Judges Chapter 9 Part Three (Verses 2-6)

Back to Judges Chapter 9
If Abimelech could gain control of Shechem (as opposed to some other less revered town), it would give him a political platform, a measure of credibility, and he would be able to extract the usual taxes from the many caravans which had to pass through this territory.

Speak now in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem: In verse two, Abimelech asks his mother's family to speak on his behalf to "all the leaders of Shecehm". Other Bible translations may say, "all the citizens of Shechem" or "all the men of Shechem". The Hebrew word which is being variously translated as men, citizens or leaders is baal. That is right. Abimelech is asking his family to plead his case to all the baals of Shechem. Baal is a Canaanite loan word. In other words, it is a Canaanite word which was simply incorporated as is into the Hebrew language. We can see this in today's technology lingo. The words "email" and "internet" are often used in many non-English languages without actually translating the word.

Baal can be used in a number of ways, both theologically and commonly. In a certain sense, it is not unlike the Hebrew word adonai. In its common usage, adonai merely means (a human) lord or master. However, after about 300 B.C., it was eventually used as a theological term that referred to the God of Israel because it was deemed inappropriate to pronounce God's formal name YHWH. Adonai could be correctly used to refer to a wealthy man or a powerful man. But adonai was also used much like the way we use the term "sir". The word "sir" is coined back to Europe in the days of aristocracies. "Sir" became a formal title, like Sir Arthur. However, it can also be used to simply denote respect to anyone of any status like when we say "sir" or "ma'am". So, the use of baal here in Judges is not the theological one referring to gods in general, and it is not referring to the specific chief god of the Canaanites, named Baal. Instead, it is being used as a word of respect and as a word of flattery with its meaning being "Canaanite lords".

It is ONLY because Abimelech is appealing to Canaanites that he uses the term baals. He would NEVER do that to curry favor with the Israelites who were loyal to God. Thus, we see the editor of Judges used the name Jerubbaal to refer to Abimelech's Hebrew father, Gideon. It is to make a point. Jerubbaal (Gideon) cut down Baal's image and fought Baal's people because he was the enemy of Baal. Abimelech, on the other hand, identified himself with Baal and Baal's people. This is just another one of hundreds of important subtleties through the Old Testament which goes over our heads if we do not look at the Hebrew language and acknowledge the biblical context of an Israelite culture.


2. (Judges 9:4-5) Abimelech murders his brothers
They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him. Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself.

They gave him seventy pieces of silver: Abimelech's family is so connected to Baal, they go and take 70 pieces of silver from Baal's temple (called Baal-berith, or the Covenant of Baal) in order to help Abimelech succeed. They did not steal the money or do something wrong. Using temple treasury money for political purposed was quite normal in those days. The money was used to hire some worthless men to do Abimelech's bidding. These hirelings would be used as assassins to kill all of Gideon's sons.

But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself: The hit men followed Abimelech to Ophrah, and there they killed 69 of Gideon's 70 sons. The remaining one was the youngest named Jotham, who somehow escaped the slaughter. But it was not like he was overlooked. Abimelech would have known Jotham got away.


3. (Judges 9:6) The men of Shechem make Abimelech their king
All the men of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

They went and made Abimelech king: Verse six describes Abimelech's coronation. First, we should imagine what he is the king over. There were only four towns under his rule: Shechem, Beth-millo, Arumah (Judges 9:41) and Thebez (Judges 9:50). His territory probably also extended a little farther into the western parts of Manasseh. It was not much of a kingdom. Let us also understand that while this man saw himself as a king at the head of a monarchy, in fact he was merely a tyrannical dictator and murderer. He ruled ruthlessly and vengefully. He was a thug like Fidel Castro or Saddam Hussein. He cared nothing for the people, and he did not know how to build an economy or create loyalties and alliances.

Archaeologists have actually uncovered Abimelech's place of coronation. The pillar used was probably from Joshua's day. The temple of Baal-berith is also in the midst of the excavation. Thus, we have Gideon's son being made king of part of Israel in covenant with Canaanites and taking his vow in the name of Baal.

Shechem's association with rebellion continues for some time after Abimelech's rule. Following the death of King Solomon, Rehoboam went to Shechem to be crowned king of Israel, although the city of Shechem was in ruins at the time. "Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king" (1 Kings 12:1). Additionally, when Jeroboam rises up against Rehoboam and divides the kingdom, he also makes Shechem his home. "Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel." (1 Kings 12:25).

