Judges 9-10 – The Importance of Spiritual Leadership

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

A study of Judges 9-10 highlights the importance of why spiritual leadership is not only needed, but what it matters.

Introduction

Going back to Genesis, in the early days of mankind, man’s desire for power is clearly seen, as men raised themselves to be rulers, kings, and pharaohs.  Very few did anything good with their power, while many chose to be conquerors and oppressors.  Some have even used God’s name in vain to enslave and to oppress, which raises the question as to how that could happen. This week’s study, covering Judges 9-10, highlights why good spiritual leadership is so important, not just in the church but outside of it.

Leadership is needed today, and if you’re a child of God or desire to walk with Him, He will expect you to lead the way. So let’s take a look at Judges 9-10 to see why your spiritual leadership is so needed. 

Judges 8:22-23 – The Sin Cycle Renewed

Since Judges 9 is a direct carryover from Judges 8, I must lead into it with the years that immediately followed Gideon’s victory over Midian, especially since I did not end the last study by taking a look at those years.

After Midian was “subdued”, Judges 8:28 tells us that the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.  So, Gideon lived for another forty years after Midian’s defeat, and there was no war. In fact, this is the last time we see the Midianites being a strong, powerful force in scripture. From this point forward in scripture, Midian is referenced only a few times in how it once troubled Israel.

During the 40 years that Gideon lived following Midian’s defeat, the signs of Israel’s sin cycle began to renew.  It began in Judges 8:22 when the men of Israel desired for Gideon, his sons, and his grandsons to rule over them.  In other words, they desired to set up a monarchy with Gideon’s house as the rulers.

This was a desire that went against the Mosaic Law, where God commanded Israel to have nobody rule over them but the Lord (Ex. 20:3). The desire of the people foreshadows a future desire that happens in in 1 Samuel 8.  In that day, the people desired for a king, angering Samuel and the Lord, but God gave them Saul, who became a crazed leader over time.

For his part in this matter, Gideon rejected the idea of him, his children, and grandchildren being set up as a monarchy (Judg. 8:23). At first glance, it would seem that Gideon made this choice in obedience to the law, as it was the right choice.

Judges 8:24-35 Gideon’s Great Failure

However, in Judges 8:24-27, Gideon began to move in a certain way.  He took the people’s jewelry, their gold, the purple robes of the defeated kings of Midian, and made an ephod. Now, you may be wondering, what’s an ephod?

An ephod was like an apron that was worn by high priests, like Aaron. The ephod was something that set the high priests apart from the common priest (Ex. 28). If I had to liken Gideon’s ephod to anything, it would not be like that of the high priest, or at least it wasn’t used in such a manner.  Gideon’s ephod was more like a golden trophy that he could look at and remember his victory over Midian.  

Sadly, Gideon’s ephod became a snare to him, his house, and to Israel as well. Judges 8:28 explained that Israel began to “play the harlot” to his ephod.  What this means is that the people forsook the Lord to worship Gideon’s golden ephod!  This is almost like a repeat of Isreal’s sin at Mount Sinai!

This was not good! It was especially not good for Gideon, someone who was viewed as a spiritual leader! A spiritual leader is to uplift a people, not be the cause of their sin! Gideon had freed the people from the chastisement of their sin, but now he had caused the people to sin again!

On top of that, Judges 8:29-30 shows us that Gideon had many wives, fathering 70 sons.  Gideon having multiple wives was certainly unlawful! Making matters worse, Judges 8:31 tells us that Gideon had a concubine, with the implication being that she may have been a gentile woman. IF she was a gentile woman, that would have also been another unlawful act added to Gideon’s actions. 

Through her was born, Abimelech, and they both dwelt in Shechem, in the northern regions of Israel, apart from Gideon, who dwelt in Ophrah, which was further to the north. Gideon’s life came to an end with a rather sad end for him, spiritually speaking, having caused Israel to fall back into sin.  Judges 8:33 tells us that Israel went back to worshiping the Baals and made Baal-Berith their god.

A lesson to learn from Gideon’s leadership

Personally, I feel like Gideon left Israel in a far worse position than before God raised him to be a judge.  Sure, he led Israel from the oppression of the Midianites and the Amalekites, but he certainly stumbled afterwards, and his stumble caused others to stumble.

Gideon is an example of why believers must continue to grow in their faith, rather than become complacent. I know many who, after they have joined the church and been baptized, rarely ever pick up a bible again to study, rarely pray, let alone attend a worship service. No, faith must keep on growing, as complacency leads to idle hands, and as the saying goes, ‘idle hands is the devil’s workshop’.

Thaat is not how any of us ought to live nor lead, after we have repented and chosen to follow Christ.  Keep in mind, Christ said, “You are the light of the world … Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:14,16).”

