God held even to the distant tie of connection a most striking proof and witness of the ways of our God. Reign over us! And the evil that he did against Gideon's sons was sort of recompensed. Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them. Finally, the position was offered to the bramble, which not only produced nothing of value and was quite worthless as timber, but was a positive menace to the farmer who had to wage continual war against its encroachments. (Cundall), iii. Pride, look what it would do, even when you're dying, you know. 2. (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." It was purely human. . b. But there can be no question that the course taken by the men of Israel was calculated to increase the difficulty a thousand-fold. He stands to it that they must never have an enemy unless it be God's enemy. It is in no way a carrying forward of the history. The ruin of Christianity was when two systems so distinct got confounded. The object of the king of Ammon was to put the children of Israel in the wrong. Nevetheless, Abimelech became the first person ever to be crowned king in Israel. Who doubted the unfriendliness of Moab and of Edom? WebWhen God uses men as instruments in his hand to do his work, he means one thing, and they another. 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." The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. Now they could deal with guilty Benjamin. It is the expression of the agent of divine power in no way the seal of redemption or the earnest of the inheritance, as we know Him dwelling in us now since the shedding of the blood of Jesus. Years might pass, hundreds of years roll over, but moral principles and even natural relationships do not lose their power. Verses: PREVIOUS Judges 8 NEXT rejoice in Abimelech: But if not, then let fire come forth from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and the fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech ( Judges 9:19-20 ). This, at least, was right. And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and he laid in wait in the field, and he looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; he rose up against them, and smote them. This only gains the day; for it alone is as wise and holy as it is good. Here then we have certain facts, apart from the historic course, introduced in these words: "There was a man of mount Ephraim." Hear what a solemn appeal Jephthah makes to the elders before he acts. Chapter 9Now here's what happened. Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. a. 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 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 . Here is the proof of the time when all this occurred. b. Nevertheless he "was a mighty man of valour," who lived a kind of freebooter's life the chief of a reckless company of outcasts and desperadoes. even when God gave them one in a man after His own heart, we then trace greater abominations under the lines either of those who broke off in self-will or of those who turned the line of promise to nothing but corruption. "Thus saith Jephthah," was his answer, "Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon." It was quite evident therefore that Jephthah was guilty of the greatest rashness in his vow. is that, whatever might be the victory over the lion and whatever the sweetness of the honey, the effort to connect himself with the woman of Timnath turns out no small trouble to the man of might, whose anger was kindled at the treachery which sold his riddle, and, when his wife was given to the companion he had used as his friend, issued in such vexation for the Philistines as is known to us all. 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. Why Does God Compare Our Relationship with Him to That of a Bride and And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? When Abimelech had reigned three years--His reign did not, probably at first, extend beyond Shechem; but by stealthy and progressive encroachments he subjected some of the neighboring towns to his sway. * 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. In it, 1. 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. And this is just as true of the saint as of the man who rashly or lightly bears the name of the Lord Jesus. So he stands up there and really tells them off and rebukes them for what they have done.Actually, he preaches sort of a parabolic type of a message. 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? Is not this an instructive as well as striking fact? We come to look at a parable, the parable of the trees. This word is unique to the book and is perhaps chosen to distinguish Abimelechs ill-fated rule from that of the true judges. "His wife was barren, and bare not. The more you read and the more you live the Word the more you gain confidence in the Word and in your life. What was it when there was only one, and such an one as Samson? "It was of Jehovah, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Explanation - The following list includes not only commentaries but other Christian works by well known evangelical writers. (Judges 11:1-40). The olive and fig trees and the grape vine represented productive human beings-oil, figs, and wine being among the most important products of Canaan. And we see that those who cared not for the injured name of Jehovah have all their feelings drawn out when man was wronged. Click to enable/disable _gat_* - Google Analytics Cookie. Do we know what a thing obedience is in God's eyes, even though it may be displayed in the simplest manner? They took it quietly, and passed along their way. Modern history records a case, in which soldiers on the hill shouted to the people in the city and endeavored to instigate them to an insurrection. 