Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them." My object being no more than a sketch, as most of you know, I desire to say but a few words on such of the chapters as bear a similar character to that which has been already pointed out in the early portion of the book. I need not dwell on the deplorable details. "And the olive tree said, "Should I leave my fatness and so forth and rule over you? Such then was the bloody crisis at which a deliverer of Israel arrives in his unsparing resentment. or that one reign over you--a false insinuation, artfully contrived to stir up jealousy and alarm. And in Thebez there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women, fled to the tower there in Thebez. is this the tribe for the praise of Jehovah? Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him--idle, worthless vagabonds, the scum of society, who had nothing to lose, but much to gain from the success of a revolutionary movement. There is no difficulty in principle either way. So, heres the secret the end of Judges chapter 8 here shows us how Israel did wrong to God. And its then in chapter 9 where we see the evil that Israel does to Gideons household. Now, Ill say one last thing about this section that we just read. Gideon the judge is dead. And now the people again do evil in the sight of the Lord. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And this is the great point for us that we can and ought to count on. Judges 15 Judges 16 Judges 17 Judges 18 Judges 19 Judges 20 Judges 21 Share Tweet Save Popular Articles. Scripture does not in any way vouch for the immaculateness of those even who wrought in faith. Having finished his message Jotham fled to Beer (lit. We can easily therefore comprehend how the holy wisdom of Scripture avoids details on a fact so contrary to the mind of God, as a man dealing thus with a human being, yea, with his own daughter. "It was of Jehovah, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. But now, as we know, the one whom he had made partner of his sin wheedled it from him that she might sell it to the Philistines. Their keenest feelings were in favour of the Levite and his concubine, wounded to the quick by the abominations of the men of Gibeah; and therefore, whatever of human affection may be in evidence, we certainly learn how little faith Jehovah could then find in the land of Israel. 26. Dear Pilgrims Christianity is singular and not plural all things plural become corrupt Jesus begins each letter/epistle in Revelation to a church (plural) but He ends each letter/epistle addressing individual/s (singular) (i.e. For the people of Shechem, even a secure tower could not protect them. For a good useful man some would even dare to die. Jotham, the brother who escaped, warned the Shechemites in a parable of the trouble they would bring upon themselves. Obviously the bramble represented Abimelech, the trees and vine more noble individuals, and the cedars of Lebanon the upright leaders of Shechem. Here the rashness of the man enters the scene, the consequence of which is a display of what was painful in the extreme. Nevertheless they were beaten the next day; for they must be disciplined before the Lord before He could use them to deal with their brother. But all of the other sons of Gideon were killed. ii. We come to look at a parable, the parable of the trees. Verses: PREVIOUS Judges 8 NEXT If God permits him for a season to do his own will, what shame and pain he must reap ere long! Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech: We can be certain that God will repay wickedness, either in this life or the life to come. Now that the occasion calls for it, one may notice by the way the transparent boldness of Scripture, as wonderfully instructive as the reserve we have already remarked. is this the tribe that men praise? We know that the spirit of ease and self-indulgence readily finds a lion in the way can make one where none is; but here was a real lion that roared against the self-willed youth. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. That, which they hoped would have been for their welfare, proved a snare The story of Abimelech, the men of Shechem, and Jotham shows us that there is a real and terrible price to pay for rejecting Gods warnings. ABIMELECH IS MADE KING BY THE SHECHEMITES. The contrast between the Israelites commitments in Joshua 8, 24 and this passage must be one reason the writer included Abimelechs story in Judges. Those whose extraction and education are ever so high know not to what difficulties and straits they may be reduced. Delilah sells herself to the Philistine lords to entangle the champion of Israel, now beguiled by his lusts: else the various efforts to seize him must have otherwise opened his eyes to her guile and their murderous malice. 2 Samuel 17:18-21). In other words, let there come strife between the men of Shechem and Abimelech. And they said to the olive tree, He who could imbrue his hands in the blood of his brethren in order to get into power, was not likely to stop at any means to retain that power when possessed. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate. . Never indeed is good the fruit of man's will, but of God's. See what great swelling words of vanity he speaks (Judges 9:15; Judges 9:15), what promises he makes to his faithful subjects: Let them come and trust in my shadow: a goodly shadow to trust in! Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem--In the course of providence, jealousy, distrust, secret disaffection, and smothered rebellion appeared among his subjects disappointed and disgusted with his tyranny; and God permitted those disorders to punish the complicated crimes of the royal fratricide and idolatrous usurper. Be it remarked, that what drew out their unanimous condemnation was not an outrage done to God's name. If they could not make them good, if they had lost their land, and could not recover it, what had Israel to do with their affairs? WebJudges Commentary - Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete) Bible Study Tools Join PLUS Login. Again we see the man, and his character in its weakness is before us, even at that solemn moment. This, at least, was right. Samson felt it easier to die for His name than to live thus in Philistia. i. If this be submitted to (and you might more consistently reject the Bible altogether, if you do not submit), one sees the hollowness and falsehood of sitting in judgment