The Book Of JUDGES
Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes."
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CHAPTER 10:
Judge #6: Tola (Issachar) Verses 1-2: We are told very little about Tola, only his tribe and his home territory. He’s from Shamir, which is somewhere near mount Ephraim. (v.1) We are not even told which heathen nation God used to chasten Israel in this cycle, only that Tola judged Israel for a total of twenty-three years. (v.2) Judge #7: Jair (Gilead) Verses 3-5: We’re not told much about this judge either. Like Gideon, he is of the tribe Manasseh, but from those that settled on the western side of the Jordan. The name “Havoth-jair” (v.4) is translated literally as “tent settlements of Jair”. He is judge for twenty-two years, and hails from Camon. The description in verse 4 of his thirty sons riding on donkeys and the thirty cities that belong to them indicates their elevated social status. Both were symbols of royalty in the ANE. Verse 6: The list of false gods is lengthy. In addition to the familiar names of Baal and Ashtaroth, the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines are mentioned for the first time. All of these gods are similar in description and character, and all are part of the pantheon of fertility gods and goddesses that were common to the ANE at this time. The Moody Bible Commentary adds this note: “Dagon of the Philistines was probably not a fish god, as has sometimes been thought. The name “Dagan” is the common Semitic word for “grain,” suggesting that Dagan/Dagon may have been a West Semitic fertility god. In fact, he is included in the literature of Mesopotamia.” The god of the Ammonites was called “Milcom”, a variation of the name “Molech”, the Canaanite deity that required child sacrifice as part of its worship. The god of the Moabites, Chemosh, also demanded child sacrifice, which means that Israel was practicing this regularly in their cycles of apostasy and disobedience. The author underscores this point at the end of this verse: “…and forsook the LORD, and served not Him.” Verses 7-9: “The anger of the LORD was hot against Israel…”, and this time it’s the Philistines and the Ammonites that attack the nation. The Ammonites conquer the tribes west of the Jordan (v.8) before crossing the river to attack Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. (v.9) The Philistines, presumably, attack from their territory along the eastern coast. Verses 10-16: Instead of the usual summary of Israel’s cry to the LORD, the author records here the actual scene of dialogue between God and His chosen people. Israel recognizes the reason for the LORD’s chastening, acknowledging their sin of idolatry and disobedience. (v.10) God’s response is to remind them of His mighty works on behalf of Israel up to this point: deliverance from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Zidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites. (v.11) That last name is unfamiliar, but perhaps it refers to the Midianites. Each time, the LORD says, you cried out to me “…and I delivered you out of their hand.” (v.12) But each time Israel played the harlot by turning away from God to serve false gods, and now He tells them “…I will deliver you no more. (v.13) Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” (v.14) The LORD has had enough of Israel’s insincere repentance. Nevertheless, the men of Israel continue to plead with God, begging for His deliverance on their behalf. They confess once more, “We have sinned…” (v.15), and they throw themselves upon God’s mercy. “…do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto Thee…”. But it’s not just words. They tear down the idols and the groves, and renew their obedience to the law of Moses. (v.16) Their confession of sin followed by their actions causes the LORD to have pity on them in their misery. For this current generation, at least, the repentance is sincere. There is more than just an outward change of behavior. Their hearts have been convicted and changed as well. Verses 17-18: The Ammonites gather their forces and set up camp in Gilead. Israel responds in kind, setting up camp in Mizpeh. (v.17) The men of Gilead now wait upon the LORD, wondering which man He will choose this time to lead them to victory. (v.18) CHAPTER 11: Judge #8: Jephthah (Manasseh) Verses 1-3: Jephthah is the second judge to hail from Gilead, who was a son of Manasseh (Numbers 26:29, Judges 10:3) As with Jair, Jephthah comes out of the half tribe that settled