BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

At this point, Israel careens toward self-destruction with shocking speed. One of Gideon’s sons, Abimelech, colludes with his mother’s relatives in Shechem to slaughter his 70 half-brothers and to make himself king. Using money from the city’s idol temple, Abimelech hires a band of troublemakers and sets out on a murderous rampage.

Before long, the relationship between Shechem’s leaders and their new king sours, then deteriorates into open warfare, with innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. God brings Abimelech’s treachery back on his own head, literally. A woman crushes Abimelech’s skull with a millstone, bringing his life to the same humiliating end as Sisera’s.

Jephthah, the next major leader in Judges, bears an alarming resemblance to Abimelech: an illegitimate son, cut off from his half-brothers, assembles a militia in the hills. At times, Jephthah makes good choices and experiences God’s blessing. However, Jephthah’s story quickly spirals into chaos from there. He tries to bribe Yahweh with a rash vow, then sacrifices his daughter! Even though Jephthah gives a long speech about Yahweh’s past actions, his behavior proves he has forgotten Yahweh’s character.

God partners with Jephthah to rescue Israel from their oppressors, but this time, the land has no rest. The tide of violence and chaos keeps rising. How much longer can Israel stay afloat?

Reflection Questions

• Compare the story of Gideon and Abimelech to the story of Deborah and Barak. What common themes and patterns do you notice? How are the two pairs of leaders different?
• Meditate on the pattern of sin, oppression, repentance, deliverance, and then peace in Judges. What parts of this cycle look different in Jephthah’s story compared to the other judges you’ve read about so far? What do these differences show you about Israel’s decline?