Shoftim 9: Was Avimelech a Judge?

Shoftim 9: Was Avimelech a Judge?

One of seventy sons, Abimelech kills his brothers and then is appointed leader of the people of Schchem and a band of hooligans. But is Abimelech a Judge? He does not conquer an enemy of the Israelites. Although the people of Shchem appoint him as a ruler over them, it does not seem like he even ruled over the city. The word used to describe his “reign” is “Vayasar” (verse 22). Rashi interprets this as “he ruled as a prince.” But Ralbag is not as convinced. He says the Navi does use the word “Judge” for a reason. Vayasar implies that Abimelech held sway on his own accord and definitely did not rule over all of Israel. The word does appear anywhere else in the book of Judges. The text is also ambiguous as to whether it was the Israelite inhabitants fo Schchem that appointed him as their leader or if it was the Canaanite inhabitants. The people are referred to as “baalai Shchem.” This may have a double meaning. They were both the inhabitants of Shchem, but also the Baal worshipers of Shchem. Beside verse 22, the word Israel appears only at the very end, after Abimelech is crushed by the millstone. “When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone went home” (verse 55). This cryptic verse could mean that the people discussed in the chapter were Israelites, or it could mean that the people of Israel were finally rid of this mafia boss and could return to their homes safely. If Abimelech was not a true judge, then why include his story? 1) to shows the lawlessness of the time. Focusing on Abimelech and his band of outlaws gives some nice flavor to what it was like to live in Israel at the time of the Judges. Roving gangs could hold sway over groups of cities without any recourse. 2) to show again that Yerubaal was correct that kings are bad news because the children of a ruler can be bad. Yerubaal was a courageous ruler who helped lead the Israelites out from under Midyanite control. He pursuaded the people to leave Baal and destroyed houses of worship. His son did the opposite. He led a gang of thugs to terrorize the countryside. He partnered with the local inhabitants of Shchem and profited from the idol centers. He killed Yerubaal’s entire family.

Shoftim 8: Wishful Thinking for a King

At the end of the chapter, there are two strange things that Gideon does. The first is after Gideon finally captures the two kings. Instead of killing them himself, he asks his son to kill them. His son wavers, and instead the kings taunt Gideon into killing them. At the end of the chapter, Gideon collects rings from the people to create a fancy robe. Why are these two points included in the story? The answer may have to do with what happens in between. Gideon is the conquering hero who defeated the Midyanim. The people have already gone through a few other judges, and decide they want to appoint Gideon as their king. Gideon refuses and says that God should be the one who rules over the people. Perhaps the Navi was also trying to send a message with his son and the robe. The people approach Gideon because he was a great warrior, and on that alone his children should rule after him. But Gideon showed that just because he was a great warrior, it did not mean his son was. Killing the two captured kings should have been an easy ask. Instead, Gideon’s son was not up for the task. Later in the book of Kings, Israel will learn this lesson the hard way with children of kings not necessarily following in the path of their parents. The Navi is sending the message that patrilineal leadership is no guarantee of success or safety. After the people ask him to be king, Gideon collects nose rings from everyone. The last time Israel w as asked for nose rings to make something was back in Exodus at the sin of the Golden Calf. And, just like at the sin of the Golden Calf, the people begin to worship the clock that Gideon makes. The message here is two-fold, the first is that even the most noble rulers can fail. In Exodus, Aaron tried to assuage the people’s fears about Moshe by creating a symbol in the Golden Calf. That did not go well. Here as well, Gideon creates this clock as a message, but it ends up being a snare for the people and for him.

