Tag Archives: Manasseh

Bible 911 – Judges

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Judges 9:11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? (KJV)

Judges 9:11 is part of a parable, proverb, or fable (it depends on who you read) told by a son of Gideon. The story is a prophecy/curse over the people of Shechem for killing his brothers. The drama in Judges 9 is an extension of Gideon’s life. Not everything he did was right or righteous. Yes, he had faith to free and judge Israel, for that he is mentioned in Hebrews 11.

Gideon

Judges 9 is part of Gideon’s legacy. We are taught about his faith for the fleeces and the three-hundred lights and horns; these are what we remember. The gold statue with forty years of its adoration and the seventy sons do not make Sunday School lesson plans. The ugly soap opera drama in Chapter 9 is one huge showcase of fallen humanity and really hits at how far from God Israel was at that time. Yes, the Mercy Seat was just a few miles south in Shiloh.

Gideon is descendent from Manasseh, Jospeh’s oldest son. As a tribe they had the most land because they got portions on both sides of the Jordan. We are not sure where Ophrah, his hometown, was, but he called for help from the tribes of the north that were west of the Jordan.

His initial excuses in Judges 6 had the ringing of Moses when he was first called. He claimed to be the weakest and the least, but was he? No matter how he started by the end of his life he had many wives and seventy sons and a lot of gold. When Chapter 9 ends, he had one living heir, who was in hiding.

This is not the Manasseh in 2 Kings 21. This “most wicked” king was the son of Hezekiah, one of the best kings of Israel. (Interesting name associations. Genesis 41:51)

Abimelech

He was a violent, greedy man. Please, do not blame it on his mother’s status as a concubine. Half of Jacob’s sons came from concubines. https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4585-concubinage There is no indication that Jether or any of his brothers caused a problem.

In 9:2 he claims something that is a little unusual, he identifies with his mother’s family while using his father’s legacy. Similarly, King Saul and Jonathan’s connection to Gilead and Lo Debar are probably from his grandmother’s family roots in that area (Judges 21). The mothers of Israel were and are important.

The word Abimelech is more of a title than a name, not bad for the son of a concubine. Abimelech | The amazing name Abimelech: meaning and etymology

Shechem

The town and its surrounding mountains are a foundation stone in the history of Israel. It starts with the sordid tale of the raping of the virgin daughter of Israel. It continues to the Blessings and Curses in Joshua. In the New Testament we find Jesus talking to the woman at its well and John and Peter praying for the people to receive the Holy Spirit in the same region.  Shechem is a Hebrew word that means “shoulder” or “the seat of a person’s interests”1 2.

Back to Judges 9:11

You know it is fun looking at something that happened several thousand years ago and talking about it with absolute certainty. Imagine the millions of times this account has been read and studied; now we have on-line Bible commentaries to tell us everything. Before you read the fruits of my studies, stop and think about Jotham for a minute. Now, this is the Jotham in Judges; the other Jotham is a grandson of David and in the family-line of Jesus.

Jotham’s name means Yahweh is perfect.

Abimelech had sacrificed his brothers on one stone. Apparently, he did not count well because he missed one. It is not mentioned, but I cannot imagine that just the brothers were killed. Townspeople and family members almost certainly died as well or were taken as slaves. Coups back then aimed at cleaning house with no one left to claim or complain. Jotham went from “riding high” to “hiding in a hole”. So, to brave it up and tell a story, then pronounce a curse against two towns speaks volumes about this young man.

Location, location, location is important here, well at least symbolically. Jotham climbs up Mt. Gerizim where his ancestors stood in the time of Joshua to pronounce the blessings from Deuteronomy 28. He was speaking to people (Manasseh) who were not on his mount; they probably were on the mount of the curses or in the valley surrounding a “great tree” (9:6).

Etz or plants that have a woody stem now takes center stage. I see our perfect God reusing four etz in this story that are mentioned (my opinion) when Adam and Eve betrayed God. There were other trees in Israel and the surrounding nations that could have been used: oaks, cedars, palms, pomegranates are just a few. The olive, fig, and grape all have edible fruit (or products) that were/are important in the daily lives of the people. Thorns, like grapes, have a “woody” stem, but its main product and fame was an unproductive growth that was great for burning and hurting. The olive, fig, and grape knew they would have to give up something to rule, and they felt that it was not worth it. The thorn did not have to give up anything.

In 9:11 the fig did not want to give up its good fruit that was so sweet. Fig may be smug, but it was not wrong; none of the trees were. The natural importance of figs and the other etz make them ripe to be used in spiritual lessons. The fig is associated with religious works because of its debut in the Garden to hide the shame of sin from the eyes of God. Figs are mentioned several times in Numbers and Deuteronomy; the people use them for complaining and God uses them as part of the promise in the new land. Matthew has Jesus referring to them in the Sermon on the Mount and then using them twice in connection to the Sermons on Two Mounts. The last reference to figs is in Revelations when the sixth seal is broken, and they fall off of the tree because of fierce winds. My suggestion – STUDY. I saw and learned things in this study that I had not seen before.

