Samson Chosen To Lead Israel

 After Jephthah’s defeat of the Ammonites, Israel followed the Lord as long as they had a Judge to lead them, but when Abdon and the older people who remembered what it had been like under the Amonites died, they turned away again.  For forty years they were under Philistine domination as Judges 13:1 describes. “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.”

 

God knew that eventually Israel would begin to turn back to him, so during that forty years, he started preparing a man to Judge Israel again.  The man, Samson was to be a Nazarite from his birth, a man dedicated to God, as the angel who foretold his birth told his mother, in Judges 13:2-5.  “And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.  Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

 

When Samson’s mother told her husband what the angel had said, Manoah prayed, asking God to send the angel again to tell them what they needed to do to raise the child as God wanted them to, in Judges 13:6-9 describes.  “Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:  But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.  Then Manoah entreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.”

 

God honored Manoah’s request sending the angel to instruct them, as Judges 13:9-14 describes.  “And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.  And the woman made haste, and ran, and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.  And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

 

And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?  And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.  She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe. “  Because Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth, his mother would have to live as if she had taken the Nazarite vow herself, as the angel explained. 

 

Thinking the angel was just a prophet, Manoah asked his to eat with them, as was customary.  He also asked the angel’s name so they could tell others about his prophecy, in Judges 13:15-18.  “And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.  And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.   And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

 

The angel said his name was a secret, and that the food would have to be offered to God rather than to himself.  When Manoah offered the food as a sacrifice to God, the angel miraculously burned it up, and ascended toward heaven in the smoke, making it clear he was an angel, as Judges 13:19-21 tells us.  “So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.  For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.  But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.”

 

Manoah was terrified at having seen the angel, thinking it might be God himself.  His wife calmed him down, pointing out that if God intended to kill them, he would not have wasted the time telling them that they would have a son and how they should raise him, as Judges 13:22-23 explains.  “And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.  But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have showed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.”  It is important to remember that God would not promise such things if he did not intend to keep them.

 

Manoah and his wife followed God’s instructions, and Samson was born just as promised, as Judges 13:24-25 describes.  “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.”  God blessed Samson,  sometimes leading him to do amazing things in the local area. 

Unjustly Attacked By His Fellow Jews

When Gideon had defeated the Midianites, the tribe of Ephraim had gotten mad because he didn’t ask for their4 help. They got even more aggressive with Jephthah, because he didn’t consult them, as Judges 12:1 describes.  “And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.” 

 

Gideon had talked them out of their anger, by pointing out that by blocking the Midianites’ escape route, they had killed even more than his three hundred men had killed.  Jephthah pointed out that when he did ask for their help they hadn’t bothered to show up, in Judges 12:2-3.  “And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.  And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?”

 

Jephthah did not take to their threats to kill him and their claims tha the people of Gilead were not really part of Israel at all, which was exactly what the transJordan tribes had feared when they built the Altar, in Joshua 22:10-29.  He gathered his army and attacked them, as Judges 12:4-describes.  “Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.  And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.”  The Gileadites used their different accents to distinguish the Ephraimites from the local people.  they killed forty two thousand Ephraimites. 

 

Frequently, when we serve God, the most troubling attacks come from people who have no real grounds for their attack.  Sometimes the attacks are a result of jealousy or a sense of guilt, or a desire to have control, while other times, they are just the result of a bad attitude.  Sometimes, like Gideon, we can defuse the conflict, Sometimes we just have to deal with their ungodly attitudes and behavior, trusting God to show the truth.  In any case, we need to go ahead and do what god said without concern for what others tell us. 

 

Jephthah only led Israel for six years.  Israel remained free under different judges, as described in Judges 12:7-15.  “And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.  And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.  And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.  Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.  And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.  And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel.  And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.  And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.”

 

The leader sets the pattern for what an organization will be like.  When they had Leaders who followed God, Israel followed God as well, and as a result, for thirty one years, Israel remained free, with no major upsets or conflicts, even though they had no powerful king to force them to do what was right. 

Jephthah’s Rash Promise

 The Ammonite king had invaded The Israelite territory east of Jordan, claiming it rightly belonged to Ammon.  Jephthah had shown that the claims were invalid, but the king refused to even consider the facts.  At this point, The Holy Spirrit came upon Jephthah, directing him to face the Ammonites, as Judges 11:29 describes.  “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.”  Though Jephthah had not been called in the same way as Gideon and others, it is clear God had chosen him to lead Israel.  This is far more important than that he had a specific style of call.  Unfortunately, because a person didn’t have a particular type of calling or receive a certain gifts, many have been discouraged from doing the Job God called them to do. 

