judges 9:8 15 explanation

"And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines, and he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife" (Judges 14:1-20). Difficulties, where they exist for us, would only exercise faith in God. One of these, Abimelech, was not a full-blooded Israelite, for his mother was a Shechemite. came with his brethren . After this bold warning he ran away and fled for fear of his life. WebJudges 9:8-15 : Trees Choosing a King Study King James Version | 8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over For a good useful man some would even dare to die. Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem--The idolatry which had been stealthily For objections against scripture are always the creation of unbelief. with all the family of the house of his mother's father--Here is a striking instance of the evils of polygamy--one son has connections and interests totally alien to those of his brothers. He not only turned with the grossest insults on their speech, but fell on themselves, and slew at the passage of Jordan forty and two thousand men of one of the chief tribes of Israel. You come and reign over us! But, if you ignore God and just reduce this world to what you can see, you will eliminate the value of human life and be capable of heinous things. "What is this that thou hast done unto us? That those who are preferred to places of public trust and power must resolve to forego all their private interests and advantages, and sacrifice them to the good of the community. Separateness from what was allowed to an Israelite was not only commanded but made life-long in Samson's case, as I cannot but believe it significant of what was due to God in consequence of the state in which the people of God then lay. a. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower. It is not the vanity of setting up oneself as possessed of exclusive powers or special means of attaining or explaining anything; for I should distrust anyone who pretended to anything of the sort, no matter who or where he might be. i. A very reprehensible action on the part of Jerubbaal, unconscionable. Here sound decibels are rising year by year and all of the sounds that we're subjected to the sound pollution. There was another whom God would employ at a later date to destroy the power of the Philistines, a man of another spirit, and of a hand very different from Samson's. "And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. Then all the trees said to the bramble, * 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. What an honour when Israel are permitted to take up only the cause of God! The world was large enough for all. If you have the correct spirit (i.e. The king of Ammon had no just claim whatever. What courage and confidence may they not then cherish! The end of the book and it is important to make this remark consists of an appendix. This, at least, was right. [3.] He was pretty tough on these false teachers and those that would destroy faith in the heart of a child. Now the moral importance of this was immense, for if they were simply doing the will and word of God, who could stand in their way? But again, "And it came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." "And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days, saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? I do not myself doubt that it was put in the broadest way. Let none expect to do ill and fare well. However, Beer may not have been the name of a town. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion. 15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. Here he told a parable to rebuke the men of Shechem for their choice of Abimelech as a king. Their moral condition indeed was the very lowest, below nature itself, towards their deliverer. "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years." And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. Jotham gave a curse against the people of Shechem and Abimelech, because they chose Abimelech, as the new Judge or King. It may often be doubtless that we are obliged to wait, and a wholesome thing too for our souls it should be. And the fig tree said unto them, "Should I forsake my sweetness, my good fruit? Judges 9 Commentary So, heres the secret the end of Judges chapter 8 here shows us how Israel did wrong to God. Ophrah, and slew his brethren--This is the first mention of a barbarous atrocity which has, with appalling frequency, been perpetrated in the despotic countries of the East--that of one son of the deceased monarch usurping the throne and hastening to confirm himself in the possession by the massacre of all the natural or legitimate competitors. He was crucified in weakness, but rose in the power of God; but there, instead of folly, instead of shame, instead of unhallowed alliance with the enemies of God, how does unsullied perfection shine in Him of whom we boast! And if unbelief be probed home, it comes to this: it is a virtual denial of God's veracity, of His revelation, if not of His being. But the vine said to them, One test of the character of a man is to see how he treats those who disagree with him. In every point of view therefore the ground taken by Israel was solid, and could not be disputed righteously. II. what shadow or protection can there be in a bramble? Jotham, the brother who escaped, warned the Shechemites in a parable of the trouble they would bring upon themselves. This word is unique to the book and is perhaps chosen to distinguish Abimelechs ill-fated rule from that of the true judges. He reminds them of the many good services his father had done for them, Judges 9:17; Judges 9:17. It was purely human. And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? i. He made this speech from the top of Mount Gerizim, the mountain from which Israel heard the blessings of God pronounced upon the obedient (Deuteronomy 11:29 and 27:12; Joshua 8:33) about 150 years before. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man. And go to sway over trees? ii. It does not throw a veil, as man loves to do, over that which is uncomely and distressing in those that bear the name of the Lord; especially as the very object the Spirit of God has here in view is to show the frightful results of a vow so little weighed before God, not at all drawn from His guidance. But Jotham hid himself. The people, apparently confident that the matter was concluded, went out into the fields as usual to engage in their daily occupations. (Cundall). Strife between Abimelech and the Shechemites, ver. They said to the olive tree, Be our king. 9 But the olive tree answered, With the help of some worthless Shechemites, Abimelech killed all his brothers (except one who escaped) and established himself king in Shechem. 