Well, it is time to check my inner Sadducee, step over my Pharisee limitations, and quell my Zealot tendencies and rethink fig. The fig was good (tov) like everything God made in the Garden. It became the second tree (etz) that Adam and Eve tainted. They worked it into a covering to shield them from a righteous God. (Not the work they were made to do.) The Father made a sacrifice and gave them new “skins”. Many references with fig have a negative side, especially if you want to be grumpy, but the fig tree helped Zacchaeus to see Jesus. I will keep the thought of the fig and its tree representing works and remember there are religious works and works of righteousness.

Does Jotham’s parable have more than one layer? I am sure it does. Abimelech and the townspeople probably thought about it and asked questions for several years. Then reality and its truth grew thorns, stuck them, and blossomed into open hostility. Think about what groups or thoughts the four etz may represent.

These are some references that may help you study.

  1. Olives the oil honors gods and men; oil Strong’s Hebrew: 1880. דָּ֫שֶׁן (deshen) — fatness, ashes of fat, honor Strong’s Hebrew: 3513. כָּבַד (kabad or kabed) — to be heavy, weighty, or burdensome   give up oil not fruit
  2. Figs good and sweet; sweetness Strong’s Hebrew: 4987. מֹ֫תֶק (motheq) — sweetness, good Strong’s Hebrew: 2896. טוֹב (towb) — beautiful, fruit Strong’s Hebrew: 8570. תְּנוּבָה (tenubah) — fruit, produce
  3. Grapes cheer gods and men; new wine Strong’s Hebrew: 8492. תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh) — must, fresh or new wine, rejoice Strong’s Hebrew: 8055. שָׂמַח (samach) — rejoice, be glad
  4. Thorn – get low (humble yourself) and come under my shade Strong’s Hebrew: 6738. צֵל (tsel) — a shadow

Do not leave these out of your quiet time reading, they may be appealing.  

Strong’s Hebrew: 5128. נ֫וּעַ (nua) — to quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter

Strong’s Hebrew: 6086. עֵץ (ets) — tree, trees, wood

When I branched out from Judges 9:11 I found these and thought they were interesting.

Rabbi Meir 

Forbidden fruit – Wikipedia This one is wild and has many “different” ideas.

Judges is history. In the accounts are natural and supernatural deeds and lessons, some have been okayed for Sunday School and others would require too much explaining. Four Judges are mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 and not all of those are children’s stories. It is very easy to pick and pull at them, like Chapter 9, and miss the real hero in the Book – Father God. He had a plan and a purpose, but His people had other ideas. Take your focus off of the Judges and find what God did in them and through them to carry Israel. Father wanted a righteous relationship with them just as He wants one with us now.

Josiah’s Generation

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King Josiah was the last righteous king of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem.  He was an important historical figure because of his devotion to God, and I think he sets several examples for this generation that we better pay attention too.  A look at the kings (his father and grandfathers) that came before him will be a good introduction to him.  The second post will be his heirs and the major ministry he fostered as the king.

Hezekiah – Hezekiah was a great king who is associated with the prophet Isaiah.  He saw and did many great things: rid the country of idols, cleansed the Temple, celebrated Passover, was saved from a dangerous enemy, and was healed of a serious disease.  2 Chronicles 32: 31 records that these great things were used to test his heart; he did not do well!  At age forty-two he had a son, Manasseh, who became king at the age of twelve.

Manasseh – Manasseh was the worst!  After thinking about his “sins” they must have included the wholesale sacrificing of infants.  2 Kings 24 states that the “Lord was not willing to forgive” his transgressions.  (2 Kings and 2 Chronicles have slightly different stories; they were written by different people for different audiences, but probably from the same written records.).

2 Chronicles 33:12 has the story of extreme distress on the part of Manasseh and how he sought God for forgiveness and restoration.  God did restore him to Jerusalem and his kingship.  I see this as a testament to God’s faithfulness and mercy (to David).  It might be easy to blur lines and concepts here on how God deals with things, but I see a God who is treating a person with a level of kindness while still not accepting the evil done in his life.

Even with Manasseh forsaking God and leading the people into sin, he had learned and remembered the example of his father, Hezekiah.  It is a shame that it took a physical hook in the nose to get his attention.

Amon – This guy did not get the “memo” at all!  It is probable that Amon saw the events of his father’s captivity and restoration and just ignored the lesson.  Amon was twenty-two when he started ruling; he was born to Manasseh when he was forty-five years old so you would think he would have learned something.

