are set up fr a new rund f sin, punishment and civil war Judg. 10:6 Then the sns f Israel again did evil in the sight f the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtarth, the gds f Aram, the gds f Sidn, the gds f Mab, the gds f the sns f Ammn, and the gds f the Philistines; thus they frsk the LORD and did nt serve Him. Judg. 10:7 The anger f the LORD burned against Israel, and He sld them int the hands f the Philistines and int the hands f the sns f Ammn. Judg. 10:8 They afflicted and crushed the sns f Israel that year; fr eighteen years they afflicted all the sns f Israel wh were beynd the Jrdan in Gilead in the land f the Amrites. Judg. 10:9 The sns f Ammn crssed the Jrdan t fight als against Judah, Benjamin, and the huse f Ephraim, s that Israel was greatly distressed. Once mre, idlatry enters int daily practice amng the peple They turned away frm the Lrd as if He was just anther pagan gd that culd be traded fr any ther 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Judges 9B 12 f 13 And the Lrd did as He must He disciplined the peple with ppressrs frm bth the east and west Fr 18 years the peple were afflicted by their wn sins That s the way we must view the Lrd s respnse here Like a vice, He squeezed the peple But the peple themselves were the nes turning the screws by sinning against the wrd f the Lrd Until Israel was greatly distressed we re tld I m speeding thrugh this stry because yu ve heard it befre and Samuel knws it There s n reasns t dwell n the details beynd what s bvius Fallen hearts are wandering hearts Sinful peple seek fr sinful relatinships, beginning with a desire t frsake the Lrd fr earthly attachments Israel is ding it nce mre here And it started after leader charted the curse f sin in his wn excesses and abuses Leaders are the cause f ur sin But sinful leaders amng Gd s peple are a cancer fr gdliness And if we persist in sin and repeat these cycles in ur wn walk, we dare the Lrd t respnd As we learned in Hebrews, the Lrd may chse t stp rescuing us sme day He may decide t leave us in ur sin as a final act f judgment S that ur lives becme a negative testimny t the wrld And this generatin f Israel appears t be in danger f that result 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Judges 9B 13 f 13 Judg. 10:10 Then the sns f Israel cried ut t the LORD, saying, We have sinned against Yu, fr indeed, we have frsaken ur Gd and served the Baals. Judg. 10:11 The LORD said t the sns f Israel, Did I nt deliver yu frm the Egyptians, the Amrites, the sns f Ammn, and the Philistines? Judg. 10:12 Als when the Sidnians, the Amalekites and the Manites ppressed yu, yu cried ut t Me, and I delivered yu frm their hands. Judg. 10:13 Yet yu have frsaken Me and served ther gds; therefre I will n lnger deliver yu. Judg. 10:14 G and cry ut t the gds which yu have chsen; let them deliver yu in the time f yur distress. Let s learn a lessn frm the stry f Judges this mrning, the lessn that secnd chances frm Gd deserve a different respnse frm us When we have been rescued frm ur sins by Gd s grace, let s nt squander His act f mercy Take that mercy and use it t recmmit t walking in bedience Seek fr help, in His wrd and in prayer and in fellwship amng His peple Dn t take His mercy fr granted Even thugh we knw we have been saved fr eternity, we still cncern urselves with the result f service t Him And we cannt frget that ur willful sin is fundamentally different than a mmentary weakness r absentmindedness Everyne sins frm time t time But nt everyne sins with intentin and desire t ppse the Lrd The Lrd has sufficient grace t cver all sin by the bld f Christ But t g n sinning intentinally is risking the discipline f the Lrd, which nne f us can withstand Let s learn frm this terrible pattern f judges by seeking fr a better testimny Rather than hearing the Lrd declaring t us I will n lnger deliver yu 2015 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.