Judges 12:1-15 - Judges and Judgments

Judges 12:1-15

Jephthah’s Conflict with Ephraim

1 Then the men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!”

2 And Jephthah said to them, “My people and I were in a great struggle with the people of Ammon; and when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands. 3 So when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my hands and crossed over against the people of Ammon; and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Now Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites.” 5 The Gileadites seized the fords of the Jordan before the Ephraimites arrived. And when any Ephraimite who escaped said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Then say, ‘Shibboleth’!” And he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they would take him and kill him at the fords of the Jordan. There fell at that time forty-two thousand Ephraimites.

7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried among the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 He had thirty sons. And he gave away thirty daughters in marriage, and brought in thirty daughters from elsewhere for his sons. He judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried at Bethlehem.

11 After him, Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel. He judged Israel ten years. 12 And Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

13 After him, Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy young donkeys. He judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mountains of the Amalekites.

When Jephthah the judge asked for help from Ephraim, they refused to assist and then later were enraged that Jephthah had not brought them along into battle against Ammon.  They had an issue with not getting credit for a victory it seems, and so threatened Jephthah and Israel for not inviting them along, even though they refused to help before.  This was ancient entitlement, a common symptom of pride and sin, it would appear.  Therefore, Israel attacked Ephraim before they could “burn your house down on you with fire!”  All the excuses of the Ephraimites could not enable them to overcome God’s people who were given wisdom to test the invaders with a word they were unable to pronounce as a flag to their identity and defeat.  They could only say, “Sibboleth” instead of the correct “Shibboleth.”  The ‘sh’ sound was beyond their ability to speak and it cost them dearly.  Speaking the same was not their game; they spoke contrarily and paid the price; the pronunciation was just a byproduct of their spiritual state.  This is a lesson for us to all speak the same thing (1 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Peter 3:8, Ephesians 4:13, 15-16) as to the essential truths of the scriptures for true fellowship and to avoid such misunderstandings, conflict, and anger against one another.  As to this account of the judges, Jephthah ruled well for six years and was followed by Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon as judges after him for a total of twenty-five years.  This is an account of judges and judgments. 

Judges 11:29-40 - Be Careful What You Promise God!

Judges 11:29-40

Jephthah’s Vow and Victory

29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”

32 So Jephthah advanced toward the people of Ammon to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into his hands. 33 And he defeated them from Aroer as far as Minnith—twenty cities—and to Abel Keramim, with a very great slaughter. Thus the people of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

Jephthah’s Daughter

34 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it.”

36 So she said to him, “My father, if you have given your word to the LORD, do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, because the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the people of Ammon.” 37 Then she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: let me alone for two months, that I may go and wander on the mountains and bewail my virginity, my friends and I.”

38 So he said, “Go.” And he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends, and bewailed her virginity on the mountains. 39 And it was so at the end of two months that she returned to her father, and he carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man.

And it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went four days each year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Jephthah, son of Gilead, the son of a prostitute, was also the deliverer of Israel from the Ammonites because God chose him for the task to demonstrate the deliverance was from the divine and perfect Judge and not the imperfect man chosen as His instrument.  As he made his way to defeat them, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah and he made a rash vow instead of merely accepting the call and trusting God for the victory apart from his own zeal seemingly necessary to prove to God in this way as he saw it.  He vowed to offer up a  runt offering sacrifice of whatever he encountered out of his house when he returned from victory over Ammon, as if he needed to prove to God that he could defeat them instead of giving all the glory to God for their defeat at his hand.  We read that this rash vow needed to be paid (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) if it was made but found out it would have been “better not to vow than to vow and not pay” the hard way.  It was his daughter who emerged from the tent to greet her father when he arrived.  It would have been better to stop before vowing in such haste and think of what could possibly come out of his house to greet him.  Was it a pet or sheep or even a stranger?  The danger of thoughtless vows that needed to be paid should teach us all to carefully consider what we promise to the Lord if He does such and such then we will do so and so.  It is far better to heed the Lord’s advice in Matthew 5:37 and James’s advice in James 5:12 and simply say we will or will not do as the Lord says to avoid judgment of unintended consequences.  The LORD delivered Ammon into his hands in a sweeping victory, but the cost was higher than Jephthah anticipated due to his rash promise to earn favor for the victory which God had already in hand.  We likewise should trust God to use us to fight for the soul of the lost and count the cost of the prideful need to guarantee the outcome with promises of I will do this if God does that.  Faith simply trusts and obeys instead, apart from needing to prove ourselves to gain the outcome as we imagine is necessary.  Remember the daughter of Jephthah now and be careful what you vow! 