Judges Chapter 9 Part Two (Verse 1)

A. Abimelech's rise to power

1. (Judges 9:1-3) Abimelech forces his brothers to submit to him
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's relatives, and spoke to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother's father, saying, "Speak, now, in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh." And his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem; and they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our relative."

The brief and ill-fated story of Abimelech is the subject of Judges chapter 9. One key thing to know is Abimelech was NOT a Judge. In fact, some wonder why this episode is even included in the Book of Judges. The story is somewhat of an antithesis of the previous three chapters. Gideon was a man raised up by God to be a Judge, and then he served the LORD in order to deliver his people from oppression. Contrast this with Abimelech, who was born into privilege, appointed himself as a leader of God's people and then served only his own personal lust for power in order to oppress his people. If that was not bad enough, Abimelech was Gideon's son.

The account of Abimelech makes it clear that his mother was his father's concubine. This is in opposition to the large number of legal wives Gideon married. A concubine was not a personal prostitute nor was she a slave. She did hold a somewhat lesser status in the household than a legal wife who was married under a chuppah (a tradition wedding canopy) and was supported by the legality of a ketubah (a marriage document).

But one needs to ask the question: why did Gideon have many legal wives, and yet he had this one unnamed woman as a concubine? While I cannot be 100% sure, I think the reason is self-evident. The legal wives were Hebrew women, and thus they were legally entitled to a formal marriage ceremony and to a marriage certificate. Abimelech's mother was NOT a Hebrew. She was a Canaanite of Shechem (and very likely a Hivite). Thus, Abimelech was born into a divided loyalty. He was part Hebrew and part Canaanite. Now this would not have been all the unusual if it were not for the fact that his father was the supreme leader of Israel and self-appointed High Priest.

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's relatives, and spoke to them: We see in the first verse of this chapter that Abimelech must have been constantly at odds with his Hebrew siblings (all born to other mothers). Abimelech also seems to have had a propensity to identify more with his Canaanite family side than his Israelite side. This should not be hard for us to imagine. I have seen this exact same dynamic in my own extended family and have witnessed it in countless others. I am sure many of you have a good understanding of this rather typical family challenge of divided loyalties and tendencies to build alliances and closer relationships with one part of the family as opposed to the other. It usually happens quite naturally and not from any kind of plan or overt intent.

We also witnessed this kind of thing with Moses who was adopted as an infant by an Egyptian woman. Moses could never quite fit in with his Egyptian family. He found himself in constant internal turmoil as he daily saw the injustice upon his biological family and people.

Abimelech, wanting to achieve his ambitions, went to the city of his mother's origin (Shechem) and solicited support from her brothers and her father.

Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you: The proposition Gideon states in verse two is choose me to rule over you or you will be subject to 70 men (Gideon's sons) ruling over you. Inherent in this conversation is that Abimelech was part Canaanite as opposed to any of his brothers. And it was understood in these tribal cultures that blood mattered. The family of the leader would have advantages. Since it is taken for granted that the 70 sons of Gideon were Hebrews, they, on the other hand, would be more inclined to show favor for their Israelite brethren over and above the Canaanites who lived among the.

They were inclined to follow Abimelech: We are told that this seemed to make sense to his mother's family. They took Abimelech's proposal to the other residents of Shecehm and campaigned for it.

A brief interlude about Shechem
Shechem was a mixed city. It consisted of Canaanites and Hebrews living side by side. You can imagine there also were many intermarriages. In fact, it was mostly a Hebrew city, and it was generally under Israelite control. It is not hard to understand why Abimelech's mother's family would see this as an opportunity to have as its governor someone who is at least most sympathetic to the Canaanites due to a Canaanite heritage.

Yet, there was more to this than meets the eye. Shechem was a strategically important city. It lays at a crossroads of major trade routes that wove through the area. Shechem was also well situated in a very fertile valley. And equally important was that Shechem was central in Israel's heritage and history. It was both a place of spiritual and cultural importance to the Israelites.

Shechem translated into English means shoulder. The city was located in a valley between two mountain peaks--Mount Ebal and Mouth Gerizim.

Ancient Shechem is where Abram is first mentioned in the Promised Land. "Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land'" (Genesis 12:6-7).

Centuries later, as Moses is giving his last oration as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, Moses tells the people about the blessings and curses which will come upon them.

