Deeper Commentary
Jdg 9:1 Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his
mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the
house of his mother’s father saying-
Abimelech means 'my father is king';
it was the dynastic title of the Philistine kings as we see from Gen.
20,26, Ps. 34 title etc. Kings named their sons Abimelech to continue
their reigning dynasty. And indeed Abimelech did try to
become King of all Israel (Jud. 9:2). As discussed on :2, Gideon overcame
the temptation to become king, but only on an external level. In reality
his behaviour was as if was a king in all but name. His weakness in this
matter was repeated to a stronger degree in his son. Just as our
weaknesses will be repeated and magnified in our children, as David's were
in Solomon's love for horses and women. The comment was
made about Gideon that he looked like the son of a king (Jud. 8:18 "They
were like you. Each one resembled the children of a king"). Gideon was
invited to be Israel's king, but he declined, saying that God was their
king. But he named his son Abimelech, my father is king, as if he was
deeply impressed that he looked like a king. He felt he was the man born
to be king, but resented having to turn it down for the sake of Yahweh.
But he expressed his hankering for it by vicariously living it out through
his son Abimelech, and thus he set his son up for spiritual failure. So
much vicarious sin goes on in our age, through watching movies or playing
games that enable us to vicariously do that which we ourselves would not
do in real life. Although Gideon will still be finally saved, according to
Hebrews 11. Abimelech absorbed all this. He was eager to be king, which
his father externally declined although internally wanted it; and he tried
to replicate his father Gideon by destroying the tower in Shechem (Jud.
9:49) just as Gideon had destroyed the tower of Penuel (Jud. 8:17). But
Abimelech then tried to continue to replicate his father by seeking to
destroy the tower in Thebez - and this cost him his life. He should have
listened to Jotham's parable and let God be king in his life and in the
collective life of Israel. His obsession with destroying the towers of
Shechem and Thebez reflected how Gideon had burnt the tower of Peniel. But
Gideon's murder of fellow Israelites at Peniel as punishment for not
supporting him was surely wrong- and again, this set up Abimelech for
failure. For he clearly thought there was nothing wrong in doing this.
Jdg 9:2 Please speak to all the men of Shechem and say, ‘Is it better for
you that all the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, should rule over you,
or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your
flesh-
There is no evidence that the other sons were seeking to be king.
Their father Gideon had been offered the kingship for himself and his
sons, and he had refused it. Abimelech was likely responding to the fear
that they might stop him from his plan, and so many crimes and sins are
committed on the basis of eliminating possible opposition.
Time and again, the Bible is full of warnings against doing what seems right before God, when our motives are far from Him. Take the way that Gideon was invited to be king over Israel, but he refused, citing the fact that Yahweh is Israel's King. All well and good... but the record goes on to record how he made an idolatrous ephod in his home town, to which all Israel came (Jud. 8:22-24). And he had a son, Abimelech- which means 'my father is king'!. And indeed Abimelech did try to become King of all Israel (Jud. 9:2). Our behaviour smacks of this time and time again. We do what is externally right, but our inward motives are impure. There's an urgent need for self-examination at depth within each of us... and yet the busyness of our lives, our poor time management and lack of rigorous regime in spiritual life, so easily leads us not to seriously attempt this. And we end up doing things which are only externally right.
Abimelech claimed that he was of the same bone and flesh of the men of Shechem. His mother was a "concubine" from Shechem (Jud. 8:31). We can ponder whether the men of Shechem were in fact Gentiles, and whether Abimelech's mother was a Gentile prostitute from Shechem. Jud. 9:28 certainly implies they were Gentiles: "Be loyal to your ancestor Hamor, who founded your clan!". He is certainly playing on his mother having been from Shechem- for he now says he is of the same flesh and bone as the men of Shechem. And we ponder whether therefore his attempt to become king would have to fall short of the standard in Dt. 17:15: "You shall in any wise set him king over you whom the Lord your God shall choose; one from among your brethren shall you set king over you; you cannot set a stranger over you who is not your brother". In this case, Gideon should never have set up Abimelech to be king by naming him as he did, 'My father is king'. But Abimelech plays on his Shechem connections to be made king by them. And they accept this- "he is our brother" (:3). But Abimelech didn't work out well as king. Perhaps this incident happened to show Israel that if they wanted a king, it must be a man chosen by God and not a half Gentile. For as Jotham's parable showed, they wanted a king.
Jdg 9:3 His mother’s brothers told all the men of Shechem all these words,
and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, He is our
brother-
Shechem was apparently in the hands of the Hivites, so these men may
not have been true Israelites. The idea is that their hearts were inclined
(by God) to follow him (the same Hebrew phrase is in 1 Kings 11:3; Ps.
119:36; 141:4). Just as God inclined the hearts of the men of Shechem to
follow Abimelech (Jud. 9:3), so He put an evil spirit / attitude of mind
between them and Abimelech (:23). Clearly God can work directly upon the
human heart according to His will. This is the basis of the way that the
evil spirit (from the Lord) and the holy spirit work upon the hearts of
men. We can pray that God "incline our hearts unto Him... incline
my heart unto Your words" (1 Kings 8:58; Ps. 119:36 s.w.).