Judges 11:1-28 - God is the True Judge

Judges 11:1-28

Jephthah

1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.

4 It came to pass after a time that the people of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 

6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”

7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in distress?”

8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have turned again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the LORD delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”

10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The LORD will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the LORD in Mizpah.

12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, “What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”

13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, “Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.”

14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: ‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; 16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” But the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel remained in Kadesh. 18 And they went along through the wilderness and bypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please let us pass through your land into our place.” 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

23 ‘And now the LORD God of Israel has dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? 24 Will you not possess whatever Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever the LORD our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. 25 And now, are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel? Did he ever fight against them? 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities along the banks of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not recover them within that time? 27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the LORD, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.’” 28 However, the king of the people of Ammon did not heed the words which Jephthah sent him.

The judge Jephthah of Gilead was a mighty man of valor but because he was the son of a harlot, he was disinherited from his family and treated badly.  Yet God had called and chosen him to fight the battle for his people Israel because God is the true Judge and Deliverer of us all.  When Ammon made war against Israel, the leaders came to put him in charge of the army and Jephthah reminded them that they had ostracized him before, and so agree only if they put him in charge as their commander, the judge over Israel.  He then dealt with the invading king of Ammon by first pointing out that the land was Israel’s by God’s inheritance and by the fact that they had the land for a long time before Ammon could have taken it back from others.  He pointed out their flawed reasoning to claim possession of the land and the history behind it.  For the LORD God of Israel had previously delivered Ammon from its king Sihon into the hand of Israel after they defeated them and so had gained possession of all the land of the Amorites then.  God kicked the Amorites out and now they wanted their previous land back.  He asked why their ‘god’ Chemosh didn’t give it back to them if he was so mighty as he mocked their idolatry.  He was making the point that the only God, the LORD of Israel, had made the inheritance of the land to His people and that the king of Ammon sinned by asking this of them and fighting against them for what now belonged to God’s people.  He put it to the hand of the Judge of all, the LORD, for judgment and resolution.  But the Ammonite king did not listen to reason, unfortunately for him and his people.  He would be defeated because he refused to acknowledge that the LORD God is the judge and arbitrator over all people and their inheritance, a fact we see in this picture of Christ and the inheritance we have in Him in the promised heavenly kingdom to come.  Our enemies will face His judgment (Revelation 6:10) and retribution for attacking His people in the end when the last battle is fought (Revelation 19:19, 20, 20:10, 14) and all stand before Him.  The kingdom is given to whom God has chosen (Daniel 7:18, Luke 12:32), not those who attempt to take it (Matthew 11:11, 12) by force. 

Judges 10:1-18 - Two More Judges, Return to Sin

Judges 10:1-18

Tola

1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.

Jair

3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.

Israel Oppressed Again

6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead. 9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”

11 So the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? 12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”

15 And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Two judges, Tola and Jair, ruled over Israel for a total of forty-five years.  Then the people went right back to sinning, doing what God saw as evil and they did not.  They turned in reverse repentance from the LORD to idolatry and immorality and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:1-3, 7) of the consequences.  By forgetting and rejecting the worship of the sovereign God who rescued them over and over, sending judges to warn and guide them back, they incurred the wrath due to their sins against Him and lost their protection.  This is similar to handing over unrepentant sinners to satan to save them (1 Timothy 1:20, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Timothy 2:26) in the end when they come to their senses.  Repentance and restoration has always been the goal of God’s discipline.  The pattern was set early on with Israel, but without the indwelling Spirit and Law inscribed on their hearts, they kept seeking a judge and deliverer until God sent His Son to lead His people into victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) at last and forever.  Some may wander away even now, desiring to please their senses and serve the gods of this world (1 John 2;15-16), but the pattern of repentance by saying, “I have sinned against You, Lord” and turning from other worship to Him alone is still available (1 John 1:9) and essential to following the Lord God in Jesus the Christ by the conviction and enabling of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin.  May we look to Him when we sin and put away our manmade gods to worship Him alone in spirit and truth again, finding our victory over the enemy in Christ alone.  We need no other Judge or Deliverer to return to Him from our sin which so easily can (Hebrews 12:1, 2) ensnare us.  May we learn from this reverse repentance and aim in the forward direction of obedience and repentance for restoration and forgiveness.  Repentance is key. 

