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.