God’s children are meant to be spiritual leaders who guide others to the Lord.  We are not meant to lead others into spiritual darkness!  The true Christian is to be a light in the world, not a snare.  Let us move to be lights.

Judges 9:1-6 – Be Wary of Wicked Leadership

Judges 9 picks up with Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal.  Jerubbaal was the name Gideon’s dad gave him in Judges 6:31-32, after Gideon had destroyed the altar of Baal and Asherah.

Abimelech’s wicked ambition

In Judges 9:1-2, we’re told that Abimelech spoke to his uncles and all the family on his mother’s side about his ambition to reign over them in Shechem.  Abimelech spun a suggestive narrative to them, asking who they would rather reign over them:  the sons of Gideon, whom they weren’t familiar with, or the son of Gideon who was one of their own.

Now, because Abimelch was born to a concubine, by law, he would be considered illegitimate, unable to be considered part of the assembly (Deut. 23:2).  So, Abimelch’s desire, like the people’s desire, was unlawful.

In Judges 9:3, the scripture tells us that the men of Shechem were inclined to follow Abimelech over his brothers. So, right away, you ought to be getting a sense of Abimelech’s character; he was a man who craved power, could be cunning, and deceiving. 

Let’s also note that the men chose to follow a man without knowing his aspirations or his morality, which, as we’ve seen throughout history and now in the present, is not a good way to choose whom you will follow.

Judges 9:4 tells us that the men of Shechem gave Abimelech 70 shekels of silver, which he then used to hire worthless and reckless men.  The implication is that maybe all he could afford with the 70 shekels were worthless and reckless men. Keep in mind, Judas Iscariot was bought with 30 shekels of silver to betray Jesus. I reference Iscariot just to provide you with a sense for the kind of people Abimlech hired.

After hiring those men, Judges 9:5 tells us that Abimelech took them and moved against Gideon’s 70 sons, killing all of his other brothers, except one, Jotham, as he managed to escape the slaughter.  If you have not yet caught on to the kind of man that Abimelech was, this ought to make things a lot more clearer.

Abimelech’s desires were wicked. His desire was all about power, wielding it, and living the life of a powerful man. Again, his desire was to live as a king, not just over the men of Shechem, but over all of Israel. What kind of leadership do you suppose such a man would bring to a people? (You shouldn’t have to think too hard about that, as we see such kind of men leading in places all over the world today.)

The testimony of who you follow

After ruthlessly killing his brothers, Judges 9:6 tells us that the men of Shechem accepted Abimelech as their king.  Now, you would think that the men of Shechem would have rejected Abimelech after seeing what he and the men he hired had done. The fact that they made him king to rule over them tells us a great deal about who they were spiritually. At the minimum, they were spiritually ignorant, but I cannot let them off so lightly because it was clear the kind of man they had chosen to follow.

Who you surround yourself with stands as a testimony. Who you choose to follow also stands as a testimony.

Leadership can be a good thing or an incredibly dangerous thing, right? Just think for a moment: what could Abimelech do for those people? Good leadership can uplift spirits.  Yet, terrible leadership brings down spirits and makes sure they stay down, while only ensuring their spirit flourishes.  Good leadership lives for others, while terrible leadership is selfish, so that only one person flourishes.

When you choose to follow someone who makes clear their wicked ambitions, what do you think that says about your soul? There are no excuses, nor are there any justifications for one who proclaims to be of God to fall in line with those whose actions are wicked.

Judges 9:22-57 – Getting What You Follow

Judges 9:22-23 tells us that Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years before God put a spirit in the men of Shechem that caused them to betray him. 

Now, when some of us read those two verses, we may think that Abimelech was a king of Israel. However, Abimelech is not considered a king of Israel, as 1 Samuel 9 makes it clear that Saul was the first anointed king of Israel.  Technically speaking, Abimelech wasn’t a judge of Israel, as he had not been raised up by God to judge Israel. Abimelech’s position was self-made.

With that being said, I would certainly teach that God permitted Abimilech’s “reign”. The reason why the Lord permitted his “reign”, I believe, was to serve as chastisement for the people who desired for their to be a monarchy. His reign also served as the snare of Gideon and his house.

Along those same lines, we can consider why the Lord permits wicked rulers to rule in the world.  The answer to such questions ties into why God permits us to face wickedness, trials, and tribulations.  Wicked, or sin, is all a part of our life now because of our disobedience. Trials, tribulations, and afflictions are all a result of mankind’s sin.

Now, with our trials and tribulations, there is a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). As James said in James 1:2-3, our tribulations also help to make perfect our faith by strengthening our faith.