"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, by turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

It shall come about, when the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, that you shall place the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal. Are they not across the Jordan, west of the way toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, beside the oaks of Moreh? For you are about to cross the Jordan to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and live in it, and you shall be careful to do all the statues and the judgment which I am setting before you today" (Deuteronomy 11:26-32).

In fulfillment of the LORD'S promise to Abraham and to renew the covenant of the Law of Moses, we see Joshua and the Israelites gathered at Shechem. "Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal" (Joshua 8:30). Six tribes stood just south of Shechem in front of Mount Gerizim. The other six tribes stood to the north of Shechem in front of Mount Ebal. That day the Israelites listened as Joshua "...read all the words of the law, the blessings and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law" (Joshua 8:34).

Israel would gather at Shechem again at a later time and listened to Joshua remind them of their history and of God's faithfulness. He implored them to remain faithful to the LORD. Passionately, they responded, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods..." (Joshua 24:16)

What was Joshua's reply to them? "Joshua said to the people, 'You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sin. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you" (Joshua 24:19-20).

Fourteen hundred years later, an offspring of Abraham and namesake of Joshua (Joshua is the English translation of Yehoshua. Jesus is the English translation of the Greek of the Hebrew Yeshua, a shortened form of Yehoshua.) journeyed through this area where he stopped at a well for a drink of water. He also had a conversation with a Samaritan woman from Sychar. At the time of their conversation in the first century A.D., ancient Shechem lay in ruins. Joshua had been right. The sinful Israelites had broken the covenant of the LORD.

The woman at the well, Jacob's well, was a Samaritan. Samaritans were a people of mixed ethnicity. Israelites intermingled with the gentiles. Additionally, Torah was mixed with the pagan religions. As a result, the Samaritan woman knew of the expected coming of Messiah. "The woman said, 'I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus declared, 'I, the one speaking to you--I am He'" (John 4:25-26).

Judges Chapter 9 Part One (Introduction)

THE RISE AND FALL OF ABIMELECH

This week we will begin to explore Judges chapter 9, the story of a man called Abimelech, one of Gideon's 71 sons. Like so much of Judges, chapter nine is example after example, lesson after lesson and application after application of the God-principles that we have learned in our extensive study of God's word. It shows us what happens when those principles are followed faithfully and what happens when they are abandoned.

 

A Brief Recap
Gideon ruled as a legitimate Judge of Israel for 40 years. He was God appointed, God anointed and performed in the typical way of a Judge. He was first a deliverer of a portion of Israel from the hand of an oppressor, and then he ruled for a time.

As was typical, quickly after each Judge died from old age, the people of Israel would harden their heart and revert to idolatry. Usually during each cycle, the people forgot or abandoned God, the God of their ancestors, despite the wonderful and fully visible things He did for them. The people of Israel showed no kindness to the descendants of Gideon, who was also called Jerubbaal, meaning the Baal fighter. In Hebrew, it says that the people offered no chesed, which in this context carries with it the concept of covenant loyalty.

Chesed in Hebrew culture then and today means acts of charity, mercy and kindness. It also tilts towards all these acts being done out of a sense of faithfulness to God and (to a lesser degree) loyalty to a person who merits such loyalty. We know that while Gideon had officially and publicly rejected kingship over the people, in many ways, he lived, behaved and ruled like royalty. There must have been some kind of semi-formal relationship or agreement between the central northern tribes of Israel, which Gideon judged over, such that his family was seen as the rightful ruling family. This is a concept quite different from that of earlier Judges whereby a Judge was less an absolute ruler and more of a powerful magistrate. Thus, the context of the coming story is set in this background which shows at least some portions of Israel were warming to the idea of a monarchy ruling over them, and some wanted a king NOW.

Four important lessons from Gideon's story
There are four important lessons we can learn from Gideon's story. These will carry over into the next chapter.

1. The first thing is that when God is the leader, when God stands with Israel, no man, no army and no power can stand against him.

"'In righteousness you will not be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you.
If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
Behold, I myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for it work;
And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD." (Isaiah 54:14-17)

Three hundred Israelites who were personally hand picked by the LORD could engage in Holy War against 135,000 enemy troops. What joy and courage should be in our hearts if we honestly believe what we so casually say we believe--that the Bible is truth. I only wish all the people of modern Israel could understand God's ability to save and deliver His people. Rather, modern Israel shoves aside their election as God's chosen people and instead seek to blend and become as their neighbors. They do not want what comes with being God's chosen ones.