west of the Jordan. The fact that Jephthah’s father is not named specifically in verse 1 emphasizes Jephthah’s status as an outcast because of his mother’s occupation. For that reason he was disinherited by his half-brothers (v.2), and so he fled to Tob (v.3) where he made a name for himself by becoming “…a mighty man of valour…”. (v.1) Jephthah had gathered unto himself a following of “vain men” (v.2), similar to those hired by Abimelech. But the difference here, of course, is that Jephthah did not have to buy the loyalty of his men. He earned it by demonstrating quality leadership and performing heroic deeds, as evidenced by that author’s use of that phrase in verse 1. Verses 4-11: The fact that the elders of Gilead are forced to turn to an outsider and an outcast for help speaks volumes about the sad state of affairs in Israel at this time. Jephthah’s status and fame as “…a mighty man of valour…” (v.1) indicates that he must have built himself a small but powerful army of men who were the strongest military force in that area. And when the Ammonites begin attacking the Israelites, the elders of Gilead send messengers to Jephthah asking for his help. (v.5-6) Jephthah is, understandably, resentful and wary of the offer. (v.7) But the elders persist, and so Jephthah strikes a bargain with them: if he is able to defeat the Ammonites then he will be Israel’s ruler. (v.8-9) The elders agree, and the agreement is confirmed in a vow before the LORD. (v.10-11) Verses 12 – 29: Jephthah’s first act as leader is to send messengers to Ammon requesting their reasons for going to war against Israel. (v.12) The Ammonite king claims that Israel seized land that didn’t belong to them, and the only way to restore peace is to give it back. He cites the territory that lies between the rivers Jabbok and Jordan which had once belonged to the Ammonites. (v.13) (Numbers 21:24) But Jephthah schools the Ammonites in recent history, pointing out that Israel had sent requests to Edom, Moab, and Ammon during their journey after fleeing Egypt and requested peaceful passage through those lands. (v.15-19) (Numbers 20:14, Deuteronomy 2:18-19, 26) All of those kings denied Israel passage, and Sihon, king of the Amorites, even went to war against Israel instead of simply letting them pass by peaceably outside their borders. (v.20) Thus God gave Israel the victory over the Ammonites and Israel possessed their land which includes all the territory between the rivers Arnon, Jabbok, and Jordan. (v.21-22) Therefore, says Jephthah, if God has given that land to Israel, who are you to defy Him by taking it back? (v.23) Jephthah goes on to mock the false god of the Ammonites, Chemosh, by asking if he has granted any land to the Ammonites? (v.24) He then reminds the Ammonites of Balak, the Moabite king who had foolishly defied the LORD God of Israel by hiring Balaam to curse them. (Numbers 22:2, 5-6) Not only that, the Ammonites had three hundred years to come re-conquer their land, so why now are they coming against Israel? (v.26) In other words, it didn’t matter to the Ammonites for all that time that Israel had possessed their land, so why suddenly does it matter now? Jephthah closes his rebuttal with a challenge to the Ammonite king: Israel has done only what God had commanded them to do, and it’s the LORD that will now act as righteous judge in this dispute. (v.27) The king, of course, doesn’t heed Jephthah’s words (v.28), and so Jephthah gathers his army and sets out to meet the Ammonites in battle. (v.29) Verses 30-40: Jephthah makes a rash and foolish vow to God, promising that whatever comes out of his house when he returns from battle will be sacrificed unto the LORD if He will give Israel the victory this day. (v.30-31) God, of course, gives Jephthah and his army the victory over the Ammonites. (v.32-33) But He had already promised this to Israel and Jephthah from the beginning when Jephthah accepted the request of the elders of Gilead. (v.11) Furthermore, verse 29 confirms that “…the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah…”, so there was no need for this second vow. God was already on Israel’s side and had given them permission to fight the Ammonites. Furthermore, Jephthah had no way of knowing whether it would be his daughter or his livestock that would come out to greet him when he returned home, so that makes his vow all the more baffling. When he sees his daughter come running from the house, joyous at his victory (v.34), Jephthah blames her for his