Judges 9:16-21 Fire Smoldered

 16Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he deserves— 17for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian, 18but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother— 19if you have acted faithfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.

20But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

21Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.

“Jotham raised this just for the sake of argument. He didn’t believe that 68 of his brothers were murdered for the sake of truth and sincerity.

b. Because he is your brother: The real reason the men of Shechem supported Abimelech was because he was their brother. Abimelech’s mother, though only a maidservant to Gideon, was from Shechem. Abimelech probably grew up in Shechem (Judges 8:31).” (Guzik)

“Abimelech’s mother is called a ‘slave girl’, a term usually referring to a wife’s servant who is also a concubine, such as Hagar or Bilhah.” (Wolf)

“The prophecy of Jotham was not to be immediately fulfilled. The fire smoldered for three years but at last manifested itself.” (Morgan)

When I read Morgan’s quote I can’t help to see a similarity to sin. 

The thought of sin begins with an ember in our mind, “the fire smoldered” until we allow and succumb to it, and “at last manifested itself”. 

But there is hope in Jesus Christ!

1 John 3: 5But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. 

Thank you for allowing me to send you this devotional because I’m not sinless but by doing them it brings me closer to Jesus and helps me sin less.

Please keep my wife in your prayers, she lost her cousin two weeks ago to lung cancer, this last weekend her aunt passed away (last of that generation, her mother’s sister) and her stepmother is in hospice and not expected to last long.

Blessings 

Judges 9:6 King of all kings!

 6All the men of Shechem and all of [a]Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak (terebinth) of the pillar (memorial stone) at Shechem.

“It is almost hard to tell who was worse; Abimelech who did the murdering, or the men of Shechemwho approved of it. This was an ungodly leader given to an ungodly people, who first rejected God’s leadership over the nation and then embraced a cruel and brutal man.” (Guzik)

Beth Millo: “The word millo derives from a verb meaning ‘to be filled’, and originally referred to a rampart or earthwork; but its association with fortifications may have developed into a reference to fortresses generally. Thus Beth-millo may be identical with the tower of Shechem.” (Cundall)

“Ironically, Abimelech’s coronation took place at the same tree where Joshua had solemnly placed a copy of the law of God (Joshua 24:26). The law was right there, but Israel refused to read or heed it.” (Guzik)

Nevertheless, Abimelech became the first person ever to be crowned king in Israel. His abortive rule, however, ran roughshod over the divine requirements for that office.” (Wolf)

“The associations of such sites were very tenacious and it is of interest to note that Rehoboam went to Shechem, following the death of Solomon, to secure the acclimation of the Israelites although the city itself was in ruins at the time (1 Kings 12:1, 25).” (Cundall)

Brethren as Christians and followers of Christ were not supposed to put our trust in earthly kings but instead, put our trust in the King of Kings!

Psalm 148: 11kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth,

12young men and maidens,

old and young together.

13Let them praise the name of the LORD,

for His name alone is exalted;

1 Timothy 6:15 For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Revelation 19: 16And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Is He your King of all kings and Lord of all lords?

Blessings 

Judges 9:4-5 Blood

 4So they gave him seventy shekels of silverb from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him. 5He went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.

“The relatives of Abimelech on his mother’s side gave him some “start-up money” to establish his leadership. He did this, but in a way that they never imagined - he hired worthless and reckless mento kill all his brothers, making certain there would never be a challenger to his leadership.” (Guzik)

From the temple of Baal-Berith: Abimelech received his pay from the temple dedicated to Baal. “A work begun under the name and influence of the devil is not likely to end to the glory of God, or to the welfare of man.” (Clarke)

With the support of his brothers on his mother’s side Abimelech killed 70 step brothers who were heirs to the throne. Who will the Lord raise up to right this wrong and avenge the blood 🩸 of his brothers crying out from the ground as Able did when Cain slew him?

Genesis 4:10 The LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice]. AMP

I am reminded by Hebrews 10: 30For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE [retribution and the deliverance of justice rest with Me], I WILL REPAY [the wrongdoer].” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” 31It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath]. AMP

If you have been wronged and haven’t received justice in the courts, remember one day the Lord will judge the living and the dead.

Blessings 

Judges 9:1-3 Sibling Rivalry

 1Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother, 2“Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”

3And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

“Abimelech was the son of Jerubbaal (another name for Gideon given in Judges 8:35), but he was not the clear successor to his father’s place of leadership. This was for two reasons: God had not established a hereditary monarchy in Israel, and there were sixty-nine other sons of Gideon (Judges 8:30) who might also want to succeed their father.”

