Judges: Abimelech
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Judges tells the story of
6 major judges
6 minor judges
1 anti-judge
To understand the story of Abimelech, we have to first understand how Gideon’s life ended
Gideon’s Failure
Gideon’s Failure
Do you remember when the people asked Gideon to be their king?
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
Judg
Though Gideon refused to be their king, as the finals days of Gideon’s life played out we see him beginning to live like a king
Its almost like Gideon started to believe his own hype
he made an ephod that and put it in the city and the people worshiped it as an idol
he went against God’s law and took many wives for himself
He even named one of his sons Abimelech, which means, “My father is king”
Perhaps Gideon’s greatest failure is that he neglected is duties as a father.
In our world today, families are the foundation for society.
as goes the family so goes the culture.
And the cornerstone of the family is the father
As goes the father so goes the family.
This is a universal truth that the bible likewise testifies too.
So what we see at the end of Gideon’s life is a man who fails to finish well, and one of the most disastrous ways he fails is by not being a good father
Judges 8.29-
29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.
29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.
Jerubbaal
The name given to Gideon after he tore down the alters of Baal
Jerubbaal means, “I contend with Baal” or “Baal Fighter”
Gideon had seventy sons because he had many wives.
Gideon not only had wives but he also had many concubines
So notice how in verse 29 it says that Jerubbaal went and lived in his own house.
That is, he lived by himself
So here he is a husband to many wives and a father to 70 sons (and who knows how many daughters)
And instead of discipling his sons, instead of disciplining his sons, instead of leading his sons in the fear of the Lord, he moves out to live by himself.
He has essentially abandoned his family and his God given responsibilities.
He might travel around to see his kids, but he was not a faithful presence in their lives.
One of the places he might have traveled to was Shechem, to visit his son who lived there.
31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.
31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you.
Judges chapter 9 is the story of Gideon’s son, Abimelech. And it demonstrates how the sin of the father can be intensified and amplified in his children.
Abimelch’s name means “my father is king” - Even Abimelech’s name testifies to Gideon’s failure.
Abimelech story is what we find in chapter 9
Who was Abimelech?
Who was Abimelech?
Part Canaanite part Israelite
His mother who lived in Shechem was a Baal Worshipping Canaanite
So Abimelech is a mixture of Hebrew and Canaanite, and what we see is that he leads Israel into worshipping a mixture of baal worship and worship of YHWH
in the same way Mormonism is a mixture of baal worship and Christian worship.
Abimelech is a serpent figure
in the past the serpent figures have been those leaders of other nations who have oppressed Israel, like Sisera or Eglon.
This time the serpent figure does not come from the outside of the garden, but rather come from within Israel’s own garden.
So here we have Abimelech himself, Gideon’s own son, as the oppressor of Israel
In the past God has handed disobedient Israel over to foreign nations for discipline.
this time God hands Israel over to themselves
This shows the downward spiral of Israel and just how bad things have gotten as Israel turned away from YHWH.
So how did this happen?
33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.
Baal Berith is a the hybrid god of Baal and YHWH
Berith is is the Hebrew word, Covenant.
And throughout scripture we see that YHWH is the God of the covenant. But now wicked Israel has made for themselves this hybrid god called “Baal of the covenant”
So Gideon has died, and Israel has turned back to Baal worship.
they have forgotten the good that Gideon had done for them
they have forgotten the powerful works of YHWH on their behalf
And they have once again fully submerged themselves back into Baal worship.
And Gideon’s son, Abimelech, is the one who leads Israel into the pits of and darkness of sin.
1 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family,
2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
Now before Gideon died we see him as the Judge over Israel, he leads Israel as a Judge, not a king.
And as we have mentioned Gideon’s fame was renowned. He was the the true leader of Israel.
And now that Gideon has died, Abimelech see’s an opportunity for himself to be Israel’s ruler. Not as a Judge (a yasha), but rather as a king and a tyrant.
So he goes to his home town, Shechem, and tries to campaign for himself.
he offers them a proposal,
“which is better for you, that the seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Baal Fighter) rule over you?
Or is it better than I, your own flesh and blood, rule over you.
