Shabbat time for South-East England = 05;03 on February 17 to 06;13 on February 18.
SERIES H --- THE JUDGES --- LESSON 10
RESULTS OF WICKEDNESS
GAAL’S REBELLION
From Judges 9:25-57
The men of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech, whom they had made their king. Hoping to capture him, they set an ambush on the path toward the top of the mountain nearby and waited for him, robbing everyone else who came along the path. But someone learned about the ambush and told Abimelech, so he took another path. One day Gaal, the son of Eber, moved to Shechem with his relatives. Before long, the leaders of Shechem began to put their confidence in him. During the grape harvest, the people of Shechem gathered their grapes from the vineyards, trod them in the winepresses and held a festival at the house of their god. As the people feasted and drank, they cursed Abimelech. ‘Who is Abimelech?’ shouted Gaal. ‘Why should we serve him? Did Abimelech and Zebul, his officer, serve the men of Hamor, father of Shechem? If I were king, I would tell Abimelech to find an army and fight.’ Zebul, ruler of the city, was angry when he heard what Gaal had said. He sent messengers to Abimelech in Tormah, sometimes called Arumah. ‘Gaal and his relatives are stirring up a revolt against you here at Shechem,’ he said. ‘Come with some troops by night and hide in the fields. When tonight comes, attack suddenly in the city. When Gaal and his men come to fight, you will have an easy victory.’ Abimelech came by night with his men and divided into four companies. When morning came, Gaal went to the city gate to talk with the leaders of Shechem. ‘Look!’ he said to Zebul. ‘There are men coming down the mountain.’ ‘No, those are just shadows,’ said Zebul. ‘Those are men coming this way! There’s another company coming from the diviner’s oak,’ Gaal insisted. Suddenly Zebul turned toward Gaal. ‘Now what about your big talk?’ he said. ‘Do you remember all that you said about Abimelech? Well, there he is with his men. Now go out and fight him!’ So Gaal led the men of Shechem against Abimelech. But Abimelech defeated him and drove him back to the city gate, wounding many of Gaal’s men. Abimelech was living at Arumah at this time. After Gaal’s defeat, Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives from Shechem, so that they could no longer live there. The following day the men of Shechem again went out to fight Abimelech. But someone warned him so he hid in the fields with his men, dividing them into three companies. When the men of Shechem came from the city, he and his men sprang up and began killing them. Abimelech rushed for the city gates with some of his men while the others went against the men in the fields and killed them. All that day Abimelech fought the men of Shechem; he finally captured the city, killing everyone in it. Then he destroyed the city completely and sowed salt upon its ruins. When the people living at the Tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they shut themselves in the fortress beside the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech soon heard about the people hiding in the fortress and took his men to Mount Zalmon. There each man chopped a bundle of brushwood and put them against the walls of the fortress and set them on fire, killing about a thousand men and women inside. Next Abimelech set up camp near Thebez and captured the city. The people took refuge in a strong tower inside the city and went to the roof. When Abimelech attacked the tower and came up to the door to set it on fire, a woman on the roof threw a millstone on his head and broke his skull. ‘Kill me with your sword!’ Abimelech shouted to his young armour bearer. ‘It must never be said that a woman killed Abimelech.’ The young man killed him with his sword. When his followers saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home. Abimelech and the men of Shechem were repaid for the sin of murdering Gideon’s seventy sons. Thus, the curse of Jotham, Gideon’s son, was fulfilled.
COMMENTARY
PEOPLE OF THE LAND: GAMES CHILDREN PLAYED
Children throughout the world have played similar games through the ages. East, west, north and south; some games have remained unchanged for thousands of years. One might guess that Canaanite children played a version of these timeless games that children of neighbouring countries already enjoyed. Leap frog, hop scotch and tug-of-war were among them. So were wrestling matches, foot races, catch and some form of hide-and-go-seek. Active games like these required only imagination and energy. They are recorded in paintings and records left behind by ancient cultures the world over. But the Canaanites left few visual records like those of their Egyptian and Mesopotamian neighbours. What clues there are come from the toys that have been found? Canaanite children played with dolls, but they were not elaborately carved, dressed and jointed like the Egyptian ones. Their dolls were made simply and roughly from clay. They also played with sets of miniature furniture and small animal figurines. Like children everywhere, they used whistles, marbles, balls, sticks and knucklebones. There may well have been other small toys, but the centuries have caused them to decay so there is no evidence. Canaanites of all ages seemed to have enjoyed board games. They shared that interest with Egypt and Mesopotamia. In fact, one of the most popular board games originally came to Canaan from Egypt. It is called {hounds and jackals} because of a set found in Egypt with ivory pegs carved in the shape of those animals’ heads. The board is marked with a goal, and each player had twenty-nine holes to move his pegs through. A toss of the knucklebones; like dice; determined each move. Even the nobility of Canaan seemed to have enjoyed the game. In the Canaanite palace of Megiddo, courtiers played on a board of ivory inlaid with gold. Thus, children and adults entertained themselves with games many centuries ago, which is still a popular pastime in the modern world.
About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
John 7:14
#yeshua waited until those who plotted against him had likely given up their plans before making a public appearance, and he did so in front of a large crowd to make it more difficult for them to improvise a new plan.
Good video showing that Torah existed before Moses, during the Book of Genesis days.
Good Morning! It's Friday, y'all ready for the weekend and Sabbath? Stupid question right? ?
