First King Part 2

This post is a continuation from yesterday.

Yesterday I was bemoaning the fact that during the period of time in which judges ruled Israel, the nation seemed to have no clear moral leadership - no characters with true character seemed to be on the scene.

Because of that, even though Israel had periods in which they paused their sinning, they never fully stopped. We don't see the people weeping when the Lord speaks to them, like they did in the days of Moses and Joshua - and like they would do centuries later, when they would return to the Promised Land from captivity.

The pattern goes like this, God moves on a leader who takes charge for a time and performs heroic exploits. Then when the warrior dies, the people stop serving God.

The last leader or judge we discussed in this blog was Gideon.

You remember his story, God used him and a little army of 300 to route a huge army. In fact, we find him at the end of the story chasing the stragglers that were left...about 15,000 soldiers.

Gideon apparently still had all 300 of his men ... now they were tired from fighting since the night before and they were hungry but they were chasing this army that outnumbered them 50 to 1.

I guess those odds aren't so bad when you consider that they had just defeated 120,000. That's 400 to 1.

So Gideon ruled the land until his death and apparently he was quite the lady's man because he had seventy sons - that's even more that most NBA stars.

After his death, Abimelech - one of said sons - took it into his head to be a king. So he went to the local folks and offered his services. Well, I should say that first he eliminated all the competition by killing all of his brothers save one.

The people of that region made him their king and they paid him tribute with which he bought himself some friends to hang out with him.

In the meantime, Jotham - the one that got away - returned. I like Jotham because he was the baby of the family. Jotham stood on Mount Gerizim - the mountain Moses had designated as the mount of Blessings (Deuteronomy 27), and pronounced a curse using a metaphor about the bramble bush ruling over the trees.

Jotham scampered back into hiding and three years later trouble arose between Abimelech and the people who had made him a king.

Insurrection and rebellion arose and Abimelech put them down - wiping out entire cities as he did.

In one of the final towns that resisted his reign, the people all took shelter in a single stronghold. Abimelech led his men to cut down limbs of trees which they laid at the base of the building where the people were hiding. Then they set the wood on fire and burned them all up.

In the next town, the people acted in a similar fashion only they fled to a tower. As Abimelech was dragging a bough to the base of the tower, an old woman dropped a grinding stone on his head; he ended up commanding his armorbearer to take his life so it wouldn't be said that a woman had killed him. That sort of talk can destroy a legacy, you know.

Then everybody just went home.

There you have it. No winners, only losers . . . No redemption.

I love stories of redemption. That's what you find in a great many of the classics; redemption is also something you find very little of in the stories we read or see portrayed on screens and stages today.

It occurred to me today as I read that story again that it is that lack of redemption that I don't like about those times. I have read the story of Abimelech in the past and I didn't know which side to root for. I didn't care much for Abimelech; but I really didn't like the people in those towns that let him rule over them either. In fact they were both in the wrong and God brought judgement on both.

I think the old toothless widow woman in the top of that tower was the one bright spot. Imagine you are leaving your home and all your belongings for what could be the last time. What one or two valuable things would you carry with you? That baby picture of your old dear departed husband? The TV remote? That bowling trophy from the Saturday morning bowling league? What is the one thing you just couldn't bear to leave behind? For this woman - it was her grinding stone. She had to live a life of desperation.

But I digress.

The point is, when people lose their way and no standard-bearers arise to point out the need for repentance, it is the saddest of times.

This may be crass and ugly, but a comparison comes to mind that some will find trite.

In 2001 our nation had an opportunity to turn - and for a time I think we did.

We had genuine care and concern for one another; we showed up to help when there was a need; we overlooked our differences to see down to the fact that deep down we were more alike than we were different; and for a very brief time "church and state division" issues didn't seem to matter. Franklin Graham explained the gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearing of millions during a memorial service, even congress-people (of all stripes) were singing together on the capitol steps - "God Bless America" - no less!

All over America, we paused.

But - except for maybe in a few pockets here and there - there wasn't genuine repentance.
We missed that opportunity for redemption.

That's why I am afraid we look far too much like Israel in the days of the judges.