Judges 9:22-57 - All Kings are in God’s Hands

Judges 9:22-57

Downfall of Abimelech

22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, 23 God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 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. 25 And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.

26 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. 27 So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29 If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”

30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused. 31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you. 32 Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field. 33 And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity.”

34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35 When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait. 36 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.”

37 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.”

38 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? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now.”

39 So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate. 41 Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.

42 And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. 43 So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and attacked them. 44 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. 45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.

46 Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith. 47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.” 49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it. 51 But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower. 52 So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place.

56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Abimelech reigned just three years over Israel in his reign based on murder and idolatry, when God sent a spirit of discontent and malice between Abimelech Shechem to begin to bring him down.  God truly holds the lives and rule of all in His hands (Psalm 147:6, Proverbs 21:1, Isaiah 26:5, Daniel 2:21)  as He does all people, great and small.  Abimelech defied and rejected the rule of the LORD and so it was time to hold him accountable to the Sovereign of all.  God uses others to work such things, here stirring up discord and discontent between Israel under him and Shechem to end his ungodly rule and judge his actions against his chosen ones, Gideon and his children, brothers of Abimelech.  God began by turning the people against him and defied his ill-gotten rule.  Abimelech razed their city, but in the end the millstone was dropped on his head by a woman and it was ended as he sieged the strong tower in Thebez and took it.  It is written here that God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech in these murders recompensed the evil of the men of Shechem for their complicity in the murders (Judges 9:24) to hold them likewise accountable as the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal was returned to them as Judges 9:20 records the oath of Jotham for the destruction of both of them.  All kings are in God’s hands and evil will be punished with accountability in the end when the great white throne judgment hold all who rejected the Son of God and His gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8) and are given the just sentence due to all who fail to run to refuge in the Savior and Judge of us all.  He therefore has times appointed for the rise and fall every king and kingdom.  This is a poignant reminder that All Kings are in God’s Hands.  No ruler stays in power beyond the limits set by God and all are held accountable.  All our times (Psalm 31:15) are in His hands! 

Judges 9:1-21 - Conspiracy of Discontent

Judges 9:1-21

Abimelech’s Conspiracy

1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 “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.”

3 And his mother’s 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.” 4 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. 5 Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself. 6 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.

The Parable of the Trees

7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them:
“Listen to me, you men of Shechem,
That God may listen to you!

8 “The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them.
And they said to the olive tree,
‘Reign over us!’

9 But the olive tree said to them,
‘Should I cease giving my oil,
With which they honor God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’

10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You come and reign over us!’

11 But the fig tree said to them,
‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit,
And go to sway over trees?’

12 “Then the trees said to the vine,
‘You come and reign over us!’

13 But the vine said to them,
‘Should I cease my new wine,
Which cheers both God and men,
And go to sway over trees?’

14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble,
‘You come and reign over us!’

15 And the bramble said to the trees,
‘If in truth you anoint me as king over you,
Then come and take shelter in my shade;
But if not, let fire come out of the bramble
And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’

