What a mess.
Can we just say that and be done with it.
Gideon is faithful and says the right thing (only God is king), but does a horrible thing (golden ephod).
As soon as Gideon is dead, the Israelites go back to worshipping and serving Baal.
One of his sons kills all but one of his brothers in order to be made king (his name was Abimelek, which in Hebrew means “my father is king”). Then after realizing who they had paid their allegiance to, the people rise up against Abimelek and when he tries to kill them all, a woman drops a mill stone on his head. His dying wish is that someone run him through so that he doesn’t go down in history as one who was killed by a woman. Now here we are thousands of years later reading about him being killed by a woman.
So what do we learn from much of this? The Shechemites got what they deserved for following Abimelek after he had murdered his brothers. Abimelek got what he deserved for his arrogance and treachery, and for murdering his brothers. Israel suffered a time of great instability which is what they deserved for worshipping the Baals. Zebah and Zalmunna got what they deserved after killing Gideon’s brothers. Sukkoth got what they deserved for not being hospitable to Gideon and his men.
So do people ultimately just get what they deserve? Is God’s justice like ours, only sometimes slower in showing itself?
What do you think?
I’m not sure. I think this book tells about a people whose society is a mess. They bounce back and forth between gods and leaders. They fight the surrounding people and their own people. I think the message is that in a world where God is not revered as king, chaos rules. People do what they want. And it’s not ideal. The reality is that our world is still not that much different.
What would it look like today, for you to surrender one more part of your life over to God as king? Think about it and let us know!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Dave