On this date in history, 02/17/1982: Philip K. Dick, author of The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, dies of a stroke. #otd #tdih #literaryhistory
Thought for Today: Friday February 17:
May Adonai remind you today that He is for you and with you and nothing outside His will can prevail against you. He prays for you, and you are covered by forgiveness and Grace. He Loves you and He thinks of you constantly. He values you and you are fulfilling a divine purpose. Be blessed today and rejoice in everything.
SERIES H --- THE JUDGES --- LESSON 09
MURDER
A PARABLE OF THE TREES
From Judges 9:1-24
Gideon’s son Abimelech went to Shechem one day to visit his mother’s relatives. His mother, who had been Gideon’s concubine, had made her home in Shechem. ‘Why don’t you have a talk with the men of Shechem,’ said Abimelech. ‘Ask whether they would rather have Gideon’s other seventy sons rule them as seventy kings or have only one king. Naturally, I would be that king, for I am one of your own family.’ Abimelech’s relatives talked with the men of Shechem about this. Since Abimelech was one of their own, they decided to make him king. ‘He’s our own relative!’ they said. The men of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver from the offerings which had been presented to the idols to go with him to Gideon’s home at Ophrah, where he killed all seventy of Gideon’s other sons, except Jotham the youngest, who had hidden himself. Then the people of Shechem and Beth-millo knelt under the oak by the monument at Shechem and proclaimed Abimelech king. When Jotham learned that Abimelech was king, he stood on top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to the men of Shechem below. ‘Listen to me, men of Shechem, if you want YHVH to listen to you!’ He said: ‘Once the trees made plans to anoint a king. ‘Rule over us!’ they said to the olive tree. But the olive tree refused. ‘Why should I stop giving olive oil, which honours YHVH and man, to sway over the other trees?’ ‘Then you become our king,’ the trees said to the fig tree. But the fig tree answered, ‘Should I stop giving rich fruit just to raise my head above the other trees?’ ‘Then you be our king,’ the trees said to the grapevine. But the grapevine answered, ‘Should I stop giving wine, which cheers both YHVH and man, to sway over the trees?’ ‘At last, the trees talked to the thorn bush. ‘Rule over us,’ they said. The thorn bush answered, ‘If you honestly want me for your king, then bow down beneath my shadow. If you do not want me, let fire come forth from me and destroy the great cedars of Lebanon.’ ‘If you have done what is right in making Abimelech king,’ Jotham continued ‘and if you have been honest and true with Gideon and his family, as his deeds deserve, then be glad for Abimelech.’ ‘But remember how my father fought for you, risking his life to rescue you from the Midianites. Yet you have rebelled against my father’s family, killing seventy of his sons at one place and have made Abimelech, son of Gideon’s concubine, your king just because he is your relative.’ ‘If you have done what is right with Gideon and his family, then you and Abimelech will rejoice in each other. But if not, may fire come from Abimelech to devour the people of Shechem and Ben-millo and may fire come from the people of Shechem and Ben-millo to devour Abimelech.’ After he had spoken these words, Jotham ran away to Beer to hide, for he was afraid Abimelech would kill him. For three years Abimelech ruled as a king. Then YHVH sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the people of Shechem so that they rebelled against him. Thus, Abimelech and the people of Shechem began to get what they deserved for the shameful way they had treated Gideon’s sons.
COMMENTARY
TREES OF THE BIBLE
After Gideon’s death, one of his sons murdered his brothers so that he alone could rule. This man Abimelech was helped in his evil acts by relatives in the city of Shechem. In a parable about trees, they were warned about the results of their evil and foolish actions. The Israelites depended greatly on trees for daily necessities. Medicine, cosmetics, perfume, dyes and various fabrics came from them, as did food, beverages, household utensils, rope, footwear and wood for fuel and building. Many trees had symbolic meanings that lasted into modern times.
CEDAR OF LEBANON
When Solomon used deep red cedar wood in his temple, the majestic evergreen covered the mountains of Lebanon. Because of its beauty and fragrance, foreign rulers sought it for their palaces. Builders wanted it for its amazing durability. Tallest and widest of any Near Eastern tree, the {Prince of Trees} was a living symbol of strength, grandeur and dignity.
LAUREL
Brightened with small greenish-white flowers, the laurel is better known today as the bay tree. Medicine came from its leaves, bark, roots and berrylike fruit. Then as now, the bay leaf is a cooking spice. Because it stays green all year, David chose the laurel as a symbol of prosperity.
TAMARISK
The twisted branches of the tamarisk are covered with tiny pink blossoms in the spring. It stays green all summer, growing best in sandy desert areas where most trees cannot survive. It is sometimes used for building and to make charcoal. Hagar placed her son Ishmael in the shade of the tamarisk, waiting for him to die.
ACACIA
The acacia is the most common desert tree. The orange-brown wood was chosen for the Ark of the Covenant and the tabernacle altar. It remains prized by cabinetmakers. The yellow flowers once scented perfumes and a resinous wood extract was used both as a drug and in tanning leather. Pods and foliage still serve as cattle feed.
HOLM OAK
As the cedar held the highest respect among evergreens, so the oak was the symbol of strength among those trees that drop their leaves every year. In fact, the Hebrew word for {oak} and {might} is the same. Oaks mark the site of many important events in the Old Testament.
ALMOND
Opening its pink blossoms before any other plant, the almond tree or {wakeful tree,} symbolizes the awakening of spring. The Israelites used the nut in cosmetics, ointments and oil and almond extract still flavours food today. The budding of Aaron’s rod; an almond tree branch; convinced the Israelites of his authority.
CYPRESS
Like cedar, cypress wood is extremely durable. Cypress mummy coffins have lasted thousands of years. Cypress was used to carve idols and build ships. Noah’s ark may have been built of cypress wood.
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