distress! (v.35) In great sorrow, he explains the vow he made to the LORD, and she understands why he must honor it. (v.36) She is his only child (v.34), and that’s what makes this foolish and rash vow all the more devastating. She will never marry or bear children (v.39), and for that reason she requests 2 months to mourn this fact before returning to her father’s house to serve the LORD for the rest of her life. (v.37-39) It’s those three verses that confirm the fact that she was not offered literally as a human sacrifice, as many Biblical scholars have erroneously claimed. Instead, she lived the rest of her life as a single woman devoted to full time service to God. Though the author doesn’t give any detail about what that service was, we can logically presume that it would have been at the tabernacle at Shiloh, if that was even still in use during these cycles of Israel’s great apostasy and idolatry. This account of Jephthah and his vow becomes so well known in Israel that the women go out every year at a certain time for four days to remember Jephthah’s daughter and lament her sacrifice. (v.40) Jephthah’s story is a sobering lesson in that we must be careful what we promise to God. (Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-5) Vows are never to made lightly as God takes them very seriously. It’s also necessary to point out here that we should not bargain with God. As I mentioned earlier, God had already promised the victory to Jephthah, so there was no need for him to make such a foolish vow, especially if he thought it was earning God’s favor. Gideon made the same mistake with his constant testing of the Lord regarding the fleece. (Judges 6:36-40) Instead, we should simply pray, “LORD, thy will be done. I give myself completely to you for your service.” God will direct us and the events in our lives for our good and His glory as He sees fit. Period. CHAPTER 12: Verses 1-7: Once again, the tribe of Ephraim is complaining about missing out on all the action, just as they did with Gideon. (v.1) (Judges 8:1) Jephthah reminds them that he did actually call for their help, but they ignored him. (v.2) But whereas Gideon was able to appease the elders of Ephraim with tactful diplomacy, the same apparently doesn’t work here. The men of Ephraim insult the Gileadites by calling them fugitives because they settled on the other side of the Jordan with Manasseh. (v.4) Because of this, Jephthah leads his men in war against Ephraim. The soldiers of Gilead are able to take control of the passages that bridge the two sides of the Jordan, and they stop any man fleeing from the battle. (v.5) Any man that claims he is not of Ephraim is put to a linguistic test. (v.6) If he is unable to correctly pronounce the word “Shibboleth”, he is killed. Apparently, the Ephraimites had a specific way of pronouncing that word, and they were unable to form the “sh” sound. Instead, it came out as just “s”. (v.6) The total number of Ephraimite soldiers slain that day is 42,000. Jephthah rules Israel for only six years and, upon his death, is buried in Gilead. (v.7) Judge #9: Ibzan (Zebulun) Verses 8-10: The Bethlehem mentioned here is not the famous one in Judah since that one is always referred to in scripture as “Bethlehem in Judah”. This Bethlehem is about seven miles east of Mount Carmel in the north. The fact that Ibzan sends his thirty daughters abroad to be married, as well as seeks thirty women from abroad for his sons (v.9) indicates that he is probably trying to unite the nation after the devastating civil war between the Gileadites and Ephraimites. Judge #10: Elon (Zebulun) Verses 11-12: Elon rules Israel ten years. Judge #11: Abdon (Ephraim) Verses 13-15: The town of Pirathon is in Ephraim, and the description in verse 14 echoes that of Jair and his sons in chapter 10. Abdon rules Israel for eight years. All three of these judges were not military leaders like Jephthah or Gideon. Instead, based on the scant details given here, we can presume they were administrative governors, overseeing the nation in what seems to have been a relatively peaceful period of twenty-five years.
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Verses 1-6: Abimelech is not the next judge. We know this because the author doesn’t introduce him as such. All of the judges in this book are labeled by the author with that title, and they are also described as being sent by God to judge Israel. Since none of that is applied here to Abimelech we can safely conclude that he is not the next judge.
