April 3, 2023
Today we see the sixth judge through the ninth judge of Israel appointed. As you read chapters 9 through 11 think about someone you know that you may have enticed you to do wrong.
Chapter 9 –
Gideon’ polygamous ways led to problems. His son Abimelech had great aspirations to rule and in order to do so he deceived others and killed seventy of his brothers only leaving Jotham. This deed was carries out on top of a large stone since stones were used for sacrifice. This can only mean there was human sacrifice. The man literally sacrificed his entire family for political power.
Jotham stood on Mount Gerizim, the place of blessing when he received the news that Abimelech had been made king. He tells the people a parable about trees. He told the people Abimelech was to rule over them with total superiority which is illegitimate biblical rule.
God creates chaos in Israel. Abimelech caught most of the people of Shechem outside the gate and slaughtered them. What goes around, comes around maybe not today or tomorrow but it will revisit itself. Many of the people huddled in a tower for protection from Abimelech when a woman from above threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head and fractured his skull. Realizing the severity of his injuries he called on a follower to kill so no one could say a woman killed him.
Why did all this happen? Because God brought back Abimelech’s evil on his own head.
Chapter 10 –
Judge Tola’s name means ‘worm.” There is not much known of him other than that he was the son of Issachar. He was followed by Jair who had thirty son who most likely like Gideon he was a polygamist. With these two gone Israel repeated the cycle of worshipping false gods. They suffered for eighteen years they cried out once again for deliverance. However this time God said, I will not deliver you again. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen to deliver you. Let them deliver you. Desperate for help they cry out again and He says He will not deliver them but they repent and He once again delivers them.
Chapter 11 –
We see something interesting as we begin chapter eleven. Jephthah the Gileadite was a valiant warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Why do we need to know this – because as he story unfolds we will see our background dose not dictate our destiny.
Jephthah was driven out from his family and he lived in another country for a while but he was still valuable to the kingdom of God. He tries to make things right with Ammonites but to no avail. The king would not listen to him. God does give him the victory
He vowed if God gave him victory, he would offer he first thing that walked out of his home when he returned as a burnt offering. We find the first thing was his only child a daughter. There was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing! She submitted to her fate.
Asbury United Methodist Church 