16 “Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves— 17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— 19 if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!” 21 And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Abimelech the son of a concubine of Jerubbaal (Gideon) went to Shechem, to speak to his mother’s brothers and his mother’s father, his family, to conspire against his own brothers that he might take all control and power for himself.  They agreed to serve only him after he eliminated the competition and Abimelech hired muscle as assassins, worthless and reckless men who were willing to follow at a price.  The money (seventy shekels of silver) to hire these rogue came from his family from the pagan temple of Baal-Berith, for they served idols and not the LORD God, another reason they went along with this ungodly plot to secure their idolatrous lifestyle as they eliminated any godly descendants of Gideon.  This motly crew managed to slaughter the seventy sons of Jerubbaal minus one (Jotham the youngest son) who hid from the carnage and escaped to tell the tale.  After the people crowned the murderer their king, Jotham prophesied this parable song against them to the men of Shechem.  They were likened to trees and thorns in this ballad, telling them to listen to him, that God may listen to them for what they had allowed.  The various trees one by one made excuses not to rule over the other trees, from the olive to the fig to the grape vine.  They all wanted to keep on producing fruit of their own and not be bothered with the rest.  But when they implored the bramble bush of thorns to rule, it cunningly accepted with full revelation of what that would mean to the others.  They would have to remain under its rule as their sovereign king as in the shade of thorns in the day or would be burned up in wrath.  This parable was then explained as the error of making Abimelech their ruler as he asked if they truly acted in truth and sincerity.  If not, then they would face the fires of destruction from “Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech.”  They would consume each other in the fiery wrath of God for destroying the line of the judge Gideon for their murderous complicity in their conspiracy of discontent with God’s chosen ones.  Then Jotham ran quickly away to avoid being murdered as his sixty-nine brothers had been by brother Abimelech.  This is a picture of those Christ had warned of who would destroy and murder the Son of God and Man who came to rescue them from the fire of judgment as they had murdered the prophets (Luke 13:34, Acts 7:52, 1 Thessalonians 2:15) before Him.  The trees of paganism and idolatry still hold sway over many who will reject Him instead of finding refuge under His wings of grace. That is the conspiracy of discontent to do as men will instead of God’s will like the fruit trees and grapevine did in this parable.  How far better it is to have the King who gathers us into His own vine (John 15:5, 7-8) and feeds us under such gracious sovereign rule for our good! 

Judges 8:22-35 - The LORD Shall Rule Over You!

Judges 8:22-35

Gideon’s Ephod

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” 24 Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.

25 So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. 26 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. 27 Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Death of Gideon

29 Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. 34 Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 35 nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.

After Gideon led the three hundred to victory for Israel, the people begged him to rule over them as their king.  He wisely refused their honorable request by pointing them to the fact that, “the LORD shall rule over you,” and not he nor his son even.  He acknowledged the sovereign authority and rule of God and did not want to usurp that rule as a mere man.  His spiritual priorities were set on God alone.  He instead asked for something for his efforts, namely the golden earrings of the Ishmaelites plundered by the soldiers.  They willingly gave him those and he then received over one thousand seven hundred shekels worth of gold (42.7 pounds or 19.4 kilograms) from them.  Unfortunately, he made an ephod to be his own sort of foretelling priest and ensnared him and his family in idolatrous worship with that wealth.  Note that as of December 8, 2025, 42 pounds of pure gold is worth approximately $2,585,850.  As some have said, “He refused the kingship but wanted the priesthood.”  Wealth seems to have corrupted good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33, James 1:14-15, 16-17, Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 6:17) and spiritual common sense.  On the positive side, Israel had peace for forty years in the days of Gideon after the Midian nation was subdued.  Un, the -astern of the downward spiral continued after his death as Israel once more ran after idols and substituted lifeless idols of man’s hands for the worship of the loving God, the LORD Yahweh who is who He is, not made by any mortal hands.  They quickly forgot God and wiped Him from their thoughts as they ran headlong into sin until the LORD delivered them again into defeat from their enemies who surrounded them, not having been dealt with before as they had been commanded to drive them out or suffer them as this thorn in their physical and spiritual side.  Not dealing with sin and worship of any but Him was the recipe for disaster as a people whole had been set apart for Him and to bring deliverance to,the works as promised (Genesis 22:17, 18, 26:4-5, Isaiah 49:10, Hebrews 11:12, Romans 4:18, 22-23, 24) to Abraham through the nation as a channel of redemption in the Messiah, the Christ, to come.  Forgetting God leads to disaster and destruction both in this world and the one to come.  It all begins with idolatrous pride and putting possessions above the Creator of them and all things.  May we learn from this example to put the Lord first in worship as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) to avoid the downward spiral of sin, knowing the Lord shall rule over us and no other, as fulfilled in the ultimate Judge and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ who is our sovereign Lord. 

Judges 8:1-21 - As a Man is, So is His Strength

Judges 8:1-21

Gideon Subdues the Midianites

1 Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.

2 So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.

4 When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. 5 Then he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

6 And the leaders of Succoth said, ”Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?”

7 So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” 8 Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. 11 Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. 14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’” 16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 17 Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?”

