March 17, 2010 Judges 8-9

Happy St.Patrick's Day! Today I'm thinking green and the bible passage refers to trees, these are 300 years old.

The Ephraimites were angry with Gideon because he didn't ask for their help. He paid them complements which appeased them somewhat. Gideon's army was hungry and exhausted and kept going to find and kill the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. The crossed the Jordan and in Succoth he asked the people for food for his troops, but they wouldn't give it to them. He said they would regret that. They went on to Peniel and made the same request and got the same answer. Gideon told them that they too would be sorry. They caught the two kings and on the way back ran into a guy from Succoth. Gideon had him write down the names of the 70 men in charge who had refused to help Gideon. When they got back to Succoth, Gideon had the 70 men rounded up and whipped with thorny briars. After that he tore down the tower of the town and killed the men. At Peniel he tore down the tower and killed the men. Gideon told his young son to kill the two kings of Midian, but he couldn't so Gideon did. The Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but Gideon told them that God would rule over them. Gideon asked the people to give him an earring each from their plunder. He made an ephod (the square chest plate like the priest wore in the tabernace) from the gold and put it in his home town Ophrah and everyone started to worship that (not good.) With Midian subdued forty years of peace were enjoyed.

Gideon had 70 sons - he had many wives. One of them was named Abimalech. Gideon died at a ripe old age and was buried in his fathers tomb. When Gideon died the people forgot God and worshiped Baal, and they weren't grateful to Gideon's family to honor all he had done for them.

Abimalech asked his family to ask the people whether they wanted 70 rulers (all Gideon's sons) or just him? Everyone (even his brothers) said he should be in charge. Abimalech killed his brothers and the people crowned him king. Jotham, one of the brothers escaped, ran up the hill and shouted to the people a parable of trees. Jotham told them that they had betrayed his family and Gideon and if they had acted honorably they would be happy, if not they would burn. Then he ran to Beer for safety.

After 3 years God intervened and made the people of Shechem rise up to destroy Abimalech to avenge the murder of the 70 sons of his servant Gideon. Abimalech fought the people of Shechem in the fields outside the city. When the people inside the tower in the city heard of this, they retreated into the temple stronghold. When Abimalech heard this he had his men light a fire to burn the people. He did the same thing at a city called Thebez, this time the people were in the tower and when Abimalech came forward to light the fire a woman dropped a rock on his head and cracked his skull. He asked his servant to kill him because he didn't want a woman to kill him so the servant killed him. When the Israelites saw that Abimalech was dead they went home. Jotham's curse had come true.

Tomorrow read Judges 10-13