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. So, Jotham got away from them. And so in one of those instances where positions, "Okay, now where's your mouth man? Who's Abimelech? The story of Abimelech connects directly with the story of Gideon. So dangerous is apt to be the reaction against one ever so honest; the more you have trusted, when you begin to doubt, the worse it is apt to be, even with poor erring man, who knows not what a serious thing it is. They had won the land by the provoked fight which the Amorite had drawn them into. How unlike to the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, which a good magistrate is compared to! That, which they hoped would have been for their welfare, proved a snare 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. But now, as we know, the one whom he had made partner of his sin wheedled it from him that she might sell it to the Philistines. For we must remember carefully this, in looking at the dealings of God with the holy land and with His people Israel, God had always destined the land of Palestine for the chosen people. "Then the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. Not only were they in slavery, but content to be slaves, yea, traitors. 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? You've been saying who's Abimelech? Not till they desired a king like the nations. It is the perfection of the creature, giving God His place, and man his own; it is the lowliest, and withal the morally highest place for one here below, as for the angels above. And he found a new jawbone of an ass and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. Contrariwise it was courted and continued down to the captivity. Indeed, for Him to obey in such a world must have been suffering It could not be otherwise. 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. His parable is very ingenious--that when the trees were disposed to choose a king the government was offered to those valuable trees the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine, but they refused it, choosing rather to serve than rule, to do good than bear sway. In Samson's case, tested in a seemingly little sign but a sign of entire subjection to God, and this in separation from all others, it was obedience; not so in our case, where we have the highest treasure in earthen vessels, but obedience in everything, and this formed and guided by the Spirit according to the written word, now set in the fullest light, because seen in the person, and ways, and work, and glory of Christ. b. God Himself had ordered things so. 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. (1-3) God tells Gideon to tell all his soldiers who are afraid to go home. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. And the evil that he did against Gideon's sons was sort of recompensed. No doubt it was a wonderful display of physical force on the one hand; as on the other those he vanquished were the unrelenting enemies of God's people. And go to sway over trees? And so he called to Abimelech and said, Increase your army. Jehovah listens, and His angel appears to the woman, who summons her husband, when both see the angel as he repeats his message with its solemn injunction. Nevertheless, I have little doubt that, though the dying hour of Samson brought more honour to God than all his life, its manner was in itself a chastening in its character; and in this, too, may one discern a representation of the condition to which Israel had come similar to what was noticed in the life and person of Samson. b. But did he heed the lesson conveyed in the fact himself? The story of Abimelech, the men of Shechem, and Jotham shows us that there is a real and terrible price to pay for rejecting Gods warnings. The bramble is a worthless plant, not to be numbered among the trees, useless and fruitless, nay, hurtful and vexatious, scratching and tearing, and doing mischief; it began with the curse, and its end is to be burned. Bright contrast between Samson and the man that overthrew Satan on that cross where He Himself reached the very climax of weakness! He did this, but in a way that they never imagined he hired worthless and reckless men to kill all his brothers, making certain there would never be a challenger to his leadership. The ruin of Christianity was when two systems so distinct got confounded. . The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them: In the parable told by Jotham, the worthy trees (such as the olive, the fig, and the vine) didnt want to be king; but the unworthy bramble agreed to be king. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem. On human grounds there might be a just right of conquest; but all this would not do for God, who must decide everything even in the battles of His people. And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. (Judges 9:1-57), On Tola and Jair (Judges 10:1-18) we need not pause; but in Jephthah again we have solemn issues brought out But here again is found the same brand of what was worthless or untowardly in the instruments that God used in a day of declension "Jephthah the Gileadite," we are told in Judges 11:1-40, "was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot." "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. Samson is now absolutely isolated on the rock Etam. WebIn Judges 9:8-15, Jotham conveys a message about the trees speaking amongst themselves while seeking a king. The Ammonites had lost them before the children of Israel took them from others whom they might lawfully attack and despoil; but God had forbidden that the children of Israel should spoil either Ammon, or Moab, or Edom. I. One man who is your brother who comes right of Shechem, who understands your needs and all or all of the sons of Jerubbaal? a. Those whose extraction and education are ever so high know not to what difficulties and straits they may be reduced. When he approached the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. You said, you know, if he were just here I'd handle him.". (Judges 9:7-15) It is not sure whether Millo is the name of a place by Shechem or of a family. Now therefore come by night, and the people that are with you, and lie in wait in the field: And it shall be, in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then may you do to them as you find occasion. Since I understand Jotham to be a prophet, he is presumably relaying a message from God. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. "And so they came to the vine and said, "Rule over us. So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and made merry. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. God does not permit Israel, because this one or that is an enemy, to take the place of enemies to them. 11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? How often it is ourselves who make the difficulties of which the enemy greedily avails himself against our own souls and His glory! Web3 When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, He is related to us. 4 They gave him seventy shekels[ a] of All rights reserved. Now you know, they used to say of the sailors "a girl in every port." 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. WebThe bramble said to the trees, If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the Abimelech then killed all of his seventy brothers other than the youngest one of his brothers who escaped. 13). 51-53. all the men and women, . WebJudges 9:8. Gideon had about seventy sons. [2.] The last chapter of the book shows us the ways and means in which their hearts were drawn out, in order to repair the dismal gap which divine judgment had wrought in Benjamin, and indeed in Israel. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? It is in no way a carrying forward of the history. 1. It is at least certain that the whole business was heinously evil, and none the less because Micah settles down with the persuasion, "Now know I that Jehovah will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest" (ver. i. Abimelech, the son of his maidservant: Abimelechs mother is called a slave girl, a term usually referring to a wifes servant who is also a concubine, such as Hagar or Bilhah. (Wolf). But God takes means to make them feel what such a state comes to. ". 1 - 6. But that which does good to every saint and to every soul is the unqualified confidence in God and His word, which, if it does not reproduce itself in hearts purified by faith, at least deals with the consciences of all others till utterly blinded by Satan. 50 - 57. Here then we have certain facts, apart from the historic course, introduced in these words: "There was a man of mount Ephraim." We shall find too that Samson's feats of power, great as they were, in no way broke the neck of Philistine oppression. The truth of all we find in our Lord Jesus. Judah! The title of the children of Israel therefore to that land was indefeasible. Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it. is not this the people that you have despised? This would have the effect of reducing the number of travelers and caravans in such a troubled area, thus emptying the pockets of Abimelech as well as hitting as his pride, for he could not guarantee the safety of travel in his domain. (Cundall), Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. ., p. Alas! 2. They will get you Baptized. 22 - 41. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place. Most of the resources below are newer works (written after 1970) which previously were available only for purchase in book form or in a Bible computer program. Samson felt it easier to die for His name than to live thus in Philistia. Then, after many years of study people will be following you wanting what you have and you can share your secret with them. The first and gravest departure is that Jehovah could be so forgotten and so shamelessly dishonoured as to set up in His name a rival; and the more seriously it was set about, so much the worse. i. 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. This is an important principle. Still more is what follows; for God fails not to deal with us on our own ground. Still the overt thing to Samson seems to have been that they were his enemies. So Abimelech was wiped out. Yet there is a more secure tower than the tower of Shechem. But how perfectly He stood, though tried as none ever was or could be but Himself! He aggravates their unkindness to his father's family. Over there you can hear children miles away, dogs barking and so forth. But, for fear of Abimelech, he lived in exile, in some remote obscure place. JOTHAM BY A PARABLE REPROACHES THEM. We come to look at a parable, the parable of the trees. 2 Samuel 12:1-4; 2 Kings 14:9-10). Furthermore we can see what had become of Shechem (cf. And so he's lying there and he says to his armourbearer, "Quick, thrust me through. So, heres the secret the end of Judges chapter 8 here shows us how Israel did wrong to God. And its then in chapter 9 where we see the evil that Israel does to Gideons household. Now, Ill say one last thing about this section that we just read. Gideon the judge is dead. And now the people again do evil in the sight of the Lord. But the olive tree said to them, 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." If they had, as he was sure they had, dealt basely and wickedly in this matter, let them never expect to prosper, Judges 9:20; Judges 9:20. in the use of names, Jerubbaal is used throughout for Gideon, and Yahweh is referred to only by the generic Elohim. 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. And they said to the olive tree, Brambles bore no fruit and offered no shelter or protection. 22. But God reserved great things for his death. Yet they rejected the warning of God, and therefore came to ruin. They need not be at the trouble. Eastern people are exceedingly fond of parables and use them for conveying reproofs, which they could not give in any other way. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. Judges 9:10 There was at this time, as at every other, ample space for occupying here and there; and if the reason why they did not move was because they cared not for the word of God, they must take the consequences of their unbelief. Proud even in death, he then had to answer to God for his wicked actions. God's Holy Spirit of loving submission to learn) God will lead you into the correct Truth (i.e. 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." 7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. God might be said to be "cheered" by it, when the sacrifices were accepted, as He is said also to be honored by oil ( Judges 9:9 ).
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