{"id":55599,"date":"2019-05-15T21:27:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T18:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=55599"},"modified":"2022-12-07T18:44:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T16:44:57","slug":"points-to-ponder-judges-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/points-to-ponder-judges-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Points to Ponder – Judges 9"},"content":{"rendered":"
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  1. Who\u2019s the guilty party?<\/em>According to the Parable of Jotham (verses 7-21) – it seems everybody is. The people: for their demand for a king, and for their bad judgment in accepting an unworthy leader. The worthy leaders: for refusing to rule. And the unworthy ones, who rush to rule, doing great damage along the way.<\/li>\n
  2. Avimelech son of Gideon.<\/em> Gideon doesn\u2019t want the kingship, but Avimelech pushes for it. Gideon\u2019s leadership, and his wars, are for the good of the people, but the opposite is the case with Avimelech. But there are also certain similarities between father and son. They both use military stratagems, including attacks by night, and the use of personal example. Avimelech says (verse 48): \u201cWhat you saw me do\u2014quick, do the same!\u201d; echoing Gideon\u2019s words (7:17): \u201c\u2018Watch me,\u2019 he said, \u2018and do the same. When I get to the outposts of the camp, do exactly as I do.\u2019\u201d What do you think this means?<\/li>\n
  3. Imagination and reality.<\/em> Zebul the collaborator convinces Gaal the rebel that he is seeing things: \u201cGaal saw the army and said to Zebul, \u2018That\u2019s an army marching down from the hilltops!\u2019 But Zebul said to him, \u2018The shadows of the hills look to you like men\u2019\u201d (verse 36).<\/li>\n
  4. Sowing salt.<\/em> That\u2019s what Avimelech does to the city of Shechem (verse 45). Not clear whether this is efficacious, but it represents a curse on the city, that it should be laid waste forever.<\/li>\n
  5. The shame of dying at the hands of a woman.<\/em> That\u2019s what Avimelech was feeling when he said to his arms bearer: \u201cDraw your dagger and finish me off, that they may not say of me, \u2018A woman killed him!\u2019\u201d (verse 54). Those may have been Sisera\u2019s dying emotions as well (see chs. 4, 5).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","image":{"ID":86314,"id":86314,"title":"Points to ponder","filename":"Points-to-ponder.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/points-to-ponder-psalm-84\/points-to-ponder\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"points-to-ponder","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":86166,"date":"2021-01-09 20:56:58","modified":"2023-12-28 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