He might say, “People of Shechem, you are all worshippers of Baal-Berith, do you really want a family of Baal fighters ruling over you?” No! anoint me as your king and I will will rule over you and you can keep worshiping Baal.
the word spreads throughout Shechem that Abimelech desires to be king, and he gains support from the city.
3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him.
So they give him 70 pieces of silver and Abimelech hires a bunch of freelance thugs to be his army.
So now this Baal worshipping serpent king has himself an army, and what is the first thing he does? He wants to kill off any competition that would fight him for the throne.
• anticipates Israel’s sin against Gideon’s family
He wants to kill anyone who might threaten his tyrannical reign, anyone who would doubt his power, anyone who might remember Gideon’s words that YHWH would rule over the people, not him or his sons.
And the first on his list are his 70 brothers
5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.
The sons of Gideon were rounded up and slaughtered by their own brother.
The fact that it says they were killed “on one stone” alludes to the fact that they were probably sacrficed to Baal.
So Abimelech kills his own brothers with a sword upon a stone as a sacrifice and to take his place as the king of Israel
Application
This is the grotesque nature of sin.
As sin takes root in our hearts, it turns our affections away from God and away from other people.
When sin takes root in our hearts, we lash out at one another.
We think we need to protect ourselves from those who love us. Sin causes us to think that everyone is against us, and that people want to hurt us.
Sin isolates us from our brothers and sisters and if its not dealt with we end up viewing those who love us as the enemy.
We see in the story of Cain and Able, where Cain sees Abel as the enemy and kills him.
We see in with Saul, when he thinks David is the enemy and tries to kill him with a spear
We see it here with Abimelech, he sees his brothers as the enemy to his own sinful delusions, and kills them.
Church, sin will take you farther into the darkness than you ever thought possible. Sin will turn you against your friends who love you, sin will turn you against your family, sin will turn you against your church, sin will turn you against your Savior.
This is one of the main reasons we must confess our sins. As John Owen says, we must kill our sins before our sins kills us.
So Abimelech kills his 70 brothers, accept for Jotham, the youngest, because he hid himself when he saw what Abimelech was up too.
6 And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
So after the human sacrifice of Abimelech’s 70 brothers, the 70 sons of Gideon, the leaders of Shechem anoint Abimelech king.
And he is the first king in Israel’s history. its a kingship that was birthed out of the blood of fracticide and Baal-worship.
Now, word of Abimelech’s kingship reaches Jotham, his younger brother who was hiding from Abimelech’s terror. And when he heard the news he was compelled to to speak.
There is no doubt Jotham wanted to see
So Jotham traveled to Shechem to speak to the leaders who anointed his older brother. And he speaks to them in the form of an allegory. Many people call this Jotham’s Fable
Judges 7
7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’
11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’
12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’
14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’
15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’
11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’
12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’
14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’
15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
The fable tells us that The tree’s desire a king, and this parallels Israel’s desire for the same
The trees go to the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine looking for a king
Each of the three trees already have a king, their creator.
And each of the three trees understand their role and purpose in life
The Olive Tree produces oil that is used to anoint priests and kings. And it does so to serve God and man, God first than man
likewise the Fig Tree produces sweetness for the pleasure of God and man
and finally the vine produces wine which brings joy to both God and man.
Each of the trees know their purpose and their calling, and they are not looking to step outside of that.
The trees then go to the bramble
The bramble does not produce good things for life. The bramble is a thorny plant, and thus is a symbol of the curse of the ground.
The bramble is not a productive member of the economy.
It grows along the ground, and the demand that all the other trees take shelter in its shade is completely ridiculous.
However, if the bramble is to rule over the tree all the other trees must reduce themselves below the bramble, and thus they will lose their ability to be productive.
The bramble is a tyrant, its abusive, and it would happily see all the tree destroyed so long as it is seen as the ruler.
If the other tree’s do not take shelter under the bramble then he will send fire out and it destroy the mightiest of trees.
If the bramble becomes king over the trees he will destroy all the trees, he will even burn down the mighty cedars of Lebanon
After Jotham tells the leader of Shechem his parable he says...
If you have acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, than may you rejoice in your king. And let Abimelech rejoice in you.
He then goes on to recount the cruelty and and evil of Abimelech and the evil desires of the leaders of Shechem, making it clear that he is the evil bramble.
he then sends a curse upon them in verse 20
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.”
