Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 70
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
8:31–9:10
to him, for he had many wives. He also had a concubine in Shechem, who
gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. Gideon died when he was
very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in
the land of the clan of Abiezer.
As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the
Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them. Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of J erub-baal (that
is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.
One day Gideon’s son Abimelech went to Shechem to visit his u ncles—his
mother’s brothers. He said to them and to the rest of his mother’s family,
“Ask the leading citizens of Shechem whether they want to be ruled by all
seventy of Gideon’s sons or by one man. And remember that I am your
own flesh and blood!”
So Abimelech’s uncles gave his message to all the citizens of Shechem
on his behalf. And after listening to this proposal, the people of Shechem
decided in favor of Abimelech because he was their relative. They gave him
seventy silver coins from the temple of Baal-berith, which he used to hire
some reckless troublemakers who agreed to follow him. He went to his
father’s home at Ophrah, and there, on one stone, they killed all seventy
of his half brothers, the sons of Gideon. But the youngest brother, Jotham,
escaped and hid.
Then all the leading citizens of Shechem and B
eth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the pillar at Shechem and made Abimelech their
king.
When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Geri
zim and shouted,
“Listen to me, citizens of Shechem!
Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!
Once upon a time the trees decided to choose a king.
First they said to the olive tree,
‘Be our king!’
But the olive tree refused, saying,
‘Should I quit producing the olive oil
that blesses both God and people,
just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
“Then they said to the fig tree,
‘You be our king!’