The Sins of a Father
Judges 8 ends with an important caveat about the family Gideon leaves behinds. He has 70 sons, no doubt by more than one wife and he also has a son born out of wedlock.
Judges 8:29–31 (ESV) Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.
Look at how it unfolds. Abimelech and his mother will use their relationship with the people of Shechem for his own advancement:
Judges 9:1–3 (ESV) Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
Judges 8:29–31 (ESV) Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.
Abimelech is going to become the chief antagonist of Israel for the entire next chapter. He will slaughter his half-brothers, he will demand kingship and hold to power with cruelty and threats. His name is interesting, it means, "My Father is king." Abimelech is constantly trying to prove to the world who he is no matter the cost. He is a case study for the inevitable chaos born in one generation by the sexual immorality of the previous generation.
This is a theme of the Bible. Men, even God's men have sexual relations with women outside of marriage (concubines, as in the case of Gideon here or multiple wives or other men's wives) and it ends up causing friction, war and thousands of death. Gideon's failures here in sexual immorality will be lived out again and again in Israel's future as a clear example to not follow suit.
Look at how it unfolds. Abimelech and his mother will use their relationship with the people of Shechem for his own advancement:
Judges 9:1–3 (ESV) Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
You have a willing rebellion initiated because of the familial relationship between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. The underlying theme here is the enemy will feed on family dysfunction created through sexual immorality to bring a nation into civil war. It betrays a truth that our culture REFUSES to accept: Personal sins will always have a corporate impact.
The modern mantra about sexual activity is, "It's my body and my life and it's not affecting anyone else." But that simply isn't true, especially when children are involved. What you do sexually can produce children, hurt children and possibly create identity issues in other children. For what is Abimilech's aim but to erase a status he cannot tolerate - to be the only outsider in a famous family?
This is how scripture speaks. Not always do's and don'ts but experiences and stories shared so that we might learn from them, relate to them and see our need for God's work in important areas where we struggle and could bear responsibility in our future.
I think the struggle for sexual purity is a common one for both genders. For different reasons, men and women will leverage sexual activity beyond God's boundaries to do for themselves what only God can do - certify their identity. Men use it as a means of self-adulation. Women may use it as a means of emotional fortification. And there's intersection in those regards both both gendres.
Abimelech's quest for self-adulation is rooted in something he did not have because of the sins of his father. The good news, Christian, is though your father/mother may have handed you some similar issues, you've now been adopted into the family of God. He is the good and just Father who always does what is right. And your Savior Jesus Christ did not serve His own personal ambitions but fulfilled the will of your Father to bring you to Himself. This is your identity, all other searches for something better can now end. You can be the start of a better lineage in your family tree. This is the hope and power of the Gospel.
The modern mantra about sexual activity is, "It's my body and my life and it's not affecting anyone else." But that simply isn't true, especially when children are involved. What you do sexually can produce children, hurt children and possibly create identity issues in other children. For what is Abimilech's aim but to erase a status he cannot tolerate - to be the only outsider in a famous family?
This is how scripture speaks. Not always do's and don'ts but experiences and stories shared so that we might learn from them, relate to them and see our need for God's work in important areas where we struggle and could bear responsibility in our future.
I think the struggle for sexual purity is a common one for both genders. For different reasons, men and women will leverage sexual activity beyond God's boundaries to do for themselves what only God can do - certify their identity. Men use it as a means of self-adulation. Women may use it as a means of emotional fortification. And there's intersection in those regards both both gendres.
Abimelech's quest for self-adulation is rooted in something he did not have because of the sins of his father. The good news, Christian, is though your father/mother may have handed you some similar issues, you've now been adopted into the family of God. He is the good and just Father who always does what is right. And your Savior Jesus Christ did not serve His own personal ambitions but fulfilled the will of your Father to bring you to Himself. This is your identity, all other searches for something better can now end. You can be the start of a better lineage in your family tree. This is the hope and power of the Gospel.
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