Instead, the events related in this chapter are used as a postscript to the Gideon narrative. They also demonstrate the direct result of the sin of polygamy as well as Israel’s consistent apostasy and disobedience to God. No sooner has Gideon been buried than Abimelech goes to his mother’s family and relatives and persuades them to back him for the position of king. (v.1-2) What Gideon had refused from the elders of Israel in the previous chapter, Abimelech now pursues with reckless and foolish abandon. The Moody Bible Commentary summarizes chapter 9 in this way: “In a polygamous society, when jealousy and warfare break out between half-brothers, the refugees would flee to their mother’s relatives for help. This is what seems to have happened at Shechem. The purpose of the author is to emphasize the anarchy that results when anyone but the Lord is the leader of Israel.” Nowhere in this chapter does it say that Israel consulted with the high priest to seek God’s direction and guidance. Abimelech is a wicked and selfish man, full of pride and a lust for power, and he convinces his uncles and the men of Shechem to back him as king. (v.3-4) They pay him seventy pieces of silver to hire mercenaries and thugs (“…vain and light persons…”), and, with this rebel gang, he sets out for Gideon’s home in Ophrah. The phrasing in verse 5, “…upon one stone…” indicates that Abimelech and his men capture sixty-nine of his seventy half-brothers and kill each one execution style in one place, probably one of the groves that was used for Baal worship. Only Jotham, the youngest, successfully hides and thus escapes the slaughter. (v.5) Abimelech is crowned king by the men of Shechem, at the center of the village or town, as indicated by the phrase “…the plain of the pillar…”. Every town or village of the ANE had some kind of monument or tower where the men of the city would gather to make law or settle disputes. It was also the site of important events such as this one, hence Gideon’s choice of retribution against the men of Penuel in the previous chapter. Verses 7-15: When Jotham learns of the fate of his half-brothers he boldly stands on mount Gerizim, the same spot from which half the tribes of Israel had called out the blessings for all the nation upon first entering the promised land. (Deuteronomy 11:29, 27:12, Joshua 8:33) From there, Jotham proclaims a fable for all the men of Shechem. In the ANE, this type of story serves as a morality lesson, a tale with an allegorical meaning, usually a satirical one. (The most famous of these types of stories that we know today are those of Aesop, the Greek writer who lived in the 6th century B.C.) In Jotham’s narrative, the plants represent the men of Shechem, and they are searching for a king among their fellow plants. Notice that the olive tree, fig tree, and the vine are all vegetation that bring forth good fruit and are profitable for man and beast. But the bramble is worthless, little more than a weed that serves no real purpose. It, of course, represents Abimelech. In the story, the bramble agrees to be king of the plants, and it says to the trees, “…come and put your trust in my shadow…” (v.15), a clearly satirical and sarcastic comment. The bramble is a lowly bush that has no substance and casts very little shadow when compared to the other three tall and stately trees mentioned in verses 8-13. The last phrase of verse 15, “…let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon”, is also a deeply insulting and cutting commentary. In the ANE, as well as scripture, the cedars of Lebanon are always used as a symbol of true power and might, and therefore it’s laughable that a mere bramble would possess any real threat against such magnificent trees. Yet that is exactly what will happen because the trees are foolish enough to allow a bramble to rule them. Verses 16-21: Now Jotham interprets the fable for his listeners, just in case any of them missed the point. He rebukes the men of Shechem for betraying Gideon’s legacy (v.17-18) and predicts that Abimelech will be the cause of their downfall and destruction. (v.20) In like manner, they will also be the cause of Abimelech’s downfall. Following this proclamation, Jotham is able to escape to Beer where he remains for the rest of Abimelech’s short reign. (v.21) Verses 22-25: God stirs the hearts of the men of Shechem, turning them against Abimelech, just as Jotham predicted. (v.23) The reason for this is stated clearly in verse 24: divine justice is served on behalf of the innocent whom Abimelech slew. Their blood cried out to the LORD in the same manner as Abel’s. (Genesis 4:10) Put simply, God allows Abimelech to reap what he sowed. (1 Kings 2:32, Esther 9:25, Matthew 23:35-36, Galatians 6:7-8) The beginning of this is seen in verse 25. Abimelech’s enemies set up robbers to lie in wait for the caravans that pass through Shechem. This has the effect of severely disrupting trade and commerce. Verses 26-29: Gaal is one of the elders of Shechem and, presumably, one of the men that did not support the movement to make Abimelech king. Gaal is readily accepted by the other men who are opposed to Abimelech’s rule, and they welcome him by throwing a wild party. (v.27) He, too, is full of pride and lust for power, and he brags about his ability to defeat Abimelech. (v.28-29) Verses 30-41: Gaal’s treachery and planning are reported to Zebul, Abimelech’s ally and ruler of Shechem, and he informs Abimelech. (v.30-31) Zebul advises Abimelech to gather an army and be ready to fight Gaal at daybreak (v.32-33), and Abimelech readily complies, using the cover of darkness to divide up his men and position them around the outside of the city. (v.34) When Gaal sees the army of Abimelech and reports this to Zebul, Zebul tells him at first that he’s jumping at shadows. (v.35-36) But after Gaal presses him further, Zebul throws Gaal’s boasting back at him. (v.37-38) Zebul taunts him by telling him, essentially, to put his money where his mouth is. Gaal and his men battle Abimelech and his army, and Abimelech is the clear victor. (v.39-40) He succeeds in capturing or wounding most of Gaal’s army, and Gaal himself escapes back into the city, seeking Zebul’s protection. (v.39-40) But Zebul refuses and expels Gaal and the rest of the traitors from the city. (v.41) Verses 42-49: Abimelech slaughters Gaal and his men, but he doesn’t stop there. (v.42-43) In a show of excessive cruelty and petty vindictiveness, Abimelech utterly destroys Shechem, the principal city of his realm, slaughtering almost all of its inhabitants. (v.44-45) This is confirmed by the phrase “…sowed it with salt…”, meaning that Abimelech made the land unsuitable for planting crops for several generations. The same men who had once supported Abimelech in his rise to power at the beginning of this chapter now flee to the same tower where they had crowned him king. (v.46) When Abimelech learns of this, he and his men gather firewood and lay siege to the tower, burning it. (v.47-48) The thousand men and women trapped inside are killed, thus fulfilling Jotham’s prophecy. (v.49) Verses 50-55: Abimelech decides to attack Thebez, though there’s no explanation in the passage for the reason why. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, Thebez is a strategic fortress situated about 10 miles northeast of Shechem, in the Jezreel valley, at the northern border of Abimelech’s domain. Perhaps there is an uprising here as well, or maybe some of the inhabitants of Shechem escaped to Thebez. Whatever the case, the same scenario that played out at the tower of Shechem begins to play out here. The citizens of Thebez flee to their tower fortress for refuge, and Abimelech begins to lay siege to it in the same manner as he did at Shechem. (v.51-52) But this time there’s a very different outcome. A woman is able to cast a large millstone from the uppermost room of the tower directly onto Abimelech, crushing his skull. (v.53) The millstone is a large, cylindrical stone used to grind grain against another stone that is fixed in place. The millstone, however, is able to be removed, and the fact that it’s a woman that kills Abimelech adds justly deserved humiliation to his death. This is why he uses his last breath and strength to beg his armourbearer to pierce him with his sword. (v.54) Once Abimelech’s men see that he is dead, they give up the fight, and they disperse back to their homes. (v.55) Verses 56-57: The author makes clear that God orchestrated all of these events as divine retribution against Abimelech for the slaughter of his half-brothers. (v.56) All of Jotham’s prophecy came true. God was also punishing the men of Shechem for supporting Abimelech when it was clear that God had not appointed him as ruler of Israel. (v.57) This is also an illustration of the Biblical truth that the LORD will humble the proud while exalting the meek and lowly. Abimelech was a wicked and prideful man that defied God and, therefore, God allowed him to reap the bitter fruit of his own actions and foolish choices. CHAPTER 7:
Verses 1-8: The total number of Gideon’s army is 32,000 men. (v.3) But God tells Gideon this is too great a number for the LORD to receive the honor and glory for the coming victory against the Midianites. (v.2) He instructs Gideon to release any man who is fearful and afraid of the coming battle. (v.3) This winnows the army from 32,000 to 10,000. But that’s still too many for God to receive all the credit for the coming victory. So He tells Gideon to bring the men to the river’s edge, and, based on how each man kneels to take a drink, he will either remain or be dismissed to return home. (v.4-6) The men who scoop up the water with one hand are kept while the rest who kneel and drank straight from the river are dismissed. One possible explanation for this unusual disqualification process is that the men who drink from one hand are able to keep the other near their weapon, thus being vigilant while satisfying their thirst. The rest of the men, however, leave themselves defenseless and off guard by kneeling down to drink straight from the river. Now, with just 300 men, God tells Gideon that his army is the right size for going up against the Midianites. (v.7) Gideon sends the rest of the men back to their tents. (v.8) God often works in the same way in our own lives today. He strips us of what we think are our strengths and abilities so that we are wholly dependent upon Him for the victory in whatever trial or testing He is putting us through. It often doesn’t make sense from our perspective, but, like Gideon, we must learn to have faith in God and trust Him alone, not in our own might or strength. In this