What can we learn from God’s retribution? (Judg 9:50-57)
Judg 9:50-59
A few weeks ago, I mentioned a man who encouraged relatives and friends to put their money into his bank and then made off with the funds to build a comfortable life in the US (read it here). That, however, was not the end of the story. As he and his wife travelled through Europe, their child contracted TB. She needed extensive medical care in a sanatorium for months, so that all the money they embezzled went on treatment. When they arrived in the US, they had to start from scratch, like all other penniless immigrants. It is not often that we get to see God’s justice done in a relatively short time in this life, but like the case of the man above, Abimelech also meets God’s retribution. This, in fact, is what the Bible calls God’s ‘unusual task’ (Isa 28:21-22) because in this present age even sinners who oppose God receive from His general grace (Matt 5:44-45).
Abimelech’s story and the way his arrogance ended in destruction is a warning. Thebez was about 15km NE of Shechem (see map here) and was possibly in league with Shechem, although our reading does not tell us explicitly (Judg 9:50). Once again, Abimelech captures the city and the townsfolk take refuge in the fortified tower like the Shechemite leadership did earlier (Judg 9:46-47, 51). The events have an element of gruesome déjà vu as Abimelech approaches to burn the tower’s (probably wooden) entrance (Judg 9:52). He clearly does not expect resistance and pays the price for his arrogance. For a mighty warrior to be defeated by an equally powerful enemy is one thing, to be overcome by a nameless individual and a woman at that was utterly demeaning, which explains Abimelech’s command to be killed by his armour bearer (Judg 9:53-54). A millstone consisted of a heavier and bigger base layer and a smaller upper stone that was turned over the base with a handle thereby crushing grain. It is this lighter (though still substantial) upper millstone that the woman hurled at Abimelech crushing his head.
The story then comes full circle. The correspondence between events and Jotham’s curse is not exact, but curses/blessings (as well as prophecies) often use figurative language to make a point and, as such, should not be pressed for an exact equivalence. Thus, Abimelech’s death is not by literal fire and not in direct engagement with Shechem. Nevertheless, fire is a metaphor for destruction and Abimelech’s demise is the result of his larger quarrel with Shechem. The narrator understands these conventions of language and interprets the events as the fulfilment of Jotham’s curse, as well as God bringing retribution on both guilty parties for the murder of Gideon’s sons (Judg 9:56-57).
As Webb points out, so far in Judges, God’s attitude towards Israel involved punishment for their idolatry expressed in foreign oppression but was tempered by compassion in the form of deliverance. However, Abimelech’s story is one of exact retribution and this corresponds to the use of Elohim (‘God’) rather than Yahweh (translated ‘LORD’) in the chapter.[1] The rabbis in particular associated Elohim, the generic designation for God with justice or judgment and Yahweh, God’s personal name revealed to Israel, with grace and compassion. Thus, this sad story carries two significant messages. On the one hand, it is a warning not to take God’s grace for granted but use His deferral of judgment to seek Him (2 Pet 3:3-4, 9). If we recognise sin in our lives, may we not delay our repentance thinking that because God does not punish immediately, He does not see or disapprove. On the other hand, the harsh measures in Judges 9 are also for the benefit of Israel at large because the process ‘brings evil to an end, so that normal life can be resumed (Judg 9:55)’.[2] Those who suffer under the controls of evil can be grateful that God sometimes cuts evil’s power short. Much as we would like to know why God acts with restraint in one case and retribution in another, we must trust His wisdom for the larger picture we cannot see.
[1] Barry G. Webb, The Book of Judges, NICOT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), 296. This usage of Elohim /Yahweh should not be pressed for meaning in every instance, but it is noticeable in our chapter that the name Yahweh, disappears completely.
[2] Webb, Judged, 296.
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