The Book of Judges is not for the faint hearted. While Gideon’s leadership as a Judge sparked a thirst for Israelite monarchical rule, his post-mortem was sobering to that national ambition.
Succession, in antiquity, was heavily nepotism. Gideon, not be outshined by the Elon Musk’s or Nick Cannon’s of the world, amassed seventy sons and had many options to shape his legacy. From the text, however, Gideon did not designate a particular son to lead. The lack of direction created a power vacuum. The result was organic succession laden with all of humanity’s foibles and faults.
With Gideon’s passing, the Israelites cycled back to forgetting their god and venturing back into idolatry. In this devolution, the Israelites also lacked kindness towards Gideon’s household. Thus, a political wedge emerged to be exploited.
The succession story, with this background, takes us to Abimelech. As Gideon’s son from a concubine mother from the City of Shechem, he was arguably an outsider to Gideon’s household. Thus, with a connection to Shechem, he possessed a political advantage.
Abimelech convinced the Shechem’s locals that they would be better off having him as ruler verses being ruled by his many brothers. [note: was Abimelech’s jealousy due to his birth status?] To carry out his plot, he received monies from the Shechem locals: seventy pieces of silver from the Baal temple [note: was this stolen money? also, is there significance that the plot was funded by the proceeds of idolatry?] With the money, Abimelech hired mercenaries who followed him to the house of Gideon and murdered all of his brothers. One brother, however, Jotham, escaped.
Abimelech eventually ruled the land for approximately three years. The end of his tumultuous reign occurred when, during conflict, a woman threw part of an upper millstone at Abimelech’s head and struck a mortal wound. Abimelech, not wanting to have it known that a woman killed him, had his attendant take his life.
Abimelech’s tale presents with many Ten Commandments’ moments. He was an individual who likely coveted his brothers’ status. This may have been the result of a sense of inferiority from being concubine’s child. Further, he violated two commandments simultaneously by murdering his brothers and dishonoring his father. Further, he may have been involved in the theft of monies from the Baal temple. Likewise, impliedly, idolatry played a role in the murders as they were funded by temple money.
As horrifying Abimelech’s tale is, it is enlightening on various matters. How come, in the case of Joseph and his brothers, was Jacob’s family able to handle their dispute in a manner that did not result in their brother’s death? Also, why did those brothers act in a better during a pre-Ten Commandments period versus a post Mt. Sinai moment? Further, while not exactly a Ten Commandments’ related question, does Abimelech’s tale have anything connection to the Dinah’s Genesis story also involving the City of Shechem?
In sum, Abimelech’s succession serves as a cautionary tale as to monarchical power. We witness first-hand the nature and extent that an individual will go to secure power. Further, we see, given the world of nepotism, that the familial violence was likely in moments of succession. From the text, it is also apparent that Abimelech, unlike his father Gideon, did not respect, appreciate, fear or revere the Israelites’ God; the God of the Torah and the Ten Commandments. Abimelech’s consequences were that “God repaid the evil of Abimelech that he had done to his father [by] murdering his seventy brothers.” Judge 9:56. Thus, in this moment, we appreciate that, in certain matters, the Master of the Universe will exact divine punishment upon violators of the Ten Commandments. He did so via the agency of a woman who had outstanding aim.
Be well!!
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