Sermon Tone Analysis

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Watching the Netflix show “A Series of Unfortunate Events”

The beginning song: Look away, look away.

This show will wreck your evening, your whole life and your day, every single episode is nothing but dismay.

So look away.

This passage is about the brokenness of our world, the sin and selfishness of men, and the chaos that ensues.

This is the Game of Thrones, a Clash of Kings, men struggling to rule over one another, and stabbing each other in the road to get there.

Dylan, not cleaning up front yard?

Logan cheating in Barbarian?

This is the legacy of Gideon, the man who refused the title of King but took to himself the privilege and life and glory of the king of Israel.

We shouldn’t be surprised when someone bends the rules or breaks the rules!

We should be surprised when anyone follows the rules when it isn’t directly to their benefit.

So, this passage is nothing but chaos and dismay: look away, look away.

In the words of the teacher: everything is meaningless under the sun.

It is the law of the jungle.

Every man or woman for themselves.

Grab what you can where you can and the devil take the hindmost!

Fend for yourselves!

Game of Thrones

Who will sit on the throne of Israel?

Abimelech

Introduce the young “prince”.

Why shouldn’t he inherit the legacy of his father, his father’s rightful place, King of Israel?

What makes his brothers any better than him?

With seventy brothers, it isn’t it about who is most fit, and that is about who has the boldness and cleverness to seize the initiative.

And so he does:

Joshua 9:1-

And it works.

And it works.

Sechem is a Canaanite community existing within the tribal structure of Israel.

It is at a nexus of trade routes between the coastal plain and the Jordan valley, so a rich city.

Jacob had lived near Shechem, and then Shechem slept with his daughter Dinah, and Simeon and Levi said he could marry them if the whole city got circumcised and they did it, and while they were recovering they killed all the Hamor and Shechem and all the males.

So… maybe some bad blood there.

And Abimelech is half-blood, and probably looked down on by his half-brothers because of it.

And Abimelech gets these guys on his team because he is related through his mom, but a son of the “not-officially-a-king” Gideon.

Joshua 9:

Judges 9:3:5

He killed them all.

Seventy of them!

That’s a long day.

On one stone, which implies ritual sacrifice of some kind.

He killed them all.

Seventy of them!

That’s a long day.

Do the leaders of Shechem have the authority to crown Abimelech king?

No, but might makes right here.

And Abimelech rules as king.

One brother escaped, and you might think this is a story of him growing in power and getting revenge and justice… but that doesn’t happen.

Jotham climbs a mountain, where he couldn’t easily be reached, and he insults his half-brother.

The trees asked for a king.

First they asked the olive tree, who said no.

Then the fig tree, who said “I have better things to do making sweet sweet fruit.”

Then the vine, who said “Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men?” (I love that).

Then they asked the bramble.

The thorny weedy not-even-really a tree.

And it said yes and “let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Labanon” (the famously tall, beautiful and most valuable of trees).

Judges 9:

And he concludes: if you have done the right thing then rejoice.

But if you have done the wrong thing…

Judges 9:20

And then, far from a revenge story… he ran away.

And Abimelech just wins.

Abimelech did what was right in his own eyes.

My will, my way.

I do what I want.

It’s good to be the King.

But God is the King of Israel, and is not content that any should rule on his throne.

Judges 9:22-23

(A bit disturbing that God “sent an evil spirit” here).

Already there is trouble.

Already violence begets violence.

Shechem begin to subtly erode Abimelech’s power, and it makes sense that they wouldn’t