Shoftim 7: Lapdogs

In chapter 6, Gideon tested God through special signs, in chapter 7, God uses His own test. Back in Joshua, after the defeat of Yericho, the people prepare to attack Ai. Secure in their victory over the walled city, the people choose to send a smaller force to attack the city of Ai. The tactic fails, and the force is routed. The motivation there may have been hubris that led to the Israelite defeat. Here, Hashem wants to send a message to the Israelites, and the Midyanim. He tells Gideon that his large fighting force is too big to send the right message: “The LORD said to Gideon: ‘The people with you are too many for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.”’” וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל־גִּדְעוֹן רַב־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתָּךְ מִתִּתִּי אֶת־מִדְיָן בְּיָדָם פֶּן־יִתְפָּאַר עָלַי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר יָדִי הוֹשִׁיעָה לִּי (Judges 7:2) At first, Hashem has Gideon send away the people that are afraid: “Now therefore proclaim in the hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him turn back…’ And twenty two thousand of the people turned back, and ten thousand remained.” וְעַתָּה קְרָא־נָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם לֵאמֹר מִי־יָרֵא וְחָרֵד יָשֹׁב וְיִצְפֹּר מֵהַר הַגִּלְעָד וַיָּשָׁב מִן־הָעָם עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁנַיִם אֶלֶף וַעֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים נִשְׁאָרוּ (Judges 7:3) The number remaining is still too large. God then has Gideon perform a test. He asks the remaining army to go to the river and drink. Those who lap at the water with their tongues like dogs should be separated from those who bend down on their knees. “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, you shall set apart… And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men… And the LORD said, ‘By the three hundred men that lapped will I deliver you…’” כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יָלֹק בִּלְשׁוֹנוֹ מִן־הַמַּיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר יִלֹּק הַכֶּלֶב תַּצִּיג אֹתוֹ לְבָד… וַיְהִי מִסְפַּר הַמְלַקִּים בְּיָדָם אֶל־פִּיהֶם שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אִישׁ… וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ בִּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת הָאִישׁ הַמְלַקִּים אוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם… (Judges 7:5–7) God selects those who drink like dogs as the small fighting force. Why is this the sign? Rashi explains that God rejects those bowing down to drink the water because it shows that they were accustomed to bowing down. This means that they secretly were idol worshipers. Ralbag believes the test had nothing to do with idol worship, but instead had to do with zealousness. Those that went on their knees were too lazy and careful, and those that lapped like dogs were trying to drink the fastest way possible. If God was concerned about the idol worshipers, then that should have been the first “cut” that God proposed. Ralbag’s interpretation matches the first cut of those who were fearful. Both cuts help to isolate those warriors who would be fearless and zealous in battle. Josephus argues the opposite. He says that those drinking like dogs did so because they wanted to finish quickly to avoid the enemy. God chose them because it would make the miraculous victory even greater if the small fighting force were those who were the most nervous. The issue with Josephus’s opinion is that it does not match the first cut that God made. One would assume these 300 would have self selected out with those nervous for battle. With all of these conflicting reasons, the main reason may actually have nothing to do with the actions of the people themselves, but in the use of the hand. Verse 2 of the chapter states: “פֶּן־יִתְפָּאַר עָלַי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר יָדִי הוֹשִׁיעָה לִּי” Lest Israel vaunt itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand saved me. Perhaps, then, God specifically chooses those who do not use their own hands to drink as a way to show that the hand of the people will not be responsible for the victory, only the hand of God.

Shoftim 6: Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

Chapter 6 begins with a messenger (or angel) of God again coming to the people and telling them that God took the people out of Egypt and so they should follow Him and stop worshipping idols. When the angel (or messenger) comes to Gideon to appoint him as judge, Gideon has an amazing response. “If God is with us, why do all of these bad things happen? Where are all the wonders we keep hearing about from our fathers saying ‘did not God bring us up from Egypt?’” (verse 13). וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גִּדְעוֹן בִּי אֲדֹנִי וְיֵשׁ ה׳ עִמָּנוּ וְלָמָּה מְצָאַתְנוּ כָּל־זֹאת וְאַיֵּה כָל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹא מִמִּצְרַיִם הֶעֱלָנוּ ה׳ (Judges 6:13) Gideon’s response is a direct retort to the angel of God at the start of the chapter. How long should the Israelites in the land be beholden to the stories of the past when the present seems so different. It is also a stark reminder that there is no one left in the land that was alive to witness the great miracles of the past. Gideon then responds in a way that is reminiscent of Moshe’s response to God—how can I be Your servant to save the people? I am not worthy! Gideon then asks for three miracles in this chapter, each one seems to be a test to see if God is with him. But the tests themselves reveal a deeper meaning and motivation behind them that match Gideon’s complaint to the angel at the beginning of the chapter. The first comes in the beginning when the angel tells Gideon to set out a sacrifice—complete with liquids—onto a rock. The angel then touches the sacrifice and a fire appears, burning the sacrifice and the angel disappears into the flame. וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֶת־קְצֵה הַמִּשְׁעֶנֶת אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּגַּע בַּבָּשָׂר וּבַמַּצּוֹת וַתַּעַל הָאֵשׁ מִן־הַצוּר וַתֹּאכַל אֶת־הַבָּשָׂר וְאֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת וּמַלְאַךְ ה׳ הָלַךְ מֵעֵינָיו (Judges 6:21) There will be a similar scene later in Kings II when Eliyahu tests the priests of Baal. But this test with fire is reminiscent of the first time Moshe encountered God at the burning bush. A flame appears out of nowhere. Here, though, the fire consumes everything as opposed to nothing. The next two tests come at the end of the chapter. Gideon asks that one morning dew fall only on a piece of wool and the next that the dew fall everywhere except the wool. This second test could also be a test of the stories told of the Exodus. During the plagues, God would make sure that the plagues only harmed the Egyptians. The Israelites, who were sometimes one house over, were left unharmed. Similarly, the two tests here show that God is able to single out one thing from everything around it. The three tests, therefore, are God’s is response to Gideon’s challenge of the lost stories of the miracles of the Exodus. Gideon challenged these stories and God responds by showing Gideon that these stories, and the great victories that surrounded them, were real. Just like the people of old were saved, so too God will assist Gideon in saving the people today.