As Believers, we also need to understand we too have been hand picked by God to be the soldiers of His kingdom. Just like the 300 Israelites, we are relatively few in the face of billions on our planet who are God's enemies. Despite what some preach, we will always be few in number until Messiah returns. If we are truly the LORD'S and are obedient and faithful to Him, then He will lead us and His purposes for us will not be defeated no matter what the odds are against us.

2. The second lesson: If anything of a positive nature occurs in the lives of God's people, it is God's doing. He deserves all glory and honor for it.

3. The third lesson: Despite what seem to be prevalent before our eyes, the reality is the world will never by the biggest roadblock to God's people carrying out God's will on earth. Rather, it will always be the lack of faithfulness of the Believers. Just as Israel was problematic for God to work with, so it is with the Church. Israel was redeemed, but they did not always behave that way. The Church, be definition, is a fellowship of the redeemed of God in Jesus. However, we do not often conduct ourselves in that way, do we?

In the end, we are still just people, running around in corruptible bodies of flesh and still fighting out evil inclinations which want to do wrong even though God'es very spirit lives within us. Thus, we saw the leaders of Succoth and Penuel, who were fellow redeemed Israelites, literally standing in the way of God's army of 300 who were pursuing God's enemies.

We read about an arrogant group, Ephraim, who held themselves up as the best and most worthy of all Israel because they were the largest and wealthiest of the tribes in that era. God did not put this group in charge of this Holy War, but they thought they should have been. They did their part in trying to derail Gideon. And furthermore, they tried to jump in when they saw success and take over. Do we see the exact same thing in the Church? There are those who believe by virtue and sheer numbers, or the size of their congregation building or the amount of face time they have on television, it is THEY who ought to lead. If they do not bless something, it ought not to be done because it must not be of God.

4. The fourth lesson: Leadership. This will set the stage for Judges chapter nine. It is those who who accept a leadership position at the call of God are going to face great temptation to abandon the position and the divine purpose for person ambitions. Of course, personal ambitions tent to blind men and thus we tend to deny and rationalize it when we succumb to those temptations.

Gideon rejected the temptation of kingship over his people. Yet, it seems in reality he only rejected the title because he lived like a king and instilled the same in his many sons. Further, he seemed to have no qualms about creating for himself a position as a sort of High Priest, complete with the ephod of the High Priest. He even built a worship center in his hometown of Ophrah which was in direct competition with the official one located in Shiloh. The result was the savior of Israel actually led the people right back into idolatry and rebellion. The path was paved with his own ambitions. With the gold of the false ephod he anointed himself. Because he was the leader of Israel, his family and the people of Israel would pay a terrible price.

Judges Chapter 8 Part Four (Verses 24-35)

2. (Judges 8:24-26) Gideon gathers a fortune
Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil." (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) They said, "We will surely give them." So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks.

Yet Gideon said to them: As much merit as Gideon showed by not accepting the position of king, there is no doubt that the trappings of being a king intrigued and ultimately seduced him. In verse 24, he says that while he humbly refuses the offer of kingship, he would appreciate it if they would offer him tribute. Gideon asks that all who helped to fight and who had received some kind of spoils of war from the Midianites would give him all the gold earrings they had taken from the defeated enemy. The people complied and included some of the crescent ornaments, pendants and even some very valuable purple cloth that was worn by kings and royalty. While Gideon may not have been king, he certainly would have looked like one sporting all the spoils of war.


3. (Judges 8:27) Gideon, using the riches he received, assumes an inappropriate role as religious leader and leads Israel into idolatry
Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Gideon made it into an ephod: Gideon takes yet another step which is very troubling. He may have refuse to be Israel's official king, but he obviously attempted to create a new alternative to the existing priesthood by making himself equivalent to the High Priest. He took much of the roughly 50 pounds of gold and made an ephod. An ephod was a ritualistic vest worn by the High Priest. Gideon used it in his hometown of Ophrah.

The Torah's description of the High Priest's ephod in Exodus 26:6-7 is tantalizingly insufficient. It is written as if it presumes the readers know what it is.

They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, worked into designs. It shall have two shoulder-pieces attached; they shall be attacked at its two ends. (Exodus 26:6-7)

This only indicates the materials used for the ephod and the fact that is has shoulder pieces. The next verses show that an ephod has a heshev (decorated band, Exodus 28:8), rings (Exodus 28:8) and a jacket (Exodus 28:31). There is also another mysterious item the hoshen mishpat (breastplate of judgment, Exodus 28:15) which should be attached to the ephod.