 

After years of being rejected, Jephthah lacked confidence that God would use him to give the victory, so he tried to bribe the Lord, as Judges 11:30-31 describes.  “And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 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.” 

 

Knowing God was leading, Jephthah led the fight with Ammon, winning decisively, in Judges 11:32-33.  “So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.  And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.”  The Ammonites would not seriously threaten Israel again until Saul became king almost two hundred years later.

 

With the war over, Jephthah returned home to be greeted by his daughter, reminding him of what he had promised in his attempt to bribe God, as Judges 11:34-35 tells us.  “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.  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.”

 

Jephthah had made the commitment because he did not fully trust God to give the victory, never thinking about what his promise meant.  As Romans 14:23 tells us, “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death,” and sometimes that doesn’t just mean of the one who committed the sin.  More dedicated to god tham most, Jephthah never considered breaking his vow, saying, ”…I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.”

 

His daughter encouraged him to keep his promise, just asking that she be allowed to spend two months with her friends, grieving that she would never get to experience all the things she had expected, much like a young person with some terminal disease might do, in Judges 11:36-38.  “And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.  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.  And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.”

 

At the end of her two months, the girl returned and Jephthah sacrificed her to god as he had promised.  She became a legendary figure as a result of her obedience, according to Judges 11:39-40.  “And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.”

 

We need to understand, that if, like Jephthah, we have promised something in an effort to get God to do something, we have a responsibility to keep it even if it causes us serious emotional or financial loss.  Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 advises, “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.  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?”  You may have sinned in trying to manipulate or bribe God, but don’t compound the sin by refusing to keep your promise.

 

Diplomacy Fails

 God had specifically named Moses, Joshua, Barak and Gideon to be leaders of Israel.  Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Tola, Jair, and Jephthah were never called in the same way, yet they were mightily used of God.  Because they were not called in the same way, some people would question whether they were called or not.  We tend to forget what Paul said in I Corinthians 12:4-11.  “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

 

Just because a person had a different experience or does things differently does not make them more or less called of God.  God chooses and empowers them as he sees fit for the benefit of the church, and as Paul explains the differences are there to meet different needs of the church.  When we demand that everyone has the same experience or do things exactly the same way, we reveal an unspiritual attitude.  The people made Jephthah their leader because God had chosen him to lead them. 

 

Jephthah first tried to solve the conflict by diplomatic means, hoping to avoid war, in Judges 11:12-13.  “And Jephthah 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?  And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.”

 

The Ammonite king accused Israel of having stolen their lands some four hundred years before, when they first came into the region.  The Ammonite claim was patently false, as Jephthah explained in Judges 11:15-23.  “And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.  Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

 

And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.  But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.  And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.  And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.  So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?”

 

Israel had only taken land occupied by the Amorites when the Amorites attacked them.  They had carefully avoided conflict with the Edomites, the Moabites, and the Ammonites. They had only taken the land because God had given them the victory over the Amorites.   Jephthah reminded them that they would have done the same thing in similar circumstances.  They must think they were better than the other countries and that everyone owed them whatever they wanted, as he pointed out in Judges 11:24-27.  “Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.  And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?  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.”

 

None of the land Israel had taken had ever belonged to the Ammonites, but as Judges 21:25-26 tells us, some of what they took from the Amorites had once belonged to Moab.  If anyone had claim to that land, it was Moab, not the Ammonite, and Moab had not made any such claim, even when Israel first took the land.  If the Ammonites had any claim to the land, they should have made them at the time the land was taken.  They had no right to claim the land or attack Israel four hundred years later.

 

The King of Ammon was just making the claim in an attempt to justify his efforts to seize more power.  Unfortunately many times attacks on the churches and Christians are based on equally false claims.  Like Jephthah, we can stand for what is right and trust God with the outcome.  Jesus was repeatedly accused of false teaching and sinful actions, but he did not change his teaching to suit his enemies, and we should not either.  Diplomacy and appeasement accomplish little with those who are not interested in the truth.  Judges 11:28 tells us, “”Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.”

The Ammonite Invasion

By the time Abimelech became king some of the Israelites had turned away from God, worshipping a god called Berith, as mentioned in Judges 9:46.  Abimelech’s destruction of Shechem and his death, coupled with the leadership by Tola and Jair suppressed the spread of idolatry for another forty five years, but when Jair died, It quickly became a problem, as Judges 10:6 describes.  “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.”   

 

Their idolatry led to attacks by the Philistines on the west and Invasion by the Ammonites on the east, as Judges 10:7-9 describes.  “And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.  And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.  Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.”

 

While the younger generations had heard stories about how bad the Midianite occupation had been and how God had delivered them, they were just stories.  They had not experienced it for themselves and the stories made little impression until they began to feel what it was like when God was not protecting them.  Finally, they began to consider the stories and seek his help, in Judges 10:10.  “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.”