Jdg 9:4 They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal
Berith, with which Abimelech hired reckless adventurers who followed him-
Abimelech was apparently an idolater. And yet Jud. 10:1 implies that
he was also a judge who saved Israel. His work for Israel isn't much
recorded, and therefore we sense that as with the record of Samson, we
have here the down points in his life.
Jdg 9:5 He went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers
the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, on one stone; but Jotham the
youngest son of Jerubbaal escaped, for he hid himself-
Tragically it was probably upon the rock upon which Gideon first
sacrificed to Yahweh (Jud. 6:20) that his seventy sons were to be slain by
Abimelech, with the help of men who worshipped Baal Berith.
Presumably the 70 silver pieces were payment for the death of the 70
people, a coin for each murder. The deaths upon one stone suggests it was
done as a sacrifice- where Gideon had sacrificed to Yahweh. Abimelech
possibly justified killing his brothers as being some kind of service to
God. Just as many have done. It just shows that spirituality cannot be
automatically passed on as if it is genetic, although it can be
inculcated. Jotham being the youngest son may mean he was no more than a
child or teenager, but his spiritual perception was very fine.
Jdg 9:6 All the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the
house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar
that was in Shechem-
Oaks and pillars are associated with idolatry throughout the Old
Testament. "The house of Millo" is likely also a reference to an idol
temple. Yet Jud. 10:1 implies Abimelech was a saviour and defender of
Israel. At some point he must have repented of all this and done work for
God. His proclamation as king was however a rejection of Yahweh as king;
the very thing his father Gideon had refused to do. Yet even such a
spiritually weak man was used to save His people.
This oak near Shechem was where the fathers of Israel had
jettisoned their idols (Gen. 35:4). But clearly this was just a surface
level appeal to spirituality by Abimelech, for the people were clearly
idolatrous. And this was the oak of Josh. 24:25,26: "Joshua made a
covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an
ordinance in Shechem. Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of
God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak that was
by the sanctuary of Yahweh". Abimelech was having himself made king at
Yahweh's sanctuary, as Saul would at Gilgal (1 Sam. 11:15). Abimelech was
behaving in a totally fleshly way under the guise of alluding to spiritual
principles. This kind of thing is frequently seen in religion gone wrong.
Jdg 9:7 When they told Jotham he went and stood on the top of Mount
Gerizim and shouted to them, Listen to me, you men of Shechem, so that God
will listen to you-
God listens to those who hear His word, there is a mutuality between
God and man. We hear His word, He listens to us. This implies Jotham's
words were Divinely inspired. Mount Gerizim was the scene of the reciting
of the curses and blessings, and Jotham is surely reminding the people
that they are breaking covenant with God and can only be cursed.
Jotham taught that if Israel heard his parable then God would hear them;
but He wouldn't if they rejected the parable. They rejected the parable,
but by grace, God does hear their cry later in Jud. 10. He stands on Mount
Gerizim which was from where the blessings were uttered [Dt. 11:29; 27:12;
the curses were pronounced nearby from Mount Ebal "you shall set the
blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal"]; and yet his words
became a curse on Israel (:57). They were perhaps pronounced from Gerizim
because it was God's intention they should bring about repentance and thus
bring blessing.
Jdg 9:8 The trees went out one day to anoint a king to be over them; they
said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us’-
The trees refer to the people who wanted a king, one of themselves, a
tree like them, but with superior qualities. Gideon had remonstrated that
God was their king, and so they should not seek a human leader, another
tree like them, but accept Yahweh as king. Jotham perceives
the desire for leadership, and that is a theme throughout Judges. In his
parable, the trees ask other trees to reign over them, but this isn't
directly recorded historically. They had asked Gideon to be king, but now
it is Abimelech who goes to Shechem and asks them to let him be king. But
the parable paints things as if the trees are desperate for a king over
them; I believe this is the point, as otherwise the parable appears untrue
to its interpretation. Jotham is perhaps seeking to reveal to the people
that consciously or subconsciously, their desire was for a human king when
God was their king. The men of Samson's time were content with the
Philistines ruling over them rather than Samson, Micah pays the young
Levite to be a father to him, "The people, the princes of Gilead, said one
to another, Who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be
head over all the inhabitants of Gilead" (Jud. 10:18). Our sense of
brave independence notwithstanding, we all have a desire to be led by
another, to have a parental figure in our lives. And that desire is
finally only met in the Father and Son.
Jdg 9:9 But the olive tree said to them ‘Should I give up my oil with
which they honour God and man to go and hold sway over the trees?’-
These trees refused the other trees' desire for their rulership. This
perhaps refer to unrecorded times when the sons of Gideon had been
approached and asked to be king; and they had each refused, in line with
how their father refused to be king, and refused the invitation to his
sons also (Jud. 8:23). It was the priests who were to offer oil in order
to honour God (Lev. 2:1-16), and used it to anoint men for special
purposes. Thus the olive who honoured both God and man with oil might
possibly refer to a priest who was asked to become king, but refused it.