The ephod is described in the Bible using the verb "to gird". This implies that the ephod is perhaps a belt or sash. To most commentators, a belt and shoulder straps suggest an apron-like garment...but aprons come in many shapes. Despite the enormous amount of detail provided (mainly in Exodus 28 and Exodus 39), a clear picture of what the ephod looked like is difficult to obtain.

In earlier studies, I mentioned that one of the reasons Israel was constantly flirting with idolatry and then going through these cycles of apostasy, punishment by God, oppression (as part of the punishment), deliverance and then restoration and a long period of peace is the priesthood was not functioning properly. It was probably due to a combination of the people playing little attention to them, (the priest had no actual civil authority over the 12 tribes) and the people not giving the priesthood their tithes and offerings. The priests had little choice but to work for a living. The priesthood was losing their hold and authority over Israel.

The Tabernacle during this time was located in Shiloh. So, for Gideon to make himself a High Priest ritual vest and keep it in Ophrah demonstrates how far from any Scriptural teaching Israel was operating.

All of Israel played the harlot with it there: Verse 27 says the people looked up to Gideon's ephod as an idol. More accurately, it says they went whoring after it. Israel accepted the ephod and its wearer as the real thing. It became not a tool of God but an object to be worshiped. It became an idol.

God had ordained only one High Priest. Now Gideon, who had refused the civil role as a king, turned right around and created the spiritual/religious role of High Priest for himself. This same thing would be copied many years in the future when the Israelites of Samaria broke away from the Jerusalem based priesthood and created their own separate and independent priest. They even built their own temple which was still in operation during Jesus' day.


5. (Judges 8:28-35) Gideon hopes for a hereditary rule
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. Then Jerubaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives. His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubaal (that is Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.

So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel: Despite all of Gideon's foibles and delusions of grandeur, Midian was defeated. The northern tribes of Israel were delivered, and Gideon had settles in as the Judge over that area of Canaan. His office would last for forty years. There would be peace and rest for God's people (at least in the north of Canaan) during that time.

Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants: Verse 30 explains Gideon's rather inflated view of himself. He had seventy sons by many wives. Having seventy sons requires a lot of wealth. Do you recall from chapter six in which Gideon explained to God that he could not possibly be the Savior of Israel because his clan was the poorest of the tribe of Manasseh? Having many wives was something looked down upon by God and was only deemed acceptable in Hebrew society if royalty produced such a harem.

His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech: Verse 31 sets up the next chapter for us. We are introduced to a man named Abimelech, which translated into English means, my father is the king. This was Gideon's son by means of a concubine from the city of Shechem. This does NOT mean Abimelech was illegitimate. But it does mean that he automatically carried a lower status than his brothers.

Abimelech is a regal title. Abimelech is NOT a name. In other words, this is not the formal name this son of a concubine was given shortly after birth. Rather, it was a title given to him later on in life by Gideon. He was probably given the name in adolescence. Thus, we see Gideon's prosperity to serve out his time as judge was done in a very kingly manner. Such a title was give to a son because the father has high aspirations for him. We are going to see in Judges chapter nine that Abimelech fully embraced those aspirations.

And Gideon the son of Joash died at a ripe old age: The chapter ends with Gideon's death. It says he lived until a ripe old age meaning he received God's blessing of a full life span. But as soon as he died, Israel immediately started chasing the Canaanite gods again! They went so far as to actually name Baal Berith (Baal of the covenant) as their god.

Good leadership is essential in God's plan. Any human leader is subject to failures. Gideon was no different. What he could not have known, though, is what his example would do to his family after his death.

It is absolutely astounding how fast a person, family or nation can forget God's blessings that made them who and what they are. They turn away to idolatry. Israel could not resist the pull towards Baal because the people who lived among Israel were Canaanites who worshiped Baal. This pagan Mystery Babylon religion was very attractive to most Hebrews, and they could not wait to get back to it the minute a godly leader was not there to insist allegiance to God.

Yet in all of this one should not overlook the power of Satan to bring delusion. He had deluded the Israelite people in the first place to follow this false way. Now he was able rather easily to do the same all over again despite the awesome and unmistakable lessons God taught Israel. One must never underestimate the power of the great and continuing enemy of God and God's program of redemption.