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So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon.
Judges 8:28 NASB
What happens in silence after victory? At the beginning of Judges 8, all looked well. Gideon had purged the land of evil, and the Midianites were subdued. The land went undisturbed for 40 years. But somewhere in the silence, the heart was lured by the scent of sin. Gideon’s flawed hero persona cost him dearly in the end.
We read a great deal about his ephod but not much is made of his other decision: to have multiple wives and 70 children. This is not directly rebuked by the writer, but serves as a metaphor for Israel’s wandering eye. It certainly was not a good decision when considering the story of Abimelech. Up to this point, the storyline has been more general in nature, but it now moves to a much more personal and internal perspective. It’s the same song and dance that plays out for Israel.
Rebellion. Rebuke. Punishment.
Here in Judges 9, that entire process is intensified. Abimelech becomes king after murdering his brothers. Jotham rebukes and predicts their downfall. Abimelech and the people crash and burn. We see in this chapter how God hands us over to our own fleshly desires. Verse 23 illustrates this…
Then God made Abimelech and the men of Shechem hostile to each other, and they rebelled against Abimelech.
Judges 9:23 GNB
It reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 1.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 1:24-25 NASB
We must keep a balanced view of our fleshly struggles. We wrestle every day with going back to the chains we’ve been freed from. But thanks be to God who gives us the power to change through the Holy Spirit! We are no longer slaves as the people in Judges 9. We are empowered and set free for eternity.