brotherly un-love
Judges Chapter 9
When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." They gave him seventy shekels [a] of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers. He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
Reading this story is pretty disturbing... it's all Shakespeare-esque in the scope of its tragedy and drama.
I mean, this guy Abimelech gets money from his maternal half-brothers so he can raise an army to become king and massacre his paternal half-brothers... SEVENTY of them! That's messed up. Then, after he becomes king, he starts pillaging and burning cities, including the city of his maternal half-brothers, who in retaliation, drop a huge rock on his head, fataling injuring him.
So what kind of lesson can we take from this passage? I guess if you mess up as a father (like Gideon did), the consequences can pretty severe to your family.
When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." They gave him seventy shekels [a] of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers. He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
Reading this story is pretty disturbing... it's all Shakespeare-esque in the scope of its tragedy and drama.
I mean, this guy Abimelech gets money from his maternal half-brothers so he can raise an army to become king and massacre his paternal half-brothers... SEVENTY of them! That's messed up. Then, after he becomes king, he starts pillaging and burning cities, including the city of his maternal half-brothers, who in retaliation, drop a huge rock on his head, fataling injuring him.
So what kind of lesson can we take from this passage? I guess if you mess up as a father (like Gideon did), the consequences can pretty severe to your family.
posted by G @ 10:42 PM
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