So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”

19 Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Gideon had to answer the reprimand of tribe of Ephraim for not inviting them along in the battle with the Midianites by reminding God delivered their hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb.  Hearing this compliment, their anger was satisfied somewhat because they knew he was right.  Then Gideon came to the Jordan with the exhausted three hundred men were with him and crossed over, still in pursuit of the king of Midian,  Zebah and Zalmunna.  He stopped to catch their breath and asked the men of Succoth there for food and was refused be they did not want to throw their bread away to such a small force with no hope of victory in their estimation.  Gideon promised to return in vengeance for their refusal, just as he did to the ones at Penuel who also refused.  To the men of Succoth he vowed to tear their flesh with thorns and briers as a pain reminder of their lack of faith in God’s mission, and to Penuel he vowed to level their tower of pride for their own faithless refusal.  He went on with the three hundred to victory over the Midianite kings with their remaining fifteen thousand troops remaining with one hundred and twenty thousand killed already.  Their little band of brothers routed the remaining army.  On the return trip, Gideon mad good his threat and gathered the seventy-seven rulers of Succoth together, showing them the two kings they mocked his ability to defeat, and so taught them a lesson by taking the elders of the city into the thorns of the and briers of the wilderness to teach them a painful lesson in faithfulness.  He went on to Penuel, razing their tower and killing the men of the city in retribution.  When he then asked the two kings what the men of Tabor looked like whom they had killed, the description was that they looked like royalty like Gideon.  He let them know that they were his actual brothers and ordered his firstborn Jether son to eliminate these two, but he refused because he was still young and the kings then told his father to kill them himself because “as a man is, so is his strength,” a challenge and an insult at the same time.  Gideon therefore killed them as promised.  We see that the character of a man is reflected in his actions, just as God wrote to us in 2 Corinthians 1:17 and in James 2:20-22 and 5:12 as a warning to follow through on our own vows (Numbers 30:2, Ecclesiastes 5:4) or hold back from making them, and not expect another to do the unpleasant work for us.  For as a man is in his word, so he is in his spiritual strength as well. 

Judges 7:1-25 - Lord’s Army is Small but Mighty

Judges 7:1-25

Gideon’s Valiant Three Hundred

1 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.

2 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

Gideon was also known as Jerubbaal, “let Baal contend” as he was named by his father when he stood up for his his son as he destroyed the image and altar of Baal and told the upset villagers to let the nonexistent god defend himself against Gideon.  This Jerubbaal who asked for a sign by the fleece now raised an army against the Midianites and Amalekites encamped in the Valley of Jezreel waiting to attack to defend God’s people as the LORD had commanded him.  But the divine approach to recruitment was not what Gideon or anyone else expected.  He was first to whittle down the numbers, contrary to common sense to have the biggest army possible to assure victory, by asking anyone afraid to leave.  That cut the number by more than two thirds.  Then the LORD brought the people down to the water and told Gideon to lead the men to water and only keep the ones humble enough to get down and lap up the water like a dog.  This assured them that they would not try to claim the victory for themselves but to ascribe it all to the LORD God who alone delivers.  He told Gideon that is was, “lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”  The battle is His always, both then against the ungodly in the promised land and against the ultimate adversary who is set against the Lord’s Anointed and those who testify of His gospel (Revelation 12:17) now.  We put on the armor of faith (Ephesians 6:10-11) in His strength to fight the good fight of the gospel to deliver the souls of men and women under the sway of the wicked one, attributing all victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) to Him as we participate by faithful testimony to His work and power and authority (Matthew 28:18) to set them free (Matthew 28:19-20, John 8:32, 36, Romans 8:2, 37) and bring them into the promised heavenly land (Job 19:26-27, Hebrews 11:16) at last!  The LORD had used Gideon and his small band of three hundred to startle the enemy in their own camp and turn them upon themselves and then chase them away from their land for the victory.  We have the Lord Jesus Christ who is our commander and judge and He will gain the glory and victory on His own horse with the sword of His word (Revelation 19:11, 13-14, 15, 16) to drive the enemy into perdition in the final conquest of eternal judgment.  May we then who follow him into victory be valiant for the truth of the gospel against all (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) opposition to the truth that sets God’s people free.  It is not our great numbers or power that gains victory, but the power of the One whose gospel (Romans 1:16) we testify to!  The Lord’s army is small but mighty in Him.