It was more important to honour God and people, then to "hold sway over"
people. And this is the point which those who desire leadership so often
forget. Jotham's point is that spiritually minded people had
already been asked to be king, but had refused- for Yahweh was Israel's
king. The 'trees' who had refused the invitation were more interested in
being of service to God and man; and they perceived that being a king was
not going to achieve that.
Jdg 9:10 The trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us’-
These continual requests to men to "reign over us" reflect the basic
tendency within human nature, to want to be submissive; to desire a human
leader. The fact Israel were specifically not given a king, because the
invisible God was their king, was in fact right against human nature.
We see the same tension, between personal spirituality and on the
other hand, a desire to be within a denominational structure that provides
human leadership.
Jdg 9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I give up my good, sweet
fruit to go to hold sway over the trees?’-
A good fig tree bears good fruit. But this wouldn't be possible if
the tree was "promoted" (AV) to sway around over the other trees.
Leadership positions so often mean that a person cannot quite be the
person they were intended to be; something of their real self is lost and
compromised. And this is why we should never seek leadership over others,
because God has a specific role for us; and we will only become true
leaders as a result of His guiding hand, rather than our seeking it.
This is why we must be leery of any who clearly set out to be
leaders of God's people, as if it is their right or just their chosen
career path.
Jdg 9:12 The trees said to the vine ‘Come and reign over us’-
Olive, vine and fig tree are all trees representative of Israel. But
they each refused the invitation to be king. The idea would be that the
true Israel would not seek to be king over itself. For Yahweh was their
true king. The vine here is perhaps
a reference to Gideon, a descendant of Joseph, who was a fruitful vine
(Gen. 49:22)- and who was invited to be Israel's king in these very words
(Jud. 8:22,23).
Jdg 9:13 The vine said to them, ‘Should I give up my new wine, which
cheers God and man, to go to hold sway over the trees?’-
Wine was part of the offerings to God (Num. 15:7,10) which cheered
God in that He was pleased with Israel's drink offerings.
Jdg 9:14 Then all the trees said to the thorn bush, ‘Come and reign over
us’-
This refers to Abimelech, the illegitimate son of Gideon; and we
recall that thorns were part of the curse. The people were so desperate
for human leadership, and so insistent that they didn't want God's
invisible leadership, that they would have even a symbol of the curse to
reign over them. We must remember that it was Abimelech who
had offered to be the king of Shechem (:1-3), but in the parable, Jotham
suggests they had asked him to reign over them. Jotham is right and wrong;
for in Jud. 8:22 they had invited Gideon, his son and grandson to reign
over them. Possibly the three better trees who rejected the invitation
refer to unknown sons of Gideon; or to previous judges like Othniel,
Deborah and Gideon. It could be that Abimelech made the offer he did to
them because they had already made it clear that they were open to this.
Quite likely Gideon had wanted his son Abimelech to be king, and the
people responded to this.
We note the stress that all the trees wanted the thorn bush to reign over them. Possibly we are to infer that the olive, vine and fig were amongst them. In which case we are left to conclude that they were so focused upon themselves and their own immediate preoccupations that they were willing for an obviously bad leader to lead them. And that is indeed how bad men get into power. The idiom "each man dwelling under his own vine and fig tree" (Mic. 4:4 etc.) suggests a vine and fig were the personal possession of a man; there was no collective communal element in the vine and fig. For the parable speaks of them as individual trees and not a plantation of them like a vineyard. Perhaps the argument is that the three good trees ought to have accepted the invitation to be king, and because they didn't, the bramble became king and burnt them all up. Each tree refuses kingship with the excuse that they didn't want to "give up" their own fruit; and leadership of others does involve a personal 'giving up'. They didn't want to do that for the sake of the community. That would fit a theme of Judges, that men were so focused on their immediate local needs and issues that they didn't think of the needs of the wider community. Judges 5 condemns those who didn't come to help Barak, and Gideon condemns those who refused to come and help him in his pursuit of the enemy. Their desperation for someone to rule over them is shown by otherwise superior trees begging an inferior to reign over them. The parable reflects how strong is human desire to be ruled over. When this need is not met in God, men make foolish choices which are not sincere in that they are themselves skeptical of their own choices.
Jdg 9:15 The thorn bush said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me king
over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; if not, let fire come out
of the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon’-
"If in truth..." suggests the thorn bush [Abimelech] was skeptical about the request for him to be king. Or it could be that the voice behind the parable, which is God's inspiration, is suggesting that the trees were not sincere in wanting the thorn bush to be king. They wanted a king, any king, and were so desperate for this that they would even choose someone they were skeptical of. Fire did come from the thorn bush and devour other trees, at least in literally burning 1000 people of Shechem. This means that the trees did not "in truth" / sincerely anoint Abimelech. They did so because they were so desperate for absolutely any leader. And thus God through Jotham is trying to get them to realize the strength of their human desire for a human leader rather than God. In the end, anyone would do. Even if they considered him not the best.
"Take refuge" is AV "put your trust". The Hebrew for "trust" usually means to trust in God. Jotham's point is that they were trusting in a human king rather than in God. The higher our trust in human leadership and structure, the weaker will be our faith in God. And this is the problem with all human leadership and religious structures.