way, only God can rightfully get the honor and glory that is due Him and Him alone. Verses 9-15: God instructs Gideon that night to slip unseen into the enemy camp on a scouting mission. (v.9-11) He promises Gideon once more that He has delivered all of them into Israel’s hand, and the purpose of this covert op is so that Gideon’s faith and courage will be increased. (v.11) God even graciously allows for Phurah to go with Gideon if he is too fearful to go by himself. (v.10) How merciful and understanding is the LORD! He does not chasten us or get short tempered with our constant anxieties and fears. His patience and longsuffering are seemingly endless as He graciously accommodates our frailties and weaknesses. He doesn’t berate or scold Gideon for still being afraid, even after God has promised Him yet again that He will give the Israelites the victory. Instead, the LORD gives Gideon yet another tangible sign that He is with Gideon and the Israelites this night. Gideon and Phurah obey the Lord, slipping unseen into the midst of the Midianite camp. In one of the tents, two soldiers are talking, and one of them tells the other of his unusual dream. (v.13) A barley loaf tumbles through the camp, destroying one of the tents, and the other soldier responds by saying that it represents Gideon and the Israelite army. The two men are convinced that they will all be defeated by Israel this night. (v.14) God had already begun working in the hearts of the Midianites, making them fearful and anxious about the coming battle. As expected, Gideon’s courage and faith are strengthened by this news, and he and Phurah quietly return to their camp. (v.15) Gideon assures his 300 men that God has indeed given the Midianites over to them this night. Verses 16-25: Gideon divides the 300 into three companies of 100 each, and gives each man a pitcher with only a candle inside. (v.16) The three hundred men silently surround the enemy camp shortly after the Midianites had set the middle watch of the night. (v.19) At Gideon’s signal the men break their pitchers while also sounding their trumpets, and they shout in one voice, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” (v.20) Startled from slumber, the Midianite army is confused, believing that the whole Israelite army has surrounded them. God further works in the hearts of the Midianites, turning their fear against them, so that they attack one another while others flee from the camp. (v.21-22) The 300 Israelites continue to blow their trumpets while soldiers from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh pursue the Midianites that escape the camp. (v.23) Gideon sends messengers to Ephraim, summoning their soldiers to assist in the pursuit of the Midianites. (v.24) The reason for this is because the soldiers he had already assembled are not enough to round up all the Midianites that had fled the camp. This is a testament to how great in number are the Midianites. The men of Ephraim successfully round up the remainder of the enemy’s army, capturing Oreb and Zeeb in the process, two of the Midianite commanders. (v.25) In true poetic justice, Oreb and Zeeb are executed at the winepress of Zeeb, and their heads are brought to Gideon as a trophy. From the Moody Bible Commentary: “A few statistics are in order to indicate the miracle involved with this victory. The Midianite army numbered about 135,000 soldiers (see Judges 8:10 for the 15,000 Midianite survivors plus the 120,000 killed in the battle). The army of Gideon numbered 300. That yields a ratio of 450 Midianite soldiers to each Jewish soldier. Who else but God could receive the credit for such a victory? And this is precisely the point of the narrative. It is God, not Gideon, who is the hero in this and every story!” CHAPTER 8: Verses 1-3: The pride of the elders of Ephraim is wounded, and they come to Gideon, rebuking him for waiting until after the main battle with the Midianites to call for their aid. This hearkens back to Gideon’s objection to the angel of the Lord in chapter 6 regarding the social status of him and his tribe. Gideon’s response here in verse 2 is meant to soothe the ruffled feathers of Ephraim’s men. Gideon acknowledges their tribe’s greatness, and he also points out to them how God delivered Oreb and Zeeb into their hands instead of giving Gideon that particular victory. (v.3) The fact is that God had deliberately winnowed Gideon’s army down to just 300 men, and that’s the primary reason Gideon had not called on the army of Ephraim to aid him in battle. But Gideon wisely doesn’t argue with the elders of Ephraim. Instead, he just acknowledges their tribe’s status and gives God the glory for giving Ephraim the victory in their capture of Oreb and Zeeb. Verses 4-9: Although the main battle is over, the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, are still at large. Gideon and his 300 men set off in pursuit, crossing over the Jordan in the process. However, all of them are still weary from the battle, as well as hungry, and they stop in the village of Succoth to request food and supplies. (v.5) But the men of Succoth doubt Gideon’s ability with his small band of soldiers to successfully defeat the army of the Midianites which is still great in number. (Not all of the army had been slain in the earlier battle, which is one reason Gideon