Suffice it to say that even in such a state the immediate feeling of the common conscience in Israel (roused, it is true, by an awful appeal to the twelve tribes) could not but reply that "there was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds." But there can be no question that the course taken by the men of Israel was calculated to increase the difficulty a thousand-fold. But, in order for us to know the sweetness of that care, it becomes us to care for Him, His name and glory. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word | . The king of Ammon had no just claim whatever. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Dear Searching (i.e. . Is it they who say to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us?" "Now gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon this little child." They were filled with thoughts of destruction against Benjamin, and the remembrance that he was their brother had not even entered their minds before. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem--In the course of providence, jealousy, distrust, secret disaffection, and smothered rebellion appeared among his subjects disappointed and disgusted with his tyranny; and God permitted those disorders to punish the complicated crimes of the royal fratricide and idolatrous usurper. of Judges 9:8 - Bible Verse Meaning and Commentary 28-45. would to God this people were under my hand--He seems to have been a boastful, impudent, and cowardly person, totally unfit to be a leader in a revolutionary crisis. So his father went down unto the women: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do." Still more is what follows; for God fails not to deal with us on our own ground. Go to your Bible and begin there to follow God's Word. even when God gave them one in a man after His own heart, we then trace greater abominations under the lines either of those who broke off in self-will or of those who turned the line of promise to nothing but corruption. And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood at the entering of the gate of the city: and two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and they killed them. "Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man.". The promise of the bramble, take shelter in my shade, was intended as ironic and ridiculous. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. We have seen before, from the earlier part of the book, the remarkable manner in which, either personally or in the weapons that were employed, God was acting mysteriously at this period of Israel's history. The chief administrator in Shechem pretended to be on their side, but secretly he sent news to Abimelech (26-33). If his only desire is to destroy those who disagree, then he is much like the bramble plenty of good points, but no real substance for good. "And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 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. Thus we may find the most striking manifestations of power in men as disorderly as the Corinthian Christians; but the same persons are a plain proof that it is a far harder thing to do the will of the Lord, and harder still to suffer according to God, than to work any miracles whatever. Judges 9:8 Commentaries: "Once the trees went forth to The bramble is a worthless plant, not to be numbered among the trees, useless and fruitless, nay, hurtful and vexatious, scratching and tearing, and doing mischief; it began with the curse, and its end is to be burned. 2 Samuel 11:21). (Wolf), ii. It was the business of the Ammonites to have defended their claims as best they could against the Amorites. The writer of Judges used an interesting word to say that Abimelech had reigned over Israel. You can check these in your browser security settings. That government involves a man in a great deal both of toil and care; he that is promoted over the trees must go up and down for them, and make himself a perfect drudge to business. serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? Judges 18:1-31 shows that the moral condition, especially of the priest-Levite, was as bad as the religious state. Could a people descend lower in human things? We have nothing like a Moses in Samson. Furthermore we can see what had become of Shechem (cf. Abimelech then killed all of his seventy brothers other than the youngest one of his brothers who escaped. If, therefore, they took him for their king, they might rest assured that desolation and blood would mark the whole of his reign. Even if God interfere and produce the direct opposite of the fleshly enjoyment which self-will had sought, it is in no way to the man's praise if God effects his purposes by his acts, spite of wrong and folly. God's Word is the Truth see John 17:17). The great point of the preface is that "in those days there was no king in Israel" the opening words of Judges 18:1-31. 308.]. There he is. And the ladies would come and just pour their wheat in the little groove and as the millstone would go by and it'd grind the wheat into flour. 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! And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. 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. One man who is your brother who comes right of Shechem, who understands your needs and all or all of the sons of Jerubbaal? Peter - A watchman of His Word. But that which does good to every saint and to every soul is the unqualified confidence in God and His word, which, if it does not reproduce itself in hearts purified by faith, at least deals with the consciences of all others till utterly blinded by Satan. Dear Pilgrims Christianity is singular and not plural all things plural become corrupt Jesus begins each letter/epistle in Revelation to a church (plural) but He ends each letter/epistle addressing individual/s (singular) (i.e. With the advantage of their superior position, Abimelech and his soldiers drove out Gaal and his men. Ophrah, and slew his brethren--This is the first mention of a barbarous atrocity which has, with appalling frequency, been perpetrated in the despotic countries of the East--that of one son of the deceased monarch usurping the throne and hastening to confirm himself in the possession by the massacre of all the natural or legitimate competitors. Resent it? Though Abimelech sought a place of leadership in Israel, God did not raise him up as a judge. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.". Thus in fact Sihon had assailed the Israelites against their will, who had taken the land from him. He who could imbrue his hands in the blood of his brethren in order to get into power, was not likely to stop at any means to retain that power when possessed. And it was of the greatest importance that His people should be trained in this. It is the Danites again; only the account of Samson is chronologically at the close, whereas the new tale, as we have remarked, was comparatively early. Such is the blinding power of sin; for was he ignorant of her vileness or of his own danger? Joshua 8; Joshua 24). The associations of such sites were very tenacious and it is of interest to note that Rehoboam went to Shechem, following the death of Solomon, to secure the acclimation of the Israelites although the city itself was in ruins at the time (1 Kings 12:1, 25). (Cundall). (1.) But again, "And it came to pass afterward that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." The last chapter of the book shows us the ways and means in which their hearts were drawn out, in order to repair the dismal gap which divine judgment had wrought in Benjamin, and indeed in Israel. if a man attempts: to put himself under it for shelter, he will find it will be of no use to him, but harmful, since, the nearer and closer he comes to it, the more he will be scratched and torn by it: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon; signifying, that if they did not heartily submit to his government, and put confidence in him, and prove faithful to him, they should smart for it, and feel his wrath and vengeance, even the greatest men among them, comparable to the cedars of Lebanon; for thorns and brambles catching fire, as they easily do, or fire being put to them, as weak as they are, and placed under the tallest and strongest cedars, will soon fetch them down to the ground; and the words of the bramble, or Abimelech, proved true to the Shechemites, he is made to speak in this parable. we next hear of Samson's visit to the Philistine woman who pleased him well: no small sin for an Israelite, as it is worse for a Christian, to marry one of the world. Be it remarked, that what drew out their unanimous condemnation was not an outrage done to God's name. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. WebAnd his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. And Abimelech dwelt in Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal with his brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem. Strife between Abimelech and the Shechemites, ver. They did not believe that God would enforce His claims. There was the plainest proof of what God could be, even where there was but one man to work by; but this very fact showed to what a depth was Israel now sunk. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Never then let the breath of suspicion enter your soul. As the vow was without God, so an issue was permitted most offensive to the Holy Spirit. is this the tribe for the praise of Jehovah? He got an opportunity of speaking to them from the top of Mount Gerizim, the mount of blessings, at the foot of which probably the Shechemites were, upon some occasion or other, gathered together (Josephus says, solemnizing a festival), and it seems they were willing to hear what he had to say. And its sound just really carries over there. If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. WebJudges 9:8-15. Often God finds a way to do it both in this life and the life to come. What difference does it make? Jehovah listens, and His angel appears to the woman, who summons her husband, when both see the angel as he repeats his message with its solemn injunction. Do we know what a thing obedience is in God's eyes, even though it may be displayed in the simplest manner? Judges 9:15 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
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