The idea of shade is used of the shade / protection offered by God (Ps. 91:1; 121:5; Hos. 14:8); Lam. 4:20 recalls how Judah used to refer to their king by saying that "in his shade we will live among the nations". They meant that their king would protect them from the Gentile nations. And the surrounding nations used the idea of the shade/shadow of a king to refer to his protection. This was the context- the tribes wanted a king to save / shade them from their enemies. The other trees / options are presented as focusing on producing their own fruit; whereas the thorn bush has no good fruit but claims to offer shade when it cannot. Possibly Jotham's point is that no human leader can provide this shade- only by turning to God can they find this shade. Indeed we could understand the Abimelech experience as a warning to Israel of what to expect if they had a king. But their later demand for a king shows they didn't learn from this history. Jotham being the youngest son (:5) may mean he was no more than a child or teenager, but his spiritual perception was very fine. Cedars, vines, figs etc. would get no shade from a thorn bush.
But the thorn bush offers no shade. The Kingdom of God is likened to a tree giving shade (Mk. 4:32), but the thorn bush cannot do this. Abimelech's pretension at being king is therefore presented as at best unhelpful. He demanded miserable submission to himself, and if he didn't get it, he would burn up the fine cedars of Lebanon- possibly a reference to Gideon's sons whom he slew. This is where bad leadership leads- the destruction of that which is beautiful. This very figure is used in Zech. 11:1, of how the house / temple of the cedars of Lebanon was to be "devoured" (Zech. 11:1)- as a result of Judah's corrupt, spiritually illegitimate leadership. Cedars of Lebanon were seen as the best trees- so the idea may be that Abimelech would destroy the best candidates for leadership. Fire coming out of a thorn bush alludes to how forest fires are spread by thorn bushes near the ground, resulting in great trees catching fire. This is alluded to in Is. 9:18,19: "For wickedness burns like a fire, it devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke... the land is burnt up; and the people are the fuel for the fire. No one spares his brother". Abimelech had not spared his brothers; he was starting a forest fire that would destroy the whole land. However :20 interprets what was to be burnt up, the cedars, as "the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo". The parable ends with a curse from Abimelech / the thorn bush and "on them came the curse of Jotham" (:57), but the parable is uttered from Mount Gerizim not Mount Ebal, the mount of blessing not curse. It's as if Jotham offers Israel a choice between a blessing and a curse, but Israel choose the curse of Jotham in that their choice of him was not sincere. For Jotham predicates the curse upon their insincerely choosing Abimelech. How were Israel insincere in choosing Abimelech as king? Their insincerity was in that they were so desperate for a human king, that they chose just anyone despite being sceptical of their own choice. And it is this manic desire for any human leadership rather than God's which is the nub of the parable- rather than simply being a case of punishment for slaying Gideon's sons.
Jdg 9:16 Now therefore, consider whether you have done what is true and
right in making Abimelech king, and whether you have done justly to
Jerubbaal and his house as he deserves-
This was an appeal for their repentance. Jotham however makes no
mention of how they had thereby rejected Yahweh as their king. He doesn't
repeat that argument of his father Gideon, and lacked Samuel's spiritual
insight; for he saw that this was the worst implication of desiring any
human king. Instead he argues that Gideon's family were worth more respect
than to slay his sons at the whim of the worthless king whom they had
chosen. Yet he calls Gideon "Jerubbaal", in allusion to how Gideon had put
down the Baal worship which they indulged in (:4).
Jdg 9:17 (For my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered
you out of the hand of Midian-
Jotham makes no reference to God nor Yahweh in his parable.
As noted on :16, Jotham lacks spiritual insight here. For Gideon
himself clearly saw the deliverance as worked by Yahweh and not himself.
It was Yahweh's sword which had been his sword. And instead of emphasizing
his father's human bravery as the basis for the deliverance, surely he
ought to have stressed Gideon's faith in Yahweh. Yet despite this, Jotham
was clearly a spiritual person; although as always with God's people at
this time, his spirituality was very compromised by his humanity.
"Fought for you and risked his life" is the phrase Jonathan uses about David (1 Sam. 19:5). Yet Jonathan seems to have seen Gideon as his hero [compare 1 Sam. 14:10-20 with Jud. 7:3,10,11,14,22. Jonathan's son was called Merib-baal (1 Chron. 9:40), meaning 'rebellion against Baal', an epithet for 'Gideon']. Yet in 1 Sam. 19:5 he says that "David put his life in his hand", exactly as Gideon did (Jud. 9:17). In other words, Jonathan saw David as the perfect fulfilment of all he spiritually wished to be, he felt that David lived up to the example of his hero Gideon, whereas he did not.
Jdg 9:18 yet you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have
slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech the
son of his female servant king over the men of Shechem, because he is your
brother)-
So many times has this been repeated in the history of God's people,
to this day. Petty nepotism, the support of a close relative within the
church, leads to the destruction and exclusion of other far more spiritual
families. However Jotham reasons as if Gideon had in fact been king, and
therefore his successor ought not to have been his illegitimate son, but
one of his legitimate sons. I noted on Jud. 8:23 that although Gideon
turned down being king, he effectively set himself up as king in all but
name. He took the wealth of Israel, clothed himself in kingly purple
clothes and had a son called "My father is king", i.e. Abimelech. And
Jotham appears to go along with this in how he reasons.