However, if you have not acted i
However he says in v. 20
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.”
Here is Jotham now cursing both Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem for the abuse and evil they have done.
And this curse upon Abimelech and Shechem is what directs the rest of the story. And what we see at the end is that God is the one who is faithful to see Jotham’s curse become a reality. We see God’s hand in this in verses 22-23
22 Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
Over the next three years in which Abimelech oppressed Israel he was at war with the leaders of Shechem.
24 that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.
Judges 9
-
Gaal
There was one man named Gaal who moved to Shechem with his family.
Gaal was a confident leader and a powerful man.
One day after gathering grapes from the field, he got drunk with the leaders of Shechem and started talking trash about Abimelech.
He said
28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?
29 Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.’ ”
Judges 9
Zebul heard the words of Gaal and sent messengers to Abimelech saying that Gaal was stirring up the city against him.
Abimelech comes back Shechem to teach Gaal a lesson, and Gaal had no idea what he was in for.
By this time Abimelech, the serpent figure, has turned into a dragon.
When Gaal went out to fight against Abimelech he was over powered and ran away.
Abimelech then went in and fought against the rulers of Shechem...
People tried to hide from this dragon in the tower of Shechem, which was a stronghold in the city.
Abimelech took an axe and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and told his army to do the same.
So he came to the tower and set the brushwood around the tower and set it on fire.
the stronghold burned down with all the leaders of Shechem along with other men and women inside.
He burned over 1000 people alive that day.
Now the first part of Jotham’s curse has been fulfilled.
Fire has come out of Abimelech, the bramble, and has set fire to Shechem destroying it completely.
Now the question is will will Abimelech receive his as well?
Its almost like Abimelech has grown more powerful with each person he kills.
He kills his 70 brothers and the serpent grows into a dragon to kill 1000 people by fire.
And he rampage is not over
Next, Abimelech sets his gaze upon Thebez (which was probably a satellite city of Shechem)
Abimelech and his army go to Thebez and likewise begin to slaughter the people there
Many of the people retreat to the tower which again was the stronghold for the people.
They lock themselves inside and climbed to the roof
Abimelech knows what to do, he prepares to burn these people alive in the tower as he did to those in Shechem.
So he goes to the doors of the tower and sets up the wood to burn the tower
And it is at this point that the story takes a very unexpected turn.
All the people in the tower went up to the roof and were looking down at what Abimelech was doing
As Abimelech is about to burn the tower with the people inside we read in verse 53
53 And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
Once again, a women crushes the head of the serpent.
As Jael crushed the head of Sisera, so now this nameless women crushes the head of the serpent that is Abimelech.
Abimelech lay there on the ground, with his head crushed by a milestone… However, he has not yet died… He is able to make one last request
54 Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
54 Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
54 Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
There is a beautiful poetic justice here on at least two parts.
when people talk about the death of Abimelech, we all say that the women killed him with the milestone.
Abimelech has now died with a stone and a sword. Which is how he had his 70 brothers killed.
God has now used Abimelech to destroy Shechem, and he has taken a women from a Shechem suburb to destroy Abimelech.
God’s has avenged the death of Gideons sons by causing all those responsible to kill each other.
b Gideon’s seventy sons killed by Abimelech (9:1–6)
• setting: town north of Shechem
• killing involves a stone (and presumably a sword)
• sons of Gideon killed by fellow Israelites
56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.
57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
• calls for strife between Abimelech and Shechem
• prominence of trees (ʿēṣîm)
56-57
• speaks from top of the mount (rōʾs̆ har) (Gerizim)
• calling for fire (ʾēs̆) to come out from Abimelech and consume lords of Shechem
God has avenged the slaughtering of Gideons 70 sons. He has returned the evil upon the heads of men of Shechem and on Abimelech.