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. "And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. Is it they who say to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?" 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. Then I would remove Abimelech. So he said to Abimelech, Increase your army and come out!. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission. (30-33) The role of Zebul, the ruler of the city. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. Peter - A watchman of His Word. Let no man question that Samson was in prison or that he lost his eyes for nothing. Contrariwise it was courted and continued down to the captivity. . Salem Media Group. Most likely, when we talk about parables, our thoughts immediately 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. 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. Even if God interfere and produce the direct opposite of the fleshly enjoyment which self-will had sought, it is in no way to the man's praise if God effects his purposes by his acts, spite of wrong and folly. 51-53. all the men and women, . Yet he threatens with as much confidence as he promises: If you be not faithful, let fire come out of the bramble (a very unlikely thing to emit fire) and devour the cedars of Lebanon--more likely to catch fire, and be itself devoured. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. . Of all the deliverers that grace ever raised up, there was not one who for personal prowess was to be compared with Samson; but of all those, where was the man who fell so habitually below even that which would have disgraced an ordinary Israelite? Start you journey by obeying God's First Commandment given to New Testament Believers in Christ found in Acts 2:38. . The chief administrator in Shechem pretended to be on their side, but secretly he sent news to Abimelech (26-33). Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. But He knows how to wake them up from such disgraceful insensibility. It was the energy of His Spirit who thought of His people showing out by the way, as we have remarked, in that wayward man the fallen state to which they were reduced by their own sin, with the highest claims outwardly but morally in as low a condition as could then be conceived. and how He magnified Himself in that hour of supreme chagrin and of his deep agony, when he was made to sport before those uncircumcised haters of Israel, and the witness, as they fondly hoped, of their idol's triumph over Jehovah. One man who is your brother who comes right of Shechem, who understands your needs and all or all of the sons of Jerubbaal? ii. 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. 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. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. 6. all the men of Shechem . Then the trees said to the vine, We are not in a position to deal with another until God has dealt with that which is contrary to His name in our own soul; and so it was that the men of Benjamin were utterly smitten and well-nigh exterminated. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. And its sound just really carries over there. b. What difference does it make? Now, broken down before God who had ordered their defeat, they are made to feel for their brother, guilty as he was, no doubt. 5. went unto . He went to Thebez and attacked the city and the tower there. The truth of all we find in our Lord Jesus. All are aware there are a great many who try to explain the difficulty away or soften it down. WebHebrews 8:7-9 Commentary Hebrews 8:10-11 Commentary Hebrews 8:12-13 Commentary Hebrews 9:1-2 Commentary Hebrews 9:3-5 Commentary Hebrews 9:6-7 Commentary Hebrews 9:8-10 Commentary Hebrews 9:11-12 Commentary Hebrews 9:13-14 Commentary Hebrews 9:15-17 Commentary Hebrews 9:18-20 Commentary ii. Judges 9 Commentary So, heres the secret the end of Judges chapter 8 here shows us how Israel did wrong to God. And it was of the greatest importance that His people should be trained in this. No way. And its then in chapter 9 where we see So Abimelech was wiped out. 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. . And what did Israel? what shadow or protection can there be in a bramble? Note, Those who expect God to hear their prayers must be willing to hear reason, to hear a faithful reproof, and to hear the complaints and appeals of wronged innocency. The truest deliverance from self is in that work where all was judged, and evil put away for ever. if a man attempts: to put himself under it for shelter, he will find it will be of no use to him, but harmful, since, the nearer and closer he comes to it, the more he will be scratched and torn by it: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon; signifying, that if they did not heartily submit to his government, and put confidence in him, and prove faithful to him, they should smart for it, and feel his wrath and vengeance, even the greatest men among them, comparable to the cedars of Lebanon; for thorns and brambles catching fire, as they easily do, or fire being put to them, as weak as they are, and placed under the tallest and strongest cedars, will soon fetch them down to the ground; and the words of the bramble, or Abimelech, proved true to the Shechemites, he is made to speak in this parable. The Holy Ghost is given for this as for other purposes. WebJudges 9:8-15. For "it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi. 4. the house of Baal-berith--either the temple, or the place where this idol was worshipped; Baal-berith, "god of the covenant," by invocation of whom the league of cities was formed. They went and made Abimelech king: It is almost hard to tell who was worse; Abimelech who did the murdering, or the men of Shechem who approved of it.
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