“At the city of Shechem, Abimelech convinced his brothers on his mother’s side to support him as king over his brothers on his father’s (Gideon’s) side. So, the men of Shechem agreed to accept Abimelech as the new leader - perhaps even the king - of Israel.” (Guzik)

“The reference to the men of Shechem (Judges 9:2) is literally ‘the baals of Shechem’, the word having here its original meaning of ‘lord’ or ‘owner’.” (Cundall)

Sibling Rivalry 

In just three verses we study the beginnings of a murder plot to become king! Look back to this verse:

Judges 8: 30Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives. 31His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him 

Abimelech.

It’s difficult enough for two brothers from one mother to see eye to eye let alone seventy brother’s from many mothers!

Have you ever experienced sibling rivalry?

Blessings 

Judges 8:33-35 covenant god!

 32Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.

34The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.

“In a sense, Israel served the memory of Gideon well, especially the Gideon of his later years. By serving Baal, Israel said, “What really matters is money and success,” and in this they followed the example of Gideon in his later years.”

“The name Baal-Berith means “Baal of the Covenant.” The Israelites sadly regarded Baal as their covenant god.” (Guzik)

Covenant god!

Boy oh boy, no wonder why that anger the Lord. I’m a history buff and enjoy documentaries about history. And if we examine history, “mankind” has been doing this to the Lord worldwide since creation. Man has disregarded the Lord and replaced Him for some other god!

The perfect example is the United States! If you examine our history and the reasons our country was founded verses today, we’ve done a 180 removed the Lord from our government and schools and replaced Him for the covenant god of (_______) fill in the blank.

I fear we are headed for a similar fate of the Israelites in the time of Judges.

Dear Heavenly Father, I lift up our country and pray for a revival. Please touch our hearts and draw us back to You. In the name of Jesus I pray 🙏, amen.

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/who-Baal.html

Judges 8:30-32 Keeping the Faith, Finished the Race!

 30Gideon had seventy sons of his own,e since he had many wives. 31His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

Gideon’s Death

32Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

“a. Whose name he called Abimelech: The name Abimelech means, “My father, a king.” It is the kind of name that a king himself would bear. It seems that Gideon intended that his son would become the leader of Israel after Gideon himself was gone.

b. Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age: Through his career, we see Gideon as a man who slipped from great heights of faith to a place of outright apostasy and rebellion against God. We could say that Gideon handled adversity better than success. Success, riches, and prominence brought him down.

i. It isn’t enough for us to begin well with God. We must continue on throughout our whole Christian life. Gideon, in his later years, had to look back to see anything done for God. All those works were in the past.” (Guzik)

Keeping the Faith, Finished the Race!

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error].

Paul’s comments about finishing the race and keeping the faith is my hope and dream that I can finish well before I go home to heaven. I suspect if I had the successes and riches that Gideon had I would have fared no different!

How would you handle success, riches, and prominence?

Blessings

Judges 8:28-29 Lust

 28In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon, 29and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.

“Regarding the security of the nation, Gideon’s rule as a judge over Israel was a success. Yet in many ways he was a spiritual failure.

b. For he had many wives: A harem was not only a reflection of a man’s inability to control his sexual lust, it was also a way for him to proudly express his wealth, by saying “Look at all the wives and children I can support.”

i. The Old Testament never directly condemns polygamy (though the New Testament does in Matthew 19:4-6 and 1 Timothy 3:2). Yet the Old Testament shows the bitter fruit of polygamy. The stories of polygamous families in the Old Testament (such as with Jacob or David) are the stories of conflict and crisis.” (Guzik)

As a man I can say lust is a tool of the devil and it’s hard to control. We are bombarded with sexual images in advertising, movies and even while in public. The internet has brought the scourge of pornography into homes and it has destroyed many families. Recently in the news, was a football coach that was fired from a $85M job because he acted inappropriately with a female sexual abuse survivor on the telephone.

If you can’t control your lust or are addicted to pornography seek godly counseling, remove and disconnect the devices that provide access to your addiction.

Dear Heavenly Father, open our eyes to any behaviors that are displeasing to You and to all that are struggling with an addiction help them break the chains of bondage. For those that are in recovery, please keep them strong and addiction free. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Blessings