TURNING POINT: God intervenes to help; summary of Abimelech’s rule (9:22–25)
The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis–Malachi Gideon (Judges 6:1–8:32)
a introduction: Israel’s sin (8:33–35)
• anticipates Israel’s sin against Gideon’s family
b Gideon’s seventy sons killed by Abimelech (9:1–6)
• setting: town north of Shechem
• killing involves a stone (and presumably a sword)
• sons of Gideon killed by fellow Israelites
c Jotham’s curse upon Shechem and Abimelech (9:7–21)
• calls for strife between Abimelech and Shechem
• prominence of trees (ʿēṣîm)
• speaks from top of the mount (rōʾs̆ har) (Gerizim)
• calling for fire (ʾēs̆) to come out from Abimelech and consume lords of Shechem
d TURNING POINT: God intervenes to help; summary of Abimelech’s rule (9:22–25)
c′ Jotham’s curse upon Shechem fulfilled: Shechem destroyed by Abimelech (9:26–49)
• strife breaks out between Abimelech and Shechemites
• trees or wood (ʿēṣîm) used against Shechem
• tops of mountains (roʾše hehārīm)
• fire (ʾēš) used by Abimelech to destroy Shechemites
b′ Gideon’s son, Abimelech, is killed (9:50–55)
• setting: town north of Shechem
• killing involves a stone and a sword
• son of Gideon killed by fellow Israelite
a′ conclusion (9:56–57)
• looks back on how God punished Shechem and Abimelech for their sin against Gideon’s family
Abimelech (Judges 8:33–9:57)
Jotham’s curse upon Shechem fulfilled: Shechem destroyed by Abimelech (9:26–49)
And God has done it by allowing the enemies of God to destroy themselves.
• strife breaks out between Abimelech and Shechemites
• trees or wood (ʿēṣîm) used against Shechem
The story of Abimelech is a story of an evil villain
• tops of mountains (roʾše hehārīm)
• fire (ʾēš) used by Abimelech to destroy Shechemites
Gideon’s son, Abimelech, is killed (9:50–55)
• setting: town north of Shechem
• killing involves a stone and a sword
• son of Gideon killed by fellow Israelite
a′ conclusion (9:56–57)
• looks back on how God punished Shechem and Abimelech for their sin against Gideon’s family
Abimelech ()
but more than that its a story of what happens when people cling to and desire that war against God and his holiness.
T
Its a story of fig trees, and olive tree, and grape vines, submitting themselves to the rule of the bramble.
Its the story of God’s people, submitting themselves to the rule of Baal and his serpent king.
Its a story of the horrifying realities of life when we give ourselves over to sins rule.
This story is a reminder to all of us that sin is always crouching at the door.
Sin is crouching at the door
Sin is crouching at the door
After Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord came to him and said, “sin is crouching at the door, its desire is for you but you must rule over it.”
How does one learn to rule over sin? Sins power is so strong, its so demanding, its so isolating, that as soon as it sets its claws in you how are you to escape?
Gideon’s seemingly minor sins as a father resulted in his son Abimelech killing his 70 brothers and becoming a serpent figure who murdered and oppressed God’s people.
Sin was at the door of Gideon’s family, and it overpowered everyone.
Church, sin is just as deadly and dangerous today.
The sins we hold onto in the dark fester into something that will destroy everything in its path.
Our pride will hurt our friends
Our anger will destroy our children
Our arrogance will lead us into loneliness
And our self-righteousness will be like rot in the bones of God’s people.
Its so easy to hold on to and justify using pornography, or to hold on to and justify allowing bitterness to fester in our lives.
Its so easy to be taken captive and deceived by the promises sin makes.
Sin so often promises you kingship, yet like the bramble it results in only oppression and misery.
So how do we fight against this sin that crouches at the door? How do keep from going where sin wants to take us?
We cling to the ultimate deliverer and savior Jesus Christ.
For he is the anchor of our souls,
he is the one who sets the captives free
and he is the greater Judge who delivers his people from the bondage and power of sin
He is the ultimate head crusher, and thus he is victorious over satan, sin and death.
Therefore, to escape the powers of sin we must align ourselves with the King. We must submit ourselves to his rule, and reject the rule of sin. We must hold to his promises, and reject the lies of sin.
For our only refuge and our only hope is in the arms of our Savior.
God is always in control
God is always in control
Lets pray
God’s name is only mentioned twice in Judges chapter 9. but what we see is that he is in complete control from beginning to end.
If you could imagine yourself being an Israelite family during the reign of Abimelech.
He is going around slaughtering your friends and family, he is a tyranical leader who enjoys killing people.
If you were living during this time you might wonder if God cared at all.
But what we see in this story is that though the circumstances seemed out of control, God was fully in control.