three thousand men of Judah! about a thousand men and women ( Judges 9:49 ). The Parable of the Trees: Intro (Judges 9:8-15) I doubt that any believer, without inspiration, would have felt it desirable to write that verse, and many more, as God has done it. Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mothers brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mothers father, saying, Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember that I am your own flesh and bone. And his mothers brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.. . Such is the blinding power of sin; for was he ignorant of her vileness or of his own danger? go out, now, and fight with them ( Judges 9:29-38 ). The day may come when nobody appears to lend you a helping hand. and they said unto the olive tree, reign thou over us; a fit emblem of a good man, endowed with excellent virtues and qualifications for good, as David king of Israel, who is compared to such a tree, Psalm 52:8, Jarchi applies this to Othniel the first judge; but it may be better applied to Gideon, an excellent good man, full of fruits of righteousness, and eminently useful, and to whom kingly government was offered, and was refused by him; and the men of Shechem could scarcely fail of thinking of him, and applying it to him, as Jotham was delivering his fable. In the instance before us it was an extraordinary Nazariteship, stretching through the whole life. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech: We can be certain that God will repay wickedness, either in this life or the life to come. i. It seems therefore that the two extremes of moral weakness and of outward strength find each its height in this extraordinary character. It does not matter what the line taken may be, no good end will ever be owned by God unless the way be according to His word and righteousness. Abimelech slew his brethren on one stone, either by dashing them from one rock, or sacrificing them on one stone altar, in revenge for the demolition of Baal's altar by their father. Web1. Judges 18:1-31 shows that the moral condition, especially of the priest-Levite, was as bad as the religious state. My object being no more than a sketch, as most of you know, I desire to say but a few words on such of the chapters as bear a similar character to that which has been already pointed out in the early portion of the book. is not this the people that you have despised? So Abimelech chased him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even to the entering of the gate. (Judges 15:4-5). Nevertheless we learn even from the lowest He deigned to work by that, while doubtless there was a most humiliating condition in Israel, God's rights were maintained for His people. And Jotham ran away, and he fled, to Beer, and dwelt there, for the fear of Abimelech his brother. Because he is your brother: The real reason the men of Shechem supported Abimelech was because he was their brother. Thus Christ triumphed over the powers of darkness that shouted against him, as if they had him in their power. See what great swelling words of vanity he speaks (Judges 9:15; Judges 9:15), what promises he makes to his faithful subjects: Let them come and trust in my shadow: a goodly shadow to trust in! The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. God was in none of their thoughts. WebGod split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived: This is an example of the principle that Gods work, done Gods way, will always be provided for by God. "And the Spirit of Jehovah" to some minds a marvellous fact under the circumstances "came mightily upon him." . The circumstances also were highly remarkable. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. When he approached the vineyards of Timnah, he saw a roaring young lion attacking him. "And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And when all of the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they had entered into the fortress of the house that god Berith. And Samson called unto Jehovah, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." From the top of Gerizim you can call down in the valley and they can hear you quite plainly, sort of a natural amphitheater. . The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). Not so: they took the insult patiently; and these were persons who were called to be the witnesses of earthly righteousness. And he said to them: Listen to me, you men of Shechem, These verses contain the interpretation of the fable. Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. But there is one thing that God's Spirit always assumes the perfect goodness and the unswerving holiness of God. The object of the king of Ammon was to put the children of Israel in the wrong. Jotham, the brother who escaped, warned the Shechemites in a parable of the trouble they would bring upon themselves. Gaal . I do not myself doubt that it was put in the broadest way. He had far too often made a wretched use of them in times that were past; and even now, in spite of the work of God in his soul, was there nothing weightier, was there nothing deeper, was there nothing to lament over more than the loss of those two eyes? This again leads to a bitter vengeance of the Philistines on those of Timnath who had served him so ill the very fate befalling them at last, to escape which at first the woman had lent herself to the basest treachery. 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 What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. 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). 1. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and Groom? We should each consider if God is warning us about something in the present time. So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him. communed . Those whose extraction and education are ever so high know not to what difficulties and straits they may be reduced. Once allow your soul to be sullied by judging those living oracles, and real faith in the Bible is gone as far as you are concerned. For "the righteous Lord loveth righteousness"; and in its measure it is very striking to see the way in which this came out even in the case of the worldly uncircumcised enemy. Great merits often meet with very ill returns. Could they therefore suppose that such a low-born, uneducated, cruel, and murderous man, could be a proper protector, or a humane governor? They had no faith in the promise on God's part to Abraham or to his seed. Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon follow. WebWhen the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, his cords were loosed: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and those are free indeed who are thus set free. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. III. * Yet there is little reason to suppose that the exile of the land means Shalmaneser's, but rather under the Philistines; for it was merely all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. Moreover they spontaneously burst into flames in hot weather and sometimes caused much damage consequently (Judges 9:15). b. 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. c. Let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem: Jothams warning to the men of Shechem was that their unwise choice would come back to hurt them. O what a mercy it is to have God to take care of our walk! Judges 9 . And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves." And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows who followed him. The prophecy of Jotham was not to be immediately fulfilled. The ruin of Christianity was when two systems so distinct got confounded. 5 Samson went down to Timnah. When a suitable occasion arose and Abimelech was in another town, a group of Shechemites plotted to overthrow him. You may be tried; but be assured that you will be helped out of the trial. 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. You can also change some of your preferences. And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably." So says he: "When Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh, then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land; but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. We have nothing like a Moses in Samson. Commonly, it is only a matter of time until the same violence is turned against those who helped him come to power. And then said Zebul unto him, Okay where's your mouth now, and you said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? He was the power of God and the wisdom of God; but what shall we say of His obedience on the one hand, and on the other of His patience? 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. Salem Media Group. It is no mere external sign for us who know the Lord Jesus. To Samson, as we see, it was far different. In them Jotham points out the base ingratitude of the people in raising Abimelech upon the ruin of Gideons house, and foretells the retribution which would fall upon both parties. So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait: Abimelech agreed with and followed the plan suggested by Zebul. The consequence was that he allowed himself to be drawn into an ambush, was defeated, the city of Shechem destroyed and strewn with salt. Is it not increasingly true that we can go no lower, whether we look at the people of God or the last deliverer in the book of Judges? But we must look a little into the great principles of divine truth that meet us in weighing the history of Samson. (Judges 11:1-40). Samson felt it easier to die for His name than to live thus in Philistia. No way. Abimelech came quickly and put down the rebellion (34-41).But Abimelech did not stop at that. 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." Verse by Verse Commentaries Undoubtedly the desire of his own importance and aggrandizement is but too manifest; but when he enters upon the service itself, he not only takes care that the right should be felt by Israel to be indisputably with them, but that this should be known and pressed on the conscience of his adversary. If God permits him for a season to do his own will, what shame and pain he must reap ere long! "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. Not till they desired a king like the nations. Ah! And be assured that if the people of God fail in their responsibility to God, they are not to be trusted elsewhere. Furthermore we can see what had become of Shechem (cf. . [Note: For parallels to this fable in ancient Near Eastern literature, see W. C. van Wyk, "The Fable of Jotham in its Ancient Near Eastern Setting," in Studies in Wisdom Literature, pp. (Compare Judges 14:15 with Judges 15:6.) 22. In all ordinary cases a Nazarite was one who had taken a peculiar vow of separation to God, but lasting only for a short time. b. Now they could deal with guilty Benjamin. WebGod tells us every human life has value. His abortive rule, however, ran roughshod over the divine requirements for that office. (Wolf), ii. And shall I leave my sweetness, saith the fig-tree, and my good fruit (Judges 9:11; Judges 9:11), and go to be promoted over the trees? When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused: Zebul, the city manager on behalf of Abimelech, told Abimelech all about Gaal and this rebellion. (1-3) God tells Gideon to tell all his soldiers who are afraid to go home. This was probably a stone used to grind grain by hand. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains! But Zebul said to him, You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men. So Gaal spoke again and said, See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners Terebinth Tree. Then Zebul said to him, Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Are not these the people whom you despised? Let us not forget that we have got a nature exempt from nothing we deplore in Samson, and the person that does not believe it may live to prove it, especially if a believer, who should know himself better; whilst he who does take it home to his soul is thereby enabled to judge himself by the Spirit before God. This certainly stimulated him though I am far from insinuating no better underneath. The result in the type alas! And so he's lying there and he says to his armourbearer, "Quick, thrust me through. Samson stands alone; of Israel none with him, as with the others before him. Should I cease giving my oil, "Thus saith Jephthah," was his answer, "Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon." Therefore is it explained with great care. WebCommentary, explanation and study verse by verse. The end of the book and it is important to make this remark consists of an appendix. After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers. Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem--The idolatry which had been stealthily On the other hand, is there not real beauty in the obscurity in which Scripture treats a matter so painful? 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? . says Jephthah, "Jehovah God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?" So his father went down unto the women: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do." 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. So, the men of Shechem agreed to accept Abimelech as the new leader perhaps even the king of Israel. Still the overt thing to Samson seems to have been that they were his enemies. They took it quietly, and passed along their way. The allusion is far more probably to the use of thorns for fuel: Exodus 22:6, If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn . What an opinion he had of them! The Shechemites who supported him were also destroyed, as Jotham had predicted (50-57). This makes their behaviour the more remarkable here. The fig-tree must lose its sweetness, its sweet retirement, sweet repose, and sweet conversation and contemplation, if it go to be promoted over the trees, and must undergo a constant fatigue. Judges 9:1-6. Judges Commentary It was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 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. yet did he propose a most instructive riddle, which set forth justly the then condition of the people of God. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. We have seen the political confusion: here is the religious aspect of Israel so soon after entering the holy land! No way. These features reflect the authors unambiguous stance toward the nation and the characters: Israel has been totally Canaanized; Baal has contended for himself and prevailed." He could, if he had reflected, hardly expect an ox or a sheep to walk out of the house. According to our folly He may answer us, as well as withhold an answer. "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.". And this is just as true of the saint as of the man who rashly or lightly bears the name of the Lord Jesus. But no "Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron." "And it came to pass when their hearts were merry that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. The people took refuge in the stronghold, which was set on fire, and all in it perished. WebMatthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 9:8-15 Commentary on Judges 9:7-21 (Read Judges 9:7-21) There was no occasion for the trees to choose a king, they are all the Judges 15 Judges 16 Judges 17 Judges 18 Judges 19 Judges 20 Judges 21 Share Tweet Save Popular Articles. 16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18 And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) 19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 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. It was a long time, we might have justly thought, in the days of Gideon, to have known seven years' subjection; but we hear of a far longer period in the case of the Philistines, the hottest and most pertinacious of the hostile neighbours of Israel, and so much the more galling as being within their border. I have been reading/studying the Bible all my life; I am now 74 years old and in a wheelchair. There had been in ancient times a link between Ammon and Moab with the children of Israel: a cloud of dishonour and of shame overhung them; yet a link there was, and God would have this at least to be never forgotten. The way of instruction by parables is an ancient way, and very useful, especially to give reproofs by. And all of the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and they went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem. So in this rash vow says Jephthah, "it shall be that whatsoever," etc. The more you read and the more you live the Word the more you gain confidence in the Word and in your life. Go out, if you will, and fight with them now. So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. For the people of Shechem, even a secure tower could not protect them. There was the plainest proof of what God could be, even where there was but one man to work by; but this very fact showed to what a depth was Israel now sunk. The 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 cedars of Lebanon. 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. 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. Yet they rejected the warning of God, and therefore came to ruin. Jotham did not go about to raise an army out of the other cities of Israel (in which, one would think, he might have made a good interest for his father's sake), to avenge his brethren's death, much less to set up himself in competition with Abimelech, so groundless was the usurper's suggestion that the sons of Gideon aimed at dominion (Judges 9:2; Judges 9:2); but he contents himself with giving a faithful reproof to the Shechemites, and fair warning of the fatal consequences.