upon it: for who can question that to doubt that which comes directly from God Himself would be to take the place, not merely of an unbeliever, but of a blasphemer or an atheist? Killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal: Therefore, Abimelech killed his brothers with the support of his relatives on his mothers side. It seems therefore that the two extremes of moral weakness and of outward strength find each its height in this extraordinary character. God gave the devil commission to enter into or work upon their minds and hearts; knowing that he of himself, and by his own inclinations, would fill them with mistakes, and jealousies, and dissensions, and heart-burnings, which would end in civil wars and mutual ruin. (Poole). Man is as weak and erring as God is mighty and good: these two things characterise the book from beginning to end. We have here one of the strangest and most humbling of histories recorded in Scripture, and withal singularly marking that very truth that we have so often ere this referred to: how little moral strength keeps pace with physical power as it wrought in and by Samson. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. b. It is only another proof of what we have always to assume in reading the Bible that not only the things given are divine, but that the arrangement, even when they look somewhat disorderly, is just as divine as the communication itself. It was flying in the face of His law and word to have an idol; it was adding profane insult to enter on its worship with such ceremony as to get a Levite consecrated priest in order to invest it with solemnity. "Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and wept before Jehovah until even, and asked counsel of Jehovah. It was the energy of His Spirit who thought of His people showing out by the way, as we have remarked, in that wayward man the fallen state to which they were reduced by their own sin, with the highest claims outwardly but morally in as low a condition as could then be conceived. Hey, no he wasn't so meek and mild. Web35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. You shall rise early and rush upon the city: Zebul advised Abimelech to organize a surprise attack against the rebels of Shechem. I am far from doubting that God wrought in him whom He had made the champion of His people. But returning from this to the simple tale of Samson's life, I take it as the plain fact that God meant us to learn that He saw fit at that time to deliver by an unworthy instrument, by a man who showed how low he was, if only by the moral incongruity of an Israelitish Nazarite seeking a wife from the fiercest of Israel's uncircumcised enemies. But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; and we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. Modern history records a case, in which soldiers on the hill shouted to the people in the city and endeavored to instigate them to an insurrection. So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt. Israel had not taken these lands from Ammon at all They had taken them from the Amorite. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and If this be so, the captivity might be the Assyrian, and not that of the Philistines. They said to the olive tree, Be our king. 9 But the olive tree answered, No way. One man who is your brother who comes right of Shechem, who understands your needs and all or all of the sons of Jerubbaal? His chequered history follows. Even the man who above all others perhaps illustrates the danger of rash vows in the joy of a divine deliverance, and that affecting him in the nearest possible way, was the very reverse of rash in entering on his service for the people of Israel. Their faith was owned; but it was of a sadly mingled and imperfect character. The more you read and the more you live the Word the more you gain confidence in the Word and in your life. WebLet us read the parable. We can all understand righteousness where the ground is clearly sanctioned of God; but is it not also strengthening to our hearts to find that, even where all was dark and faulty, God knows how to give effect to His principles? (1-3) God tells Gideon to tell all his soldiers who are afraid to go home. So he "sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem--The idolatry which had been stealthily creeping into Israel during the latter years of Gideon was now openly professed; Shechem was wholly inhabited by its adherents; at least, idolaters had the ascendency. They will get you Baptized. The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them: In the parable told by Jotham, the worthy trees (such as the olive, the fig, and the vine) didnt want to be king; but the unworthy bramble agreed to be king. why did not the strong man learn wisdom in the fear of Jehovah, as he again visited the place where his first lesson was given? And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. But the olive tree said to them, The Ammonites had lost them before the children of Israel took them from others whom they might lawfully attack and despoil; but God had forbidden that the children of Israel should spoil either Ammon, or Moab, or Edom. What an honour when Israel are permitted to take up only the cause of God! They took it quietly, and passed along their way. WebMatthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 9:8-15 Commentary on Judges 9:7-21 (Read Judges 9:7-21) There was no occasion for the trees to choose a king, they are all the I am not speaking of what men of the world may be, for they may be conscientious and honourable in their own way; but it is different with God's people. ABIMELECH IS MADE KING BY THE SHECHEMITES. He would've been a good Mafia exterminator. "It shall be that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me." The promise of the bramble, take shelter in my shade, was intended as ironic and ridiculous. But the olive tree said unto them, Should Perhaps I am mistaken, and he is not a prophet. It is at least certain that the whole business was heinously evil, and none the less because Micah settles down with the persuasion, "Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest" (ver. Then he went to his fathers house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. His very birth was peculiar, and the circumstances too before it; for there never had been as yet a time when Israel had been so enslaved; and undoubtedly the deliverer, as we have traced regularly hitherto, so here again to the last, is seen to be according to the estate of the people, with whatever might or success God might be pleased to clothe him. And his brethren, as we find, came up, took him away, and buried him. . Since I understand Jotham to be a prophet, he is presumably relaying a message from God. But what a God we have to do with, as Samson had! in the use of names, Jerubbaal is used throughout for Gideon, and Yahweh is referred to only by the generic Elohim. And this, I need scarce say, is still more due on the score of brotherly relation and divine love, not merely on the ground of that which we might expect for our own souls. The olive and fig trees and the grape vine represented productive human beings-oil, figs, and wine being among the most important products of Canaan. The olives are among the most beautiful trees that grow in the Holy Land. Now he said, You have done a good thing, great. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, A woman killed him. So his young man thrust him through, and he died. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Abimelechs mother, though only a maidservant to Gideon, was from Shechem. What a picture of the true state of things! Abimelech was no doubt the son of a concubine; but here we descend lower still. Let no man question that Samson was in prison or that he lost his eyes for nothing. Dear Searching (i.e. . Jotham (lit. Let us not think it strange if we see folly set in great dignity (Ecclesiastes 10:6), and the vilest men exalted (Psalms 12:8), and men blind to their own interest in the choice of their guides. If his only desire is to destroy those who disagree, then he is much like the bramble plenty of good points, but no real substance for good. c. Let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem: Jothams warning to the men of Shechem was that their unwise choice would come back to hurt them. Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon follow. Judges 9:22-49 . GAAL'S CONSPIRACY. 22. When Abimelech had reigned three years --His reign did not, probably at first, extend beyond Shechem; but by stealthy and progressive encroachments he subjected some of the neighboring towns to his sway. Now when Jotham heard that they had made Abimelech king, he went to the top of mount Gerizim ( Judges 9:5-7 ). (The Shechemites were a group of Canaanites who lived peaceably among the Israelites; see Genesis 12:6; Genesis 34:1-31; Joshua 24:32.) When they had it in their thoughts to choose a king they did not offer the government to the stately cedar, or the lofty pine, which are only for show and shade, and not otherwise useful till they are cut down, but to the fruit-trees, the vine and the olive. More he knew not, nor wished to learn. But how perfectly He stood, though tried as none ever was or could be but Himself! Gaal probably was not prepared for a siege; so he had little choice but to leave the city walls behind and confront Abimelech out in the open. (Wolf). Joshua 8; Joshua 24). I. With the help of some worthless Shechemites, Abimelech killed all his brothers (except one who escaped) and established himself king in Shechem. He didnt believe that 68 of his brothers were murdered for the sake of truth and sincerity. ( Judges 9:28 ). c. Where indeed is your mouth now: When Zebul knew that Gaal was at a disadvantage, he could not resist rebuking him for his proud, arrogant words against Abimelech, an enemy he could not defeat. The Shechemites who supported him were also destroyed, as Jotham had predicted (50-57). We are arrived at the end of this sad history. WebJudges 9:8. It came about on the next day: With the resistance of Gaal defeated, Abimelech would find it easy to establish his control over the city of Shechem again. Nothing justifies departure from the word of God. And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? To Samson, as we see, it was far different. 9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? So, Jotham got away from them. i. The spiritual man understands how it was. Of this tribe Samson was born. So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire. made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar--rather, "by the oak near a raised mound"--so that the ceremony of coronation might be conspicuous to a crowd. But verse 30 seems adverse to this view. We have come to the close as far as the sequence of persons and of events is concerned. Is it they who say to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?" And Jehovah said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand." Judges 9:7-21 . But we are sanctified by the Spirit unto the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, and are called to obey, as the wife her husband. . it is no new thing to faith; Jesus knew it to the bottom. 14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. i. There had been in ancient times a link between Ammon and Moab with the children of Israel: a cloud of dishonour and of shame overhung them; yet a link there was, and God would have this at least to be never forgotten. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. It was known, but intended to be so; but for all that the children of Israel, as Jephthah showed, would not go against the word of God. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? Nor ought anyone to allow a suspicion until he has the certainty of that which can be accounted for in no way save by guilt. The reference to the men of Shechem (Judges 9:2) is literally the baals of Shechem, the word having here its original meaning of lord or owner. (Cundall). c. Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, A woman killed him.: Abimelech considered it manlier to be killed by his own armor bearer; but he was still dead afterward. Jotham may have hidden in some empty well for a long time (cf. He was pretty tough on these false teachers and those that would destroy faith in the heart of a child. Through highway robbery, the Shechemites created an atmosphere of insecurity and disorder, at the same time robbing Abimelech of his taxes (22-25). Then can we joy in Him, and it is our strength for all service, and is the spring of worship. Is it not evident that Samson feebly knew what God was teaching him by the lion which he slew, and by the lion's carcase which he found with the honey in it? And they would often hook an oxen to it and they had this stone groove that went around in a circle. if a man attempts: to put himself under it for shelter, he will find it will be of no use to him, but harmful, since, the nearer and closer he comes to it, the more he will be scratched and torn by it: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon; signifying, that if they did not heartily submit to his government, and put confidence in him, and prove faithful to him, they should smart for it, and feel his wrath and vengeance, even the greatest men among them, comparable to the cedars of Lebanon; for thorns and brambles catching fire, as they easily do, or fire being put to them, as weak as they are, and placed under the tallest and strongest cedars, will soon fetch them down to the ground; and the words of the bramble, or Abimelech, proved true to the Shechemites, he is made to speak in this parable. It was a shame that they needed to be put in mind of this. Thus there was an arrest on the road. And Jotham ran away, and he fled, to Beer, and dwelt there, for the fear of Abimelech his brother. ., and all the house of Millo--that is, a mound or rampart, so that the meaning is, all the men in the house or temple; namely, the priests of Baal. Literally, the Hebrew text reads that they committed fornication with the idol, which reflects the marriage language that God often uses when conveying his They have no shame nor resentment on their part at this accusation of treachery. It is chiseled out to where it's round, has a hole in the middle of it and then the stick or the post would go through the center of the millstone and it would roll. His victories had then been as holy as they were brilliant; for he surely needed not to have defiled his Nazariteship by an unholy marriage in order to have punished the Philistines. They did not believe that God would enforce His claims. The top of Gerizim is not so high in the rear of the town, as it is nearer to the plain. And when all of the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they had entered into the fortress of the house that god Berith. Thus Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness that shouted against him, as if they had him in their power. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto the woman" with the promise that a child should be born, at the same time enjoining that she was to drink no wine nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; and that, when the child was born, no razor was to come upon his head. His history is of interest primarily because of the light it throws on this period of Israels national life and the continuing decline in Israel. And, of course, thats what parables do they enrich our understanding. It is not the vanity of setting up oneself as possessed of exclusive powers or special means of attaining or explaining anything; for I should distrust anyone who pretended to anything of the sort, no matter who or where he might be. This is exceedingly instructive. "If your conduct towards the house of Gideon be such as can be justified at any bar of justice, honour, or conscience, much good may it do you with your new king." They only injured those who got too close to them. and where such a sufferer? Then, in judgment, God removed the peace that was between them and sent this spirit of ill will. . Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. And so then he went to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. b. But the crisis came; and we see that at last, pressed by the harlot's toils, he tells out the secret of Jehovah. He could, if he had reflected, hardly expect an ox or a sheep to walk out of the house. WebAnd his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. If Ammon could or would not seek to recover it previously, they had no title to claim now from Israel. a. Now, broken down before God who had ordered their defeat, they are made to feel for their brother, guilty as he was, no doubt. You think of Jesus speaking to a crowd of ten thousand people and they're all able to hear Him and that's without amplifying systems. The men of Shechem (Judges 9:2-3) supported the plan because it was good for them, not because it was morally good or right. It is not here meant that there is any special difficulty in that which has been the occasion of these general remarks; still less is it implied that he who speaks makes any pretension to know anything as he ought to know, more than those he sees around him. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The lands might be good pasture, the temptation great, the provocation given by Moab or Ammon very considerable. Jehovah listens, and His angel appears to the woman, who summons her husband, when both see the angel as he repeats his message with its solemn injunction. And the ladies would come and just pour their wheat in the little groove and as the millstone would go by and it'd grind the wheat into flour. It does not throw a veil, as man loves to do, over that which is uncomely and distressing in those that bear the name of the Lord; especially as the very object the Spirit of God has here in view is to show the frightful results of a vow so little weighed before God, not at all drawn from His guidance. God Himself had ordered things so. 1. Being thus proved to be in arms without right, the king of Ammon was only so much the more fierce, as is usual with people when convicted of a wrong to which their will is engaged. how the very thought of Jehovah's name seems lost at this time among the children of Israel. After this we see the Philistines the object of the severest chastisement from Samson, who smote "them hip and thigh with a great slaughter, and went down and dwelt at the top of the rock Etam." If only this people were under my authority! It has been already said to have been an early fact in the history of the "Judges," and not chronologically near the close of the book. Jehovah at least was could not but be true to the secret. No doubt it was a wonderful display of physical force on the one hand; as on the other those he vanquished were the unrelenting enemies of God's people. For objections against scripture are always the creation of unbelief. In Him we may confide, who loves us to the end. Salem Media Group. Should we not then rejoice in the Lord? Either they could not reach him or they were so far convinced that they would not add the guilt of his blood to all the rest. why did julia baker leave heartland, hladky baseball tournament, what happened to daisy in not going out,