Jdg 9:19 If you have done what is true and right with Jerubbaal and with
his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech and let him also rejoice in
you-
As discussed on :18, Jotham implies that the right thing would have
been to appoint one of Gideon's legitimate sons as king in his place. For
he keeps on about how they should have treated his family / house far
differently than they had. Doing what was "true and right" is a quotation
from Josh. 24:14, where doing this involved quitting idolatry; which they
evidently hadn't done (:4). So although Jotham reveals much human
reasoning, his heart was very much with Yahweh rather than Baal worship.
Jdg 9:20 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 end result would be self destruction, of the kind which had
characterized his father Gideon's great victory against the Midianites.
Fire coming out of a thorn bush uses the very words of Ex. 22:6; and the
one who did that was to make restitution and bear guilt. Jotham was aware
of Bible verses and yet not all of his reasoning was completely spiritual.
Jdg 9:21 Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, for
fear of Abimelech his brother-
Beer may be Beeroth in Benjamin's highlands (Josh. 9:17). Often the
Bible leaves us with limited information about a person, such as Jotham,
and we are to imagine how his life in exile ended, and whether, given the
evidence we have, he held on in faith or not. We hear no more of
Jotham. He was in the right, others were in the wrong; he was badly
treated as were his family. He bravely and cleverly made his appeal to
avoid the destruction of God's people, but his appeal went unheard. God
worked to prove him right in the long term, for the inspired historian
concludes that Jotham's words were fulfilled by God (:56,57). Yet he lived
out his days in obscurity although, we can imagine, with the Lord. For his
appeal was really to trust God as their king and not man. He is like so
many, who live out their lives in obscurity having done the right thing,
having held to God's way, were unappreciated and suffered for it. Awaiting
a future reward.
Jdg 9:22 Abimelech was prince over Israel for three years-
It appears to have been in this period that he judged Israel
and saved them from their enemies (Jud. 10:1), although he had not been a
very spiritual person before that. The implication really is that he must
have repented to some degree. All we read about is of his rise and
fall, not his rulership "over Israel". Or it could be that the record here
is written to reflect Abimelech's perspective. He imagined himself as king
over all Israel when he only controlled Shechem and Ophrah. Ophrah,
Arumah, Mount Zalmon, Beer and Thebez are all close together in the same
region. We note he is called prince, not king. Unlike the other judges,
Abimelech doesn't judge / save, he simply reigns and is made king (:6).
Jdg 9:23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem,
and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech-
Although God created the division between Israel and Judah as a punishment
for their apostasy (cp. how He gave Egypt and the Shechemites a spirit of
disunity likewise, Is. 19:1,2,14; Jud. 9:23), God never essentially
recognized that division; for there was one Israel, one body. But
division
is indeed a sign of Divine judgment upon a community. Their hearts had
been inclined (by God) to follow him (:3; the same Hebrew phrase is in 1
Kings 11:3; Ps. 119:36; 141:4). But just as God inclined the hearts of the
men of Shechem to follow Abimelech (Jud. 9:3), so now He put an evil
spirit / attitude of mind between them and Abimelech. Clearly God can work
directly upon the human heart according to His will. This is the basis of
the way that the evil spirit (from the Lord) and the holy spirit work upon
the hearts of men. However, the 'evil spirit' is 'sent'
from God. Quite possibly here a specific Angel / spirit is referenced;
just as in 1 Kings 22 an Angel is sent forth as a deceptive spirit, to
seduce Ahab to go and die at Ramoth. Here too there is deception- Zebul
tries to deceive Abimelech (:31), Zebul tricks Gaal... and the end result
is judgment upon the men of Shechem and Abimelech.
Jdg 9:24 so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might
be avenged, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother
who killed them, and on the men of Shechem who helped him to kill his
brothers-
God punished this massacre by putting a divided attitude in the
hearts of those responsible, so that they killed each other. Just as He
had destroyed the Midianites in the time of Gideon. Turning people against
themselves is a common way God has brought about destruction of those
under judgment; so division is indeed a sign of Divine judgment upon a
community.
Jdg 9:25 The men of Shechem set an ambush for him on the tops of the
mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way. This was reported
to Abimelech-
They didn't catch Abimelech himself, but robbed others. The division
and falling out between Abimelech and the men of Shechem was revealed in
the way they took to highway robbery, apparently against Abimelech's wish,
and refused his authority. The mountain top road would have been that
between Shechem and Ophrah, Gideon's town, which Abimelech would have
treated now as his own, seeing he had slain all Gideon's sons and Jotham
was in exile. Again we marvel at the internal corroboration of the
Biblical records.
Jdg 9:26 Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to
Shechem, and the men of Shechem put their trust in him-
Gaal, "loathing", was son of a slave. He may well have been a local
Canaanite. That the men of Shechem wanted such a man as their leader says
much about them.
