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. And they said to the olive tree, Undoubtedly there are many things in scripture of which we are ignorant; but then we are not entitled to interpret the word of God by ourselves. And go to sway over trees? After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers. And we see that those who cared not for the injured name of Jehovah have all their feelings drawn out when man was wronged. He took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt: Abimelech then turned his fury against the people of Shechem, and killed as many of them as he could, and he demolished their city. Carried away by his uncurbed feelings (to whatever end God might turn all, for He always governs), he was mighty to act; but as to intelligence, little more than an unconscious instrument. Indeed this is found regularly throughout the book of Judges. Therefore does the second part of the appendix (Judges 19:1-30; Judges 21:1-25) find a place directly afterwards. But it need surprise none that the proper history of this judge terminates according to the mind of God here; for what has the Lord to tell in the next chapter? Who doubted the unfriendliness of Moab and of Edom? I have been reading/studying the Bible all my life; I am now 74 years old and in a wheelchair. Those that bear fruit for the public good are justly respected and honoured by all that are wise more than those that affect to make a figure. WebJudges 9:8. 89-95.]. And all of the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and they went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem. Outwardly indeed he was separate. God was in none of their thoughts. Again, it is not of course any attainment of mine that leads me to speak as I have done now. However this may have been, we may notice first the quarter whence deliverance was to come: "There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites." . Accepting of their offer at once: if ye in trust anoint me king over you; suspecting they were not hearty and cordial in their choice and call to the kingly authority over them: then come and put your trust in my shadow; promising protection to them as his subjects, requiring their confidence in him, and boasting of the good they should receive from him, as is common with wicked princes at their first entering on their office; but, alas! a. 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. I take it therefore, that in the present case there is nothing to stumble the simplest believer, though no doubt there may be to one who knows not God and His word. It does not matter what the line taken may be, no good end will ever be owned by God unless the way be according to His word and righteousness. As ever you hope to obtain God's favour, and to be accepted of him, give me a patient and impartial hearing." Now you know, they used to say of the sailors "a girl in every port." Judges 9:9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and god to be promoted over the trees? Is it then a matter of wonder that men went wrong in early days under the Christian profession? We have seen before, from the earlier part of the book, the remarkable manner in which, either personally or in the weapons that were employed, God was acting mysteriously at this period of Israel's history. We shall find too that Samson's feats of power, great as they were, in no way broke the neck of Philistine oppression. 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. He has no doubt secrets of grace above all difficulties and wrongs: of this we cannot doubt for a moment; and indeed we have abundant proofs of it here. Where was their humiliation and grief before the Lord? Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon follow. There is not a single jot in the Scriptures that God has written or ordered which is not worthy of Himself; nor is there the least possibility of improving either. Judges 9:7-21 . If in truth you anoint me as king over you, Still more is what follows; for God fails not to deal with us on our own ground. 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. But the good was hard to reach or even to discern, the evil abundant and obvious, "And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years." It was quite evident therefore that Jephthah was guilty of the greatest rashness in his vow. Come and put your trust in any shadow The vain boast of the would-be sovereign; and of the man who is seeking to be put into power by the suffrages of the people. 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. This is exceedingly instructive. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. WebJudges 9:8. (Compare Judges 14:15 with Judges 15:6.) Suffice it to say that even in such a state the immediate feeling of the common conscience in Israel (roused, it is true, by an awful appeal to the twelve tribes) could not but reply that "there was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds." And so Abimelech led a group of vain fellows and they came to the houses of Gideon's sons and they wiped them all out with the exception of just one of his sons, Jotham. (Judges 11:1-40). The story of Abimelech connects directly with the story of Gideon. Jotham (lit. The descent is great, when one bearing the name of the Lord slights His word and seeks a path of his own. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. All these fruit-trees gave much the same reason for their refusal to be promoted over the trees; or, as the margin reads The earth is destined to be the theatre where God will display righteousness reigning; but even now, while things are out of course, and His enemy is in power, He holds to His own character, owning and using all He can. "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 Jehovah's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." We know that men make it a question for ingenious minds to speculate on. WebCommentary, explanation and study verse by verse. Yet he threatens with as much confidence as he promises: If you be not faithful, let fire come out of the bramble (a very unlikely thing to emit fire) and devour the cedars of Lebanon--more likely to catch fire, and be itself devoured. 26. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech. On the other hand, is there not real beauty in the obscurity in which Scripture treats a matter so painful? 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. Is not this an instructive as well as striking fact? "His wife was barren, and bare not. 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. Jehovah at least was could not but be true to the secret. WebJudges 14:5-7. 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 the trees said to the vine, 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. What difference does it make? WebLet us read the parable. III. He hereby applauds the generous modesty of Gideon, and the other judges who were before him, and perhaps of the sons of Gideon, who had declined accepting the state and power of kings when they might have had them, and likewise shows that it is in general the temper of all wise and good men to decline preferment and to choose rather to be useful than to be great. in the use of names, Jerubbaal is used throughout for Gideon, and Yahweh is referred to only by the generic Elohim. It is in no way a carrying forward of the history. "Benjamin went forth against them the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. And what did Israel? "Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot;" yet here, though fallen lower than ever, we find power put forth under these deplorable circumstances. Then can we joy in Him, and it is our strength for all service, and is the spring of worship. You come and reign over us! In that image we have the enemy in great power, but God infinitely above him, able as well as seeing fit to use the least worthy vessel of His power, and out of the slain enemy to furnish the sweetest refreshment. And he was sore athirst, and called on Jehovah, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? Let fire come out - The propriety of the image is strictly preserved, for even the thorns of the worthless bramble might kindle a flame which would burn the stately cedars to the ground. 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. Judges 15 Judges 16 Judges 17 Judges 18 Judges 19 Judges 20 Judges 21 Share Tweet Save Popular Articles. Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? b. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel: but the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.". No way. 22. Such a one was Abimelech, and yet chosen to the government by the trees, by all the trees; this election seems to have been more unanimous than any of the others. * It is possible that verse 30 may be one of those later additions which Ezra or one of the prophets was inspired to make in putting together at a subsequent epoch the books of Scripture. And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them." We come to look at a parable, the parable of the trees. Thus He bids the men of Judah go; but the men of Judah were shamefully beaten, and were forced to weep before Jehovah. ", After having thus completely refuted his claim over the land on the ground of its being Ammonite, whereas in point of fact it had been won from them by the Amorite, and as such had passed into Israel's hand, now he gives them a warning from the blows that God had inflicted on a mightier king than himself. And its then in chapter 9 where we see Could they therefore suppose that such a low-born, uneducated, cruel, and murderous man, could be a proper protector, or a humane governor? If you google The Church of Christ it will tell you of one near you. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto Jehovah." And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: In order that the cruelty that was done by Abimelech might be avenged ( Judges 9:21-24 ). He plainly intended to testify to their state by the agents whom He used for their good. What came out we know too well. When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the The object of the king of Ammon was to put the children of Israel in the wrong. And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. 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. In short Samson appears to me a man with as little, or as low, an appreciation of what it was to fight the battles of the Lord, as God had been pleased to use in any epoch throughout inspired history. ". He could, if he had reflected, hardly expect an ox or a sheep to walk out of the house. Should I cease giving my oil, They went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech: The men of Shechem were so confident that their new leader Gaal could protect them against Abimelech that they started throwing drunken parties and openly cursing Abimelech and challenging him to a fight (Increase your army and come out!). WebScripture: Judges 9:8-15 Denomination: Baptist Abimelech: Whos In Charge Series Contributed by Bruce Rzengota on Dec 25, 2009 based on 4 ratings | 8,646 views ABIMELECH TYPIFIES THE PURSUIT OF OUR WAY RATHER THAN GODS WAY. I need not dwell on the deplorable details. Through highway robbery, the Shechemites created an atmosphere of insecurity and disorder, at the same time robbing Abimelech of his taxes (22-25).