READING FOR FEBRUARY 4, 2025: JUDGES 9, MATTHEW 2, PSALM 2:1-6                                   The most important verse to understand for Judges 9 is the last verse of Judges 8: “the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon).”  Not knowing that Jerubbaal is Gideon is like driving forever in a roundabout, getting nowhere.  The key person in this chapter is Abimelech, whose father is Gideon and whose mother is Gideon’s concubine living in Shechem.  A concubine is a regular sexual partner of a man but who has lesser status than a wife does. Not good then or now. Gideon had 70 sons, but none was made leader after Gideon’s death. So, Abimelech went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem and asked if they would rather be bossed around by all these sons or led by him, who is part of the family.  They understandably chose Abimelech. In fact, they all agreed to contribute to his cause by giving Abimelech 70 pieces of silver, which he used to hire some shady followers. Abimelech and his followers then killed all but one of Gideon’s other sons. Then the leaders of Shechem made Abimelech king. So, in a sense Saul was not the first kind of Israel, if we count this unsanctioned and devious action. 

This story has some similarities to Shakespeare’s Macbeth. (They could be read together.) Jotham, Gideon’s one son who avoided death, then stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to the men of Shechem.

We encountered Mt. Gerizim earlier when God told Israel (Deut. 27) to station several tribes there to shout God’s blessings for being obedient. The tribes on Mr. Ebal shouted God’s curses for being disobedient. This was a natural amphitheater. It allowed Jotham to shout a parable to Shechem from a safe distance. The point of the parable was they chose the worse possible leader, who would cause them to be consumed. 

Abimelech ruled for three years until God sent an evil spirit. A visitor named Gaal came to Shechem and won their trust. In the midst of their drunken parties, he told them to serve him instead of Abimelech. This word got to Abimelech via Zebel, Abimelech’s representative within Shechem. Abimelech then approached Shechem with his forces. Gaal saw them coming, but Zebel said they were only shadows on the mountains. When it was clear that Abimelech was indeed attacking, Gaal went out to battle and was defeated. The next day Abimelech killed all the people of Shechem. The parable spoken to them by Jotham came true.

Then Abimelech sought to kill the residents of Thebez who were hiding in the city’s tower. While attempting to burn down the tower, Abimelech’s head was crushed when a woman dropped a stone on his head. Abimelech asked his armor bearer to kill him so that he would not die by a woman’s action. The text connects Abimelech’s death to his wickedness during his life. This has some similarity to the concept of karma in ancient Hinduism: “whatever deed he does, that he will reap” (from  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad). A difference is that no deity is involved in karma for eastern religions. Of course, for Christians, Jesus experienced the punishment on the cross for all of our wickedness: “He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5) This is beyond amazing and sets Jesus apart from every other religion or belief system. 

READINGS FOR FEBRUARY 4 CONTINUED: MATTHEW 2, PSALM 2:1-6                                     MATTHEW 2 Consider the various individuals in this chapter from the standpoint of what they knew about God’s plan, where they gathered their information, and how they responded: JOSEPH

• WHAT: He knew in chapter 1 that he should take Mary as his wife; she was with child through the Holy Spirit; and the child should be called Jesus because he would save his people. In chapter 2 he learned his family should flee to Egypt and; go back to Israel after Herod died; and relocate to Nazareth.
• WHERE: He learned from an angel in four separate dreams.
• HOW: He obeyed God each time immediately. (Great dads and husbands do this.)  

WISE MEN

• WHAT: They knew Jesus was born King of the Jews, that he should be worshipped, that he was born somewhere near Jerusalem, and that they should not go back to Herod.
• WHERE: They learned the general location from a star; they learned detailed location from Herod; and they learned not to go back to Herod from by God in a dream.
• HOW: They sought detailed directions from Herod; they brought expensive gifts to Jesus and worshipped joyfully; and they didn’t return to Herod. (Being wise leads to joy.)

HEROD 

• WHAT: He knew that Jesus was considered King of the Jews, that he was born in Bethlehem, and that the wise men tricked him by not returning.
• WHERE: He learned from the wise men about the birth and; he learned about the location from the scribes and chief priests (who learned it from the scriptures).       
• HOW: He lied to the wise men so he could kill Jesus. He killed all the male children aged 2 and under who lived in the Bethlehem area. (Envy leads to lying leads to murder.)

Prayerfully consider these questions:                                                                                                    1) There are many reports of Jesus appearing in dreams to those who live in Muslim countries where evangelism is outlawed. Given our situation and what was learned from Psalm 1, are we listening to God’s effort to guide us from the sources we have?                                                       2) Herod had lots of information about Jesus, but he chose to not worship Jesus because it did not fit with his personal agenda. As a result, many innocent people suffered. Are we willing to follow Joseph’s and wise men’s example by changing our agenda in order to obey God fully.

PSALM 2:1-6: Verses 1-3 are a description of Herod and any of us who seek to break the fetters of God’s Word. As with Herod, it is laughable to think that we know better than God. Are we “installing God as our King” each day by intentionally following Him as he is revealed?