Throwing the Gauntlet

We now enter a section of Judges in which the pursuit of power, egotism, and vengeance are on display. The characters in this section are, simply put, unlikeable. Our task is to remember that we are witnessing the effects of sin left unchecked. But God is working quietly through providence to bring judgment on that sin, delivering His people from the oppression of evil men from their own midst.

In yesterday’s study, we saw that God sent “a spirit of ill will” to drive a wedge between Abimelech and his Shechemite backers. The Shechemites therefore set ambushes for Abimelech, but were unable to catch him. Now, Shechem finds a man willing to lead it in open rebellion against Abimelech. A certain Gaal and his brothers come to the city, and the Shechemites “put their confidence in him.” We’re not told precisely how he is able to win them over. However, as we will see, he is like Abimelech in that he is full of vanity and prone to promise big things. As Matthew Henry says, “Here was one bramble contesting with another.” And the Shechemites, again displaying their lack of discernment, are quick to follow him.

Gaal and the men of the city make wine and make merry in the temple of Baal-Berith. The combination of the wine and the excitement over Gaal’s arrival loosens the men’s tongues, and they begin to curse Abimelech openly. Gaal eggs them on with his questions. “ ‘Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him?’ ” he demands, perhaps using “Shechem” as a way to refer to himself and the other men. Gaal also asks, “ ‘Is [Abimelech] not the son of Jerubbaal?’ ” indicating that he sees Abimelech’s descent from Gideon as a liability rather than an asset. He goes on to mock Zebul, Abimelech’s chief deputy in Shechem, and tosses in a difficult-to-understand, perhaps drunken suggestion that it would be better to serve Hamor, the father of the city’s namesake (Gen. 34:2,6), than Abimelech. No doubt the crowd is in a frenzy at this point, and Gaal, carried along, makes his final pitch: “ ‘If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.’ ” And so, seeing the willingness of the Shechemites to follow him as he carries out his planned coup, he throws down the gauntlet, sending word to Abimelech to “ ‘increase your army and come out!’ ” Jotham’s fire is kindling (9:20).