Judges 9:1-10:5
Dear RTB’ers,
I read through today’s reading twice in two different translations, then sat and pondered the readings and asked myself for any goodness in what we read. Then I looked at the STS questions and #1 includes the word “sin” three times. So it looks like STS agrees with me – not much goodness in today’s reading, other than Jotham (Jg. 9:5b, 7-21), where we see his curse upon Shechem fulfilled in Judges 9:57.
But, a couple of items for clarification… STS points out that Shechem was a Canaanite city, established by Hamor, a Hivite (Jg. 9:28) many years prior. Abimelech was Gideon’s son, but his mother was Canaanite and he was only a half-brother to the rest of Gideon’s sons, whom he killed. So any battles between Abimelech and other leaders can be read as Canaanites against true Israelites.
A few days ago I posted about national versus regional stories in the book of Judges. It seems as if all three judges in today’s reading are more regional than national. Shechem (mentioned often today) was in Ephraim, right on the border with west-Manasseh, land which later became Samaria in Jesus’ time. All of Abimelech’s conspiracy seems to be regional. Both of the judges in chapter 10 also seem to be regional, Tola in the northern part of the Promised Land and Jair from Gilead (east-Manasseh), a trans-Jordan tribe. Contrast today’s readings with yesterday’s, where Gideon was drawing warriors from a number of tribes to fight against the Midianites.
Blessings!
See also: March 15 (2023) / Judges 9-10