 

God not immediately deliver them, wanting to drive home their dependence on him, as Judges 10:11-14 tells us.  “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?  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.  Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.  Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.”

 

When they got serious about serving the Lord, putting their idols away, he took pity on them as Judges 10:15-16 tells us.  “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.  And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

 

The land of Gilead lay between Ammon and Israel, so the Trans-Jordan tribes in Gilead bore the brunt of the invasion.  They began to look for someone to lead their forces against the Ammonites, in Judges 10:17-18.  “Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.  And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

 

Many years before, a man named Gilead had had a son by a prostitute, and  Gilead’s legitimate sons had driven him away, as Judges 11:1-3 describes.  “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.  And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.  Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.”

 

Jepthah had gathered a following among those who had no serious business of their own, and when the Ammonites invaded they realized he was their best hope, in Judges 11:4-6.  “And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.  And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.”

 

After the way they had treated him, Jephthah was hesitant about going back, questioning them, in Judges 11:7-11.  “And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

 

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

 

And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?

 

And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.”  Convinced they would no longer treat him like dirt, Jephthah went with them, praying for guidance. 

 

Abimelech Loses The Throne

 Abimelech had staged a coup, seizing control of Israel, but after three years, many of his co-conspirators rebelled against him, resulting in his attacking and wiping out most of the people of Shechem.  Many of the conspirators were related to or had come from the nearby city of Thebes, and in his effort to quell the opposition, Abimelech attacked Thebes as well, as Judges 9:50-51.  “Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.”

 

Burning the stronghold at Shechem had been so effective Abimelech decided to try the same thing at Thebez.  Things didn’t go as well at Thebez, as Judges 9:51-54 tells us.  “And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.  And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.  Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.”

 

As they were piling wood around the the base of the tower, a woman threw a piece of a broken millstone from the top of the tower, hitting Abimelech in the head, severely injuring him.  Embarrassed at the thought of being killed by a woman, he had one of his body guards kill him.  With him dead, there was no reason to continue the fight, and the people returned to their homes, in Judges 9:55.  “And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.”

 

In Judges 9:19-20, Jotham had warned that the murder of Gideon’s sons would result in the conspirators killing each other.  “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: 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.”  That is exactly what happened, as Judges 9:56-57 points out.  “Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 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.

 

Being king did not enable Abimelech to escape God’s judgment.  After his death, Israel reverted to the original government God had intended, following the law for the next forty five years under the leadership of Tola and Jair, as described in Judges 10:1-5.  “And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.  And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.  And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.  And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.  And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

 

It would be another two hundred fifty years before Israel would again call for king.

The Conspirators Turn Against Each Other

Abimelech had staged a coup, murdering his half brothers, and seizing power as king over Israel.  His youngest brother had escaped being killed, and he warned that the coup dishonored Gideon, and would not turn out well, in Judges 9:16-20.  “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; (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 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;) 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: 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.”

 

The men of Shechem had supported Abimelech’s coup because he was related to themand they thought he would give them special favors.  When he was not as free with his favors as they had hoped, God caused them to turn against him, as Judges 9:22-24 describes.  “When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.”

 

It is important to understand that most people who got by with something tend to do the same things again.  The very men who had helped Abimelech kill his brothers were now plotting against him, to take the kingdom from him, as Judges 9:25-29 describes.  “And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.”

 

Gaal was promising the things they had expected from Abimelech, so some of them  switched their loyalty to him, but the mayor of Shechem was still loyal to Abimelech, warning him of their efforts to overthrow him, and suggesting a plan to defeat them, in Judges 9:30-33.  “And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.”

 

Abimelech took Zebul’s advice coming to attack him, and when Gaal saw some of them Zebul told him he was just seeing shadows and imagining things, in Judges 9:34-36.  “And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  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.  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.”

 

When Gaal insisted he was seeing real people, Zebul mad fun of him for bragging about what he would do to Abimelech and daring him to go out and do what he had said, in Judges 9:37-39.  “And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

 

Abimelech and his army defeated Gaal’s forces, but Zebul locked them out of the city so that they could not take refuge there.  The next morning, when they opened the gates to Shechem, Abimelech and his forces destroyed the city, as Judges 9:40-45 describes.  “And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.  And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.”

 

Realizing they could not hold the city, the rebels retreated into a temple  devoted to the god Berith, in hopes that they would be able to hold it.  Rather than trying to break through the walls, Abimelech decided to burn them out, as Judges 9:46-49 describes.  “And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

 

And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.”

 

It was the first part of the curse Jotham had placed on those who had murdered his brothers in judges 9:19-20.  “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: 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.”