There was a disturbing shift here that is seen with the rest of the kings before the fall of Jerusalem.  The kings started ruling early in life and had children very young.  Amon fathered Josiah at sixteen.  Yes, I know the factors were different then but still these children were “growing up” very early.

It is possible that Josiah knew the “reformed Manasseh” and possibly learned the lesson that Amon choose to ignore.

Tribes of Israel – Manasseh

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Manasseh was the first-born child of Joseph who was put as a “second son” by Jacob. Joseph in naming Manasseh and Ephraim demonstrates that he was perfectly happy with his new life and had no intention of going back. (Genesis 41:51+52) He had the power to send a message back to his family but he did not.

I wonder how these two acted around the rest of the family? They were children of the ruler of the country they lived in and because of being Egyptian possibly had more privileges. From Genesis 48:1 I would wonder if Joseph even allowed them to live around his brothers? Joseph may have had them marry within the family but Manasseh definitely owned slaves and even had a foreign concubine.

1 Chronicles 7:14+15 talks about Manasseh’s two notable descendents: Gilead and Zelophehad.  In Numbers 36 Zelophehad dies in the exodus and leaves only daughters, these girls stand up for themselves and their father’s lineage. The daughters go to Moses and plead their case before God; this leads to a new decree to acknowledge women as heirs. It may not sound like much but that was groundbreaking territory when women were viewed much of the time as second-class people or property.   The other descendent was Gilead who was to lend his name to the area of the east bank of the Jordan River that wasTwelveTribesofIsraelebible the inheritance of the tribes of Manasseh, Rueben and Gad. This is a contrast to Zelophehad’s daughters; Gilead comes from an Aramean concubine and a group of people who were not Israelites (Huppites and Shuppites). Just like Bilhah and Zilpah this concubine was a slave that Manasseh used and was so elevated to a slightly better status in the household. You get the feeling that the children were valued but not the mother (Sarah and Hagar).

In 1 Chronicles 5: 18 -26 it gives two contrasting stories; one of faith and trust in God and the other of unfaithfulness to Him. In verse 20 the East Bank tribes cry out to God for help in the middle of a battle and are helped and overcome their enemies. In verse 25 it tells of the unfaithfulness that gets them taken away by Tiglath-Pileser.habor_river

Actually, Manasseh’s descendents were on par with the other tribes; they did their part in taking the Promise Land and showed up at all the right times and were active during the life time of Saul and David. Lo Debar is in the allotment of land given to Manasseh and it was this area that David went to when he ran from Absalom.

Map from http://www.biblestudytools.com/resources/maps/twelve-tribes-of-israel-map.html and eBibleTeacher.com.

http://bibleatlas.org/full/habor_river.htm  large map,

Hezekiah

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The meaning of Hezekiah is “strengthened of Jah.” Jah or iah is a short form of Jehovah; many names in the Bible end in iah.

His life story is found in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39 (see The Life of Hezekiah, I put all three together) but there are other books that have not been found that also contains records of historical events of Judah and Israel, they are mentioned in the Bible. (see Samuel & Chronicles) I think everyone has noticed how closely the books of Kings and Chronicles are related; a reason for this is that the two writers, possibly Ezra and Baruch (Jeremiah’s scribe), used a common source and tailored the books for specific readers. He lived approximately 250 years after Solomon’s son Rehoboam and witnessed the fall of the Northern Kingdom.

Hezekiah’s reign lasted twenty-nine years and there are four major components of his time as king that are reported in our Bible.

  1. The restoration of the worship to the Temple.
  2. The attack of Sennacherib king of Assyria.
  3. His healing and its conformation.
  4. The visit of envoys from Babylon.

I tend to read the stories about the kings individually but with Hezekiah you must start with his father, Ahaz. His father did the things he undid in 2 Chronicles; Ahaz stopped Temple worship and put pagan altars there and around Jerusalem. The story in Chronicles covers cleaning and restoration of the Temple while 2 Kings covers the attack of Sennacherib.  Isaiah’s story of Hezekiah mirrors what is found in 2 Kings except for Is.38: 9-20. His illness is in Isaiah and 2 Kings while the visit from Babylon is told in all three.

The amazing thing to me is not the fact that one king was good and one was bad but that the people are not objecting to the change. Can you image what a person who was alive during Ahaz and his leaving Jehovah to then have his son Hezekiah push for reform to have his son Manasseh be the worst of all the kings of Judah must have thought? That is reflected in the story of Elijah at first the people said nothing but voiced approval when Elijah gave the challenge of fire. (1 Kings 18:21-24)

The timeline is my own. It is an Excel document and covers the time from Solomon to the 70 years of Exile. But I only can screen shot short pieces of it.