Shoftim 5: Wake up Devorah! Wake up!

Like Moshe after the defeat of the Egyptians, the Israelites after the defeat of Og, and Moshe again at the end of his life, Devora composes an epic poem describing her victory. The Song of Devora is a complex poem that includes rhymes (e.g., verse 3—“melachim” and “roznim”): repeated words (the word “az” appears five times), narrative (verses 24–30 recalling the story of Yael): midrash (verse 20: “The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera”): praises (verse 18: “Zebulun is a people that mocked at death, Naphtali—on the open heights”): זְבוּלוּן עַם חֵרֵף נַפְשׁוֹ לָמוּת וְנַפְתָּלִי עַל־מְרוֹמֵי שָׂדֶה (Judges 5:18) and curses (verse 23: “Curse Meroz!” said the angel of the LORD. “Bitterly curse its inhabitants, Because they came not to the aid of the LORD, To the aid of the LORD among the warriors”): אוֹרוּ מֵרוֹז אָמַר מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אָרוֹר אָרֹר יֹשְׁבֶיהָ כִּי לֹא־בָאוּ לְעֶזְרַת ה׳ לְעֶזְרַת ה׳ בַּגִּבּוֹרִים (Judges 5:23) Devora also references herself twice: “Deliverance ceased, Ceased in Israel, Till I arose, O Deborah, Arose, O mother, in Israel!” (verse 7) חָדְלוּ פְרָזוֹן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חָדֵלּוּ עַד־שַׁקַּמְתִּי דְבוֹרָה שַׁקַּמְתִּי אֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל (Judges 5:7) and “Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, strike up the chant! Arise, O Barak; Take your captives, O son of Abinoam!” (verse 12). עוּרִי עוּרִי דְבוֹרָה עוּרִי עוּרִי דַּבְּרִי־שִׁיר קוּם בָּרָק וּשְׁבֵה שֶׁבְיְךָ בֶּן־אֲבִינֹעַם (Judges 5:12) Focusing on these last two verses, what do these two verses mean? Why does Devora need to wake herself up? The Talmud in Pesachim 66b explains that the second verse is a direct result of the first verse. In the first verse, Devora was haughty and claimed that she was the reason that the Israelites were saved. Even if this was true, she was not humble. Because she was not humble, she lost the divine spirit. A true prophet, like Moshe, needs to be humble. The second verse is the literal wake‑up call for her to snap out of her haughtiness and return to her humble roots. She displays this by immediately praising Barak, and not herself. When she does this, the divine spirit returns. This is a nice message but does not seem to match the story. This chapter is simply the epic poem recounting the story. If she lost her divine spirit mid‑song, it does not seem to be so consequential. Because this is an epic poem, it is not out of the ordinary that part of it would be praise for the songwriter. In fact, the message could be against those who doubted that a woman could achieve such a victory. There is also a grammatical issue. The translation of verse 7 could be “deliverance ceased, ceased in Israel until you arose, O Devorah…” This phrasing would imply that a chorus sang this part to Devora. The chorus would then appear in verse 12, calling out to Devora to awaken. Isaiah uses this double phrase in chapters 51 and 52 of Isaiah. Because Isaiah lived after Devora, he must have borrowed the phrasing and meaning from her poem. • Isaiah 51:9 עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי־עֹז זְרוֹעַ ה׳ עוּרִי כִּימֵי קֶדֶם דֹּרוֹת עוֹלָמִים “Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake as in days of old, generations long past…” • Isaiah 51:17 הִתְעוֹרְרִי הִתְעוֹרְרִי קוּמִי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֲשֶׁר שָׁתִית מִיַּד ה׳ אֶת־כּוֹס חֲמָתוֹ “Rouse yourself, rouse yourself, arise, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His wrath…” • Isaiah 52:1 עוּרִי עוּרִי לִבְשִׁי עֻזֵּךְ צִיּוֹן לִבְשִׁי בִגְדֵי תִפְאַרְתֵּךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם עִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city…” Both times it’s symbolic of God and Jerusalem awakening to achieve glory and strength once again. Therefore, it’s possible that the chorus here is rousing Devora to victory.