Judges 9-11

Review

We had just finished the story of Gideon and the Lord using him to overthrow the Midianites

Judges 8:28 “28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.”

Judges 8:29–33 “29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.”

Judges 8:33–35 “33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god. 34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: 35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.”

The Story of Abimelech

Chapter 9 opens up with Abimelech going to the leaders of Shechem and convincing them they didn’t want the seventy sons of Gideon to rule over them, they just wanted him. He and they get what they want and they get it without mercy.

Abimelech murders 69 of his half brothers

he’s made king of Shechem

Judges 9:8-15 Jotham goes to the top of Mount xx and there, tells the parable of the trees and the bramble.

How the olive tree, fig tree, and vine all refused kingship, preferring instead to continue producing their valuable fruits. When the kingship was offered to the worthless bramble (thornbush), it accepted eagerly but with the ominous condition that all trees must come under its shadow or be consumed by fire.

In the parable we see both the Shechemites' foolish choice in making the unworthy Abimelech their king

And a prophetic warning about the judgement of the Schechemites’

We also hear an echo of Israel not wanting Yahweh as their king and their judgement when Yahweh gives them what they ask for later in 1 Samuel 8.

Judges 9:16-21 gives us Jot-ham’s curse on Shechem an Abimelech

Judges 9:16–20 “16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18 And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) 19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.”

Judges 9:22-55 gives us the rest of the story of Abimelech

God putting an evil spirit between the men of Shechem and Abimelech (Judges 9:23 “23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:” ) as judgement for killing his brothers

Abimelech and the men of Shechem go to war

Abimelech burning 1000 men and women in the tower of Shechem

Finally, Abimelech attacked the city of Thebez. When the people fled to a strong tower, Abimelech approaches to burn it. But a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head, crushing his skull.

Dying, Abimelech asked his armor-bearer to kill him so it wouldn't be said he was killed by a woman.

The armor-bearer did so, showing both the cowardice of Abimelech and fulfilling Jot-ham's curse.

Judges 9:56–57 “56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.”

Chapter 10

Tola judged Israel 23 years and Jair judged 22 years

Once they died, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord's sight by serving the Baals and Ashtoreths of various nations.

So God delivered them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammonites who oppressed them for eighteen years until, in their distress, they cried out to the Lord

Judges 10:10–14 “10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.”

Despite the judgement of God, the people of Israel repent and Yahweh shows them mercy:

Judges 10:15–16 “15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

Chapter 11

Judges 11:1-28 tells us about the rise of Jepthah, a mighty warrior born to Gilead and a prostitute

He was driven away by his half-brothers but later called back by the elders of Gilead to lead them against the Ammonites.

Jephthah tries negotiation by defending Israel's right to the disputed territories by recounting their God-ordained conquest history. It doesn’t work.

Judges 11:27–28 “27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.”

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him:

Judges 11:29 “29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.”

And Jephthah makes a rash vow

Judges 11:30–31 “30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

The Bible cautions us against rashly vowing something to God and only afterward counting the cost. Proverbs 20:25 “25 It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.”

Jepthah has become the tragic example of this:

Judges 11:32 “32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.”

Judges 11:34–35 “34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.”

With remarkable dignity, Judges 11:37 “37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.” she requested two months to "wander on the mountains and bewail her virginity".

She comes back showing more courage than all but a few of the men of Israel. She comes back and her father fulfilled his vow.

Establishing a custom in Israel where young women would commemorate her sacrifice four days each year.

Jephthah judges Israel for six years before his death.

Conclusion

The pattern continues: Sin, Slavery, Supplication, Salvation, Silence!

Making a vow to God without counting the cost will always have tragic consequences up to and including the sin of not keeping it:

Ecclesiastes 5:4–5 “4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”

Jot-ham’s parable of the trees and the bramble showed the foolishness of the men of Shechem WANTING Abimelech as a king and the worthlessness of Abimelech as one. It’s not about the problem of kingship but the character of the king!

Adam and Eve chose the serpent’s authority over God’s.

Israel worships the golden calf and eventually demands Saul as king.

We are seeing in Judges, most kings lead the people away from God.

The prophets are constantly having to call Israel back to God as their true King. Isaiah 33:22 “22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.”

In the New Testament, we see the same pattern completed with the Jewish leaders rejecting Jesus as King, John 19:15 “15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.”

But Joshua gives us the demand: Joshua 24:15 “15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Paul tells us the certainty: Philippians 2:9–11 “9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Revelation shows us the final outcome: Revelation 11:15 “15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

The problem isn’t having a king. The problem is having any king other than King Jesus!