Attempted kingdom fails
Judges 9:1 – 10:5 Read it here
Neither Gideon’s integrity nor his courage seem to have been passed down to the next generation, in spite of having 70 sons by numerous women.
In this section Gideon is referred to by another name that we were introduced to earlier: Jerub-Baal.
In 8:22-23 Gideon had turned down the role of king, though it appears he continues to lead the people and they later look to his sons for leadership.
One of the sons, Abimelek, was born of a Canaanite woman from Shechem, and takes advantage of his connections to both her and his heroic father by seeking to be made king of Shechem.
The people there agree, and he cements the deal by killing all of his brothers except for the youngest, Jotham. Jotham tells an elaborate parable suggesting that Abimelek is unqualified to be king and will lead the people to destruction.
His parable is right on both counts and this first effort at having a king from Israel ends in disaster.