is still pursuing them.) So they deny Gideon his request. In response, Gideon promises retribution when he and his men return from their successful victory. (v.7) He further declares that God is the one who will give them the final victory, demonstrating the weakness of the faith of the elders of Succoth. The same scenario happens at the village of Penuel. (v.8-9) Gideon promises that when he returns he will tear down the tower that stands at the center of their village. Verses 10-12: Gideon’s faith in God is vindicated before the men of Penuel and Succoth when he successfully slays the remainder of the Midianite army, which is about 15,000 men. (v.10-11) Once again, it is only the LORD that could receive the honor and glory, for 300 against 15,000 is indeed miraculous! Gideon and his men also successfully capture the two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Verses 13-17: On his return journey, Gideon captures one of the young men of Succoth and has him write down the seventy-seven names of the city elders. (v.14) He then tracks them down, rebukes them, and scourges them using whips made of thorns and briers. (v.15-16) Next, Gideon and his men tear down the tower of Penuel. (v.17) Verses 18-21: Zebah and Zalmunna had slain Gideon’s brothers at Tabor, and for that reason Gideon now pronounces judgment on them. (v.18-19) At first, he orders his oldest son, Jether, to do the act, but Jether protests, saying that he’s too young and weak to wield the sword. (v.20) So Gideon kills them instead. (v.21) He also takes as spoil the gold ornaments that are hung around the necks of the kings’ camels. It is this gold that will later be used to make the ephod that will become an idol for Gideon. Verses 22 – 27: The men of Israel are so grateful to Gideon for freeing them from the Midianite oppression that they offer Gideon the role of king to rule over them. (v.22) This hereditary kingship would pass down from Gideon to his son and his son’s son, etc. This tradition was not out of the ordinary for the peoples of the ANE. Kingship was often bestowed upon men who had proven themselves in battle and attained great victories, which Gideon had just accomplished. But Gideon rejects their offer, saying “…The LORD shall rule over you.” (v.23) Thus Gideon remained in the role of judge for the rest of his life, following the pattern of the judges that had come before him. Instead lieu of kingship, Gideon makes a special request of the soldiers: the gold earrings they had taken as spoil from the Midianites. (v.24) The men willingly give them up, and the total value is 1,700 shekels. (v.26) This is besides all the other spoil seized from the two kings: royal garments, jewelry, the ornaments from the camel’s necks, etc. From the gold earrings Gideon fashions an ephod for himself, and this is his first mistake. Only the high priest was to possess the ephod, which was a method by which he could determine the will of God. (Exodus 28:2, 4) The amount of gold used to make the ephod suggests that some kind of idolatrous image is on it, and that, combined with the statements in verse 27, tells us that Gideon set himself up to be worshiped by Israel as a king. This, too, was a common practice by the cultures of the ANE, and this why the author concludes with the statement, “…which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.” Verses 28-35: Forty years seems to be the most common length of time that Israel has peace and rest from all her enemies. (v.28) Another common practice in the ANE was for kings and/or men of great renown to take multiple wives, which Gideon does during this period of peace and prosperity. (v.30) In addition to polygamy, these men would also have concubines, and Gideon, unfortunately, is no exception. One of his seventy sons (v.30) is Abimelech (v.31), who will eventually cause great trouble for all of Israel after Gideon’s death. Although polygamy was against God’s law, the practice was never completely abolished in Israel. Starting with Abraham and continuing down through every generation – even with men of God as great as David and Solomon – polygamy was the one sin that always got them and their descendants in trouble. Scripture is clear that just because these men who walked with God – and whom God blessed greatly – had multiple wives, God did not approve of or bless this immoral, pagan tradition. As we will see here in Judges and everywhere else in the OT, the consequences of polygamy were never good for the man of God or for the nation of Israel. God did bless Gideon with long life for his obedience and faith, and upon his death he is buried in Ophrah, in the grave of his father. (v.32) And, of course, it doesn’t take long for the children of Israel to once again go astray. (v.33) They fall back into idolatry, betraying the memory and spiritual legacy of Gideon. (v.35) It is sad that the legacy of a man of God such as Gideon was stained in his later years by the sins of idolatry and polygamy. Like King Solomon, Gideon was led astray by a combination of his own foolish pride and his many wives and concubines. His account here in Judges is one of the many lessons that scripture teaches us today about the ease with which we can become ensnared by the desires of our flesh if we are not careful. |
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