We note that Jotham accuses Abimelech's mother of having also
been a servant of Gideon.
Jdg 9:27 They went out into the field and harvested their vineyards, trod
the grapes and held a festival, and went into the house of their god, ate
and drank and cursed Abimelech-
We note how pagan worship was associated with eating and drinking
wine, getting drunk. The church at Corinth mixed Christianity and paganism
to the extent that the breaking of bread service was turned into a time of
feasting and getting drunk.
Jdg 9:28 Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem,
that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his
officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but why should we
serve Abimelech?-
The idea may be, 'Who is Abimelech to rule over Shechem. We may as well serve Hamor the Gentile who was the first owner of Shechem (Gen. 34:2)'. Or we can take "Shechem" as a reference to Zebul. GNB suggests: "Gaal said, "What kind of men are we in Shechem? Why are we serving Abimelech? Who is he, anyway? The son of Gideon! And Zebul takes orders from him, but why should we serve him? Be loyal to your ancestor Hamor, who founded your clan!". In this case, Gaal is appealing to the men of Shechem to serve the descendants of the Gentile Hamor, rather than a foreigner like Abimelech. The implication would be that Gaal is a descendant of Hamor. Possibly Gaal is saying that Gideon and Zebul were servants to Hamor, the ancient father of the town of Shechem (Gen. 34), whereas it was about time that Shechem became independent. They should no longer be under the thumb of Abimelech, through his servant Zebul whom he had appointed over the city (:30). Or he may mean 'Let us show our loyalty to ancient Hamor who founded this city, whom Jacob's sons wickedly destroyed- and I will be your leader, and let us shake off the yoke of the sons of Jacob'. This would make sense if indeed Gaal was a Canaanite and not an Israelite, and the population of Shechem was largely Canaanite.
Jdg 9:29 If only this people were under my hand! Then I would remove
Abimelech. He said to Abimelech, Increase your army and come out!-
These things may all have been said whilst drunk (:27,28). Abimelech
was apparently not in Shechem at the time, having left Zebul to govern
Shechem (:30,31).
Jdg 9:30 When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son
of Ebed, his anger was kindled-
We wonder if Zebul was also in the idol temple, and heard these words
himself there (:27,38). Abimelech and his men are not portrayed as exactly
spiritual people.
Jdg 9:31 He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly saying, Look, Gaal the
son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and they are inciting
the city against you-
"Secretly" could be “in Tormah”, the name of a place, perhaps another
name for Arumah in :41. For Abimelech was clearly not living in Shechem.
Jdg 9:32 Now therefore, go up by night, you and the people who are with
you, and lie in wait in the field-
"Up by night" is the same words as found in the Divine command to his
father Gideon, to "arise" by night and attack the Midianites (Jud. 7:9).
But he was only imitating his father on a surface level; see on :34.
Jdg 9:33 In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you can rise early and
rush on the city, and when he and the people who are with him come out
against you, then may you do to them as you see fit-
The battle strategy of Abimelech, setting an ambush (Jud. 9:32),
rising early and rushing upon the city of his one time brethren (Jud.
9:33), was replicated by the Israelites in Jud. 20:37. The same Hebrew
words are used. But it was a case of copying an example just because it
was recorded in Divine history, following precedents which were in fact
not at all good. Hollow imitation of the behaviour of others is an abiding
temptation for us today.
Jdg 9:34 Abimelech and all the people who were with him got up by night
and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies-
We get the impression he was trying to imitate his father Gideon, who
made an attack upon the Midianites in three companies at night, having
been bidden arise or 'get up' by night (s.w. Jud. 7:9). And he certainly
imitates Gideon in :48. But he was totally missing the point- he was
trying to make a cardboard copy of another man's faith, following only the
externalities, without Gideon's faith and humility. His
failure to exactly follow his father is perhaps shown in the fact he had
four companies whereas Gideon had three.
Jdg 9:35 Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the
gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him got up
from the ambush-
The men of Shechem had earlier tried to ambush Abimelech, and now he
ambushes them- continuing the theme of wicked men destroying themselves.
Jdg 9:36 When Gaal saw the people he said to Zebul, Look, people are
coming down from the tops of the mountains. Zebul said to him, You are
seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men-
This may be as if to say to Gaal 'you're drunk, you're not seeing
straight'. Perhaps Zebul remained in a drunken stupor for some days after
the massive drinking session of :27. Zebul was trying to
lull Gaal into a false sense of security, by saying that the approaching
soldiers he thinks he sees are in fact just mountain shadows. We enquire
why we have this detail of the conversation. Possibly we are to connect it
with Abimelech's claim to be a man in whose shadow others could dwell
(:15). Shechem is located beneath the shadows of Abimelech's men.
And it will mean only the fire of destruction for Shechem- just as Jotham
had prophesied.
Jdg 9:37 Gaal spoke again and said, Look, people are coming down by the
middle of the land, and one company is coming by the way of the oak of
Meonenim-
Oaks are usually associated with idolatry in the Hebrew Bible.