Truly, Abimelech’s reign serves as a warning about being careful of what you ask for and will follow.  One cannot say they deserve better when they have gotten what they asked for.  If you elect to follow poor leadership, then you will get what you deserve from that poor leadership, and God will give time to that poor leadership to be felt.

Judges 10:1-5 – Be Wary of Lazy Leadership

In Judges 10:1-5, two judges of Israel are listed, with both judges having judged Israel for over 20+ years.  

Tola is the first judge mentioned, and the scripture tells us that he arose to save Israel, but noticeably, the scripture does not tell us who he saved Israel from.  I am of the belief that Tola saved Israel from itself.  The Israelites were heading down an even darker path than before, having wanted Gideon, his sons, and grandsons to rule over it.  Someone needed to come after Abimilech’s three-year reign to set things back in order, and that’s what Tola did.

Now, in comparison to Tola’s leadership, there is Jair, who is the second judge mentioned in this passage of scripture.  We are told that Jair had thirty sons, and each son rode on their own donkey.  Not only did each son have their own donkey, but Judges 10:4 tells us that they had their own towns in the land of Gilead.  Jair’s story ends with his death, and nothing is really told to us about him accomplishing anything.

You may not pick up on this, but there is something off about Jair’s story.  Honestly, I start with the idea that he had thirty sons.  Scripture does not mention anything about his wife, so I think his having thirty sons is peculiar.  You’ll recall that Gideon had 70 sons, and to have that many sons, he had many wives and a concubine.  So, again, Jair having that many children, with no mention of his wife, or wives, is off to me.

Adding to that peculiarity would be the fact that Jair had to be a man of great wealth to give his thirty sons their own town and their own donkey.  Do not overlook the fact that he probably could have given his son any animal, but he chose to give them donkeys.  Donkeys were the animals that kings and princes rode on to symbolize peace.

Jair was a judge of Israel, for whom scripture says nothing about how he judged Israel, but speaks about his wealth – that is not a good sign.  We ought to know very well that when a leader’s focus is solely on his/her wealth, that is not good for those whom they lead.  Those whom the Lord ordains to lead His flock must not be carried away by their wealth and prosperity over their role of leadership.

Judges 10:6-18 – The Importance of Spiritual Leadership

The remaining verses of Judges 10 point to the importance of spiritual leadership.  To do that, Judges 10:6 points to the cycle of Israel’s sin repeating itself with the people serving the Baals and Ashtoreths again.  And again, God sold Israel into the hands of their enemies for 18 years.  This time around, God sold Israel into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites.

I feel like this sin could have been prevented, but I don’t believe Jair offered the leadership that could have prevented this from happening while he lived.  In a vacuum of spiritual leadership, sinful people will sin.

I recently preached about the importance of spiritual leadership in my sermon – Time to Lead the Way.  In that sermon, I touched on how the child of God must not abdicate the role of spiritual leadership.  When we give up the role of being a spiritual leader, leaving it in a vacuum, the role will fall on whoever.  

Something that we’ve seen happen throughout history, and especially in the present, is that the spiritually foolish love to take on the role of spiritual leadership.  Let me tell you, it is incredibly dangerous for the spiritual foolish to step into the role of spiritual leadership.

You see, a fool, one whose way is absent from godliness, doesn’t need to ever be in such a role because their path is one that leads to destruction (Prov. 1:32; 14:12 ).  Let us keep in mind, as Proverbs 13:20 tells us, one who follows a fool will be destroyed along with the fool.

In Judges 10:13, after the Israelites cried out about having sinned against God and seeking His deliverance, the Lord responded, “I will deliver you no more.”  This is not a statement that anyone should desire to hear from God.  I don’t want to hear God say that to me, and I don’t want to hear God say that to anybody else!  

God’s children must not abdicate the role that only they are fit to lead.  We must not abdicate the role because of wealth and luxury.  We must not abdicate the role for any other selfish reason, as that leaves the door open to sin.  History has shown that when good spiritual leaders step up and lead, a society comes together and flourishes.

I do believe the vacuum of spiritual leadership is being filled today by those who are spiritually foolish.  Just because one will say they believe in God and quote a few bible verses, don’t think for a second that qualifies them as good spiritual leaders.  No, discern from their actions whether they are living in holiness or not, if they are a good spiritual leader.

By the end of this chapter, when Israel desired to turn things around and move against their adversaries, Judges 10:18 shows us that all of them looked around to see who would lead.  Spiritual leadership is incredibly important, and even more so today because our society and the world are moving further away from moral living.  To get out of a dark hole, one must walk with a light, right?  Light is needed to lead in today’s world, and only God’s children walk with that light to lead the way.