Observations:
(1) Gideon was asked to be king, but he refused to rule the people properly. He did asked for the price of the king (i.e. the plunder of the war) v.24 and lived like a king v.30-31.(NET) The name Abimelech means “my father is king.
(2) Gideon did not follow the Law as a king. He accumulated gold and had many wives and concubines.
(NAC) The Mosaic charter had explicitly forbidden Israelite kings from using their position of power to multiply gold for themselves. [Deut 17:14-20]
Worst of all, Gideon made the golden ephod and the Israelites worshiped it.
v.27b All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. [The golden Ephod] became a snare to Gideon and his family.
(NET) ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70–75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes.
[snare](BDB)idols and idol-worship a pernicious lure to Israel
(3) Eventually, Israelites turned to Baal-Berith their god after Gideon died.
(NET) Baal-Berith was a local manifestation of the Canaanite storm god. The name means, ironically, “Baal of the covenant.” Israel’s covenant allegiance had indeed shifted.
(4) The whole chapter 9 explains one thing, i.e. not only did the Israelites change the object of their worship, they did wrong to each other, even to their leader.
8:35 They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.
Jotham accused the leaders of Shechem that they have repaid the family of Gideon with brutal attacks. Note here, it was Abimelech who killed the 70 sons of Gideon, but Jotham held the leaders of Shechem accountable because they paid for the followers of Abimelech and supported him to do so. v.16-18.
Reflection: Be careful how you donate your money! Have you ever supported anyone who raised their money to support anti-God/anti-church associations?
(5) Finally, the curse of Jotham came true when God sent a spirit to stir up hostility between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal to Abimelech v.23.
Reflections: Gideon was not qualified as king and should not be a king to Israelites.
Have you occupied the place in your heart that only reserved for God? Do we try to be the "king?"
Gideon also led them into worshiping idol (the golden ephod) again which he tried to save them away from the beginning. Eventually, Israel not only worshiped the golden ephod but worshiped the pagan idols.
Have we turned to God only halfheartedly? When we have the power and ability we forget about God and worship the idols/ourselves again?
When the Israelites' relationship with God went wrong, their relationship to men also went wrong. They mistreated their deliverer and his family.
Our relationship with our family reflects a lot of things inside of our hearts. We should not abandon them if God is in our hearts.
Finally, God sent a spirit to stir up hostility between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He is in control. All the injustices will be judged. We do not need to feel hopeless of the present situation when the evil power seems to rule over the world.
Audrey.
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