"Meonenim" is the word for magician, sorcerer etc. These pagan place names
should have been removed and renamed. Even in secular history, a new
entity which comes to power renames the previous cities and streets, to
eradicate the memory of the philosophy, history and culture which they
have replaced. The USSR did this when they took over the republics. But
Israel just didn't do this in the land- because they themselves believed
in the idols of those whom Yahweh had given them victory over. We
see here the Baal worshippers divided against themselves. Abimelech
approaches from a pagan point of worship, assuming he would have blessing
for doing so. And the men of Shechem are worshippers of Baal Berith. This
is the kind of mutual destruction foretold by Jotham.
Jdg 9:38 Then Zebul said to him, Now where is your boast when you said
‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that
you have despised? Go out now and fight with them-
This again suggests Zebul had been in the idol temple when Gaal had
made his drunken boast (:27). Abimelech and his men are not portrayed as
exactly spiritual people.
Jdg 9:39 Gaal went out before the men of Shechem and fought with
Abimelech-
Gaal going "before the men of Shechem" suggests he got his brief
moment of power and leadership which he had so craved- but just for a
morning.
Jdg 9:40 Abimelech chased him and he fled from him, and many fell wounded,
up to the entrance of the gate-
The same phrase is in 1 Chron. 5:22: "For there fell many slain
[wounded], because the war was of God". This was indeed "of God", but it
doesn't make Abimelech thereby righteous. He was used to judge the
Canaanites living in Shechem and their would be leader Gaal, and perhaps
that is one of the ways in which Abimelech was a judge of Israel who saved
them from their enemies (Jud. 10:1). In this sense we see a similarity
with Samson, whose following of his own natural desires was used in order
to save Israel from their enemies.
Jdg 9:41 Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his
brothers, so that they should not dwell in Shechem-
As often in the Hebrew Bible, this is a summary of the situation, and
we will now read how this came about.
Jdg 9:42 Next day the people went out into the field and told Abimelech-
The men of Shechem who had succeeded in entering the gates of the
city of Shechem (:40) now came out into the field, where they were
attacked by Abimelech (:44). They truly hated him, and it was surely only
Abimelech's pride which was leading him to punish them like this. See on
:40. But it's hard to understand that the Shechemites came out of
the city as if nothing had happened, when the day before they had suffered
a severe defeat. And they are again defeated by a surprise attack just as
had happened the day before. "Next day" is literally 'because of the
tomorrow'. We could read this as a second account of Abimelech’s attack on
Shechem. Or we could read "the next day" as referring to the day after the
treason of the Shechemites in :25. Or we could read "went out into the
field" to mean that civilians returned to their daily work at harvest
time- and Abimelech is thereby pictured as attacking and murdering
civilians going about their daily work. This was the kind of destructive
behaviour foretold in Jotham's parable.
Jdg 9:43 He took the people and divided them into three companies and laid
wait in the field, and when he saw the people coming out of the city, he
rose up against them and struck them-
This division of his men into three companies was exactly what his
father Gideon had done, in his legendary victory against the Midianites.
But as noted on :34,48, he was totally missing the point- he was trying to
make a cardboard copy of another man's faith, following only the
externalities, without Gideon's faith and humility.
Jdg 9:44 Abimelech and the companies that were with him rushed forward and
stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and the two companies
rushed on all who were in the field and struck them-
LXX gives "the company that was with him", singular. This sandwiching
of the enemy against their own city gate recalls the strategy used to take
Ai. But Abimelech's spirituality and imitation of the righteous, as noted
on :43, was apparently of a purely surface level nature.
Jdg 9:45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the
city and killed the people who were in it, and he beat down the city and
sowed it with salt-
This was an attempt to claim that he had executed Divine judgment
against an apostate city (Dt. 29:23), although Abimelech and Zebul were
far from righteous themselves. We note how attractive it is to men to
condemn others. The spreading of salt was likely
another surface level spiritual allusion, claiming he had devoted the city
to utter destruction to Yahweh. For strewing salt meant dedication to
Yahweh, as in Ez. 43:24.
Jdg 9:46 When all the men of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they
entered the stronghold of the house of Elberith-
Elberith was presumably a form of their god Baal Berith (:4). Their
trust in their false god was to be their destruction. Although Abimelech
was hardly spiritual, and Zebul was apparently present in the idol temple
(:27), he seems to have rejoiced in the idea of punishing them for
idolatry. And we see the same personality types amongst God's people
today.
Jdg 9:47 It was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem
were gathered together-
These "men of the tower of Shechem" were perhaps the priests; it
seems the tower was part of the pagan temple of Elberith (:46).
Jdg 9:48 Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were
with him, and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from
the trees, took it up and laid it on his shoulder, and he said to the
people who were with him, What you have seen me do, hurry and do the same!-
Abimelech here quotes the words of his father Gideon in Jud. 7:17;
and the carrying of tree branches and then rushing down from a height upon
the enemy recalls Gideon with his three companies of men holding pitchers.
See on :34. The way Abimelech made his men "cut down branches from
the trees" alludes to Jotham's parable of the trees. The trees were cut
down and burnt by Abimelech stirring up the people to do so. Zalmon means
shadow, and according to the parable, Abimelech had bidden the men of
Shechem come beneath his shadow. But the end result would be Shechem's
destruction and also Abimelech's. "Shoulder" is the word for 'Shechem'.
Literally, Abimelech laid the branch of the damaged tree on 'his Shechem'.
He destroyed his own Shechem, his own people, just as Jotham had
predicted.
Jdg 9:49 All the people likewise each cut down his branch and followed
Abimelech, and they put them at the base of the stronghold and set the
stronghold on fire on them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem
died, about one thousand men and women-
"The people of the tower", as suggested on :47, were apparently those
committed to idolatry. "The stronghold" of idolatry is equated with the
tower (:46). This was the house of Millo which was to be destroyed by
Abimelech's fire (:20). Their destruction by fire would have been designed
by Abimelech as some kind of destruction of the apostate as required by
the law of Moses, as if he were Joshua conquering Canaan and burning the
cities of the Canaanites. But Abimelech's spirituality comes over as so
compromised that it was merely a surface level imitation of the true.
Jdg 9:50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and
took it-
Abimelech had an apparent run of success, and it led him to think he
was invincible. This is seen so often amongst men; from sports stars to
evangelists to businessmen. The Biblical histories are all so absolutely
psychologically credible, unlike the uninspired histories of the time.
He presumably attacked Thebez to slightly increase his tiny empire
of a few villages which he considered his 'reigning over Israel'.
Jdg 9:51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and
women of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and went up to the
roof of the tower-
Abimelech assumed that as he had destroyed the tower in Shechem so he
could that in Thebez. See on :50. Maybe Thebez had also been subject to
Abimelech but had likewise rebelled against his authority.
Jdg 9:52 Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near
to the door of the tower to burn it with fire-
I suggested on :49 that destruction by fire would have been designed
by Abimelech as some kind of destruction of the apostate as required by
the law of Moses, as if he were Joshua conquering Canaan and burning the
cities of the Canaanites. But Abimelech's spirituality comes over as so
compromised that it was merely a surface level imitation of the true. He
felt that because he was punishing apostacy with fire, he was himself
invincible; and therefore he was judged harshly. And we see such things
amongst the children of God today.
Jdg 9:53 A woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and broke his
skull-
This obviously was a fulfilment of the seed of the woman hitting the
seed of the serpent upon the head (Gen. 3:15). And yet Abimelech had been
about to burn her to death for supposed apostacy. We also note that a man
who ended up judged like this was also used as a judge / saviour of Israel
(Jud. 10:1). Milling was the work of women (Mt. 24:41), so like
Jael, she grabbed whatever was handy and used it- although it's unclear
whether she did this "for the Lord" as Thebez [possibly Tirzah 6 miles
north of Shechem] may well have been in Gentile hands as was Shechem.
Abimelech had broken down Shechem (:45), just as now his skull was
'broken'. Again, Jotham's words came true. What Abimelech did to Shechem
was done to him.
Jdg 9:54 Then he called hastily to the young man who carried his armour
and said to him, Draw your sword and kill me, so that men will not say of
me, ‘A woman killed him’. His young man thrust him through and he died-
Saul's armourbearer would not slay Saul because he was Yahweh's
anointed king. Although Abimelech claimed to be king, and was accepted by
some as king, he clearly was not recognized as king by God nor his own
people. We note that the first, or possibly the next, king
of Israel met his end likewise, asking his servant to kill him (2 Sam.
1:9). Saul is thus made to be a failed king of Israel just as Abimelech
was. Abimelech is indeed remembered for having been slain by a woman, both
in this record in Judges 9, and in 2 Sam. 11:18-21. What he greatly feared
came upon him, as it will upon all whom God rejects. He who slew his
brothers on a stone is killed by a stone.
Jdg 9:55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead they departed
each man to his place-
The tower was not burnt with fire, because it was God's intention
that Abimelech should do this to Shechem- not Thebez (:20). And so Thebez
was not burnt as Abimelech had intended.
Jdg 9:56 Thus God rewarded the wickedness of Abimelech which he did to his
father, in killing his seventy brothers-
Sometimes the Biblical record is vague, other times exact. This
reflects how God is not seeking to cover His back against critics. He is
of an altogether higher nature than that. There are times when the Spirit
uses very approximate numbers rather than exact ("about the space of four
hundred and fifty years", Acts 13:20 cp. 1 Kings 6:1). The reference to
"seventy" in Judges 9:56 also doesn't seem exact, for Jotham escaped out
of the 70. Seven and a half years
(2 Sam. 2:11) becomes "seven years" (1 Kings 2:11); three months and ten
days (2 Chron. 36:9) becomes "three months" (2 Kings 24:8). And 1 Kings
7:23 gives the circumference of the laver as “thirty cubits”, although it
was ten cubits broad. Taking ‘pi’ to be 3.14, it is apparent that the
circumference would have been 31.4 cubits; but the Spirit says, summing
up, “thirty”.
Jdg 9:57 and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God repaid on their
heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal-
As noted on :55, the tower of Thebez was therefore not burnt with
fire, because it was God's intention that Abimelech should do this to
Shechem- not Thebez (:20). And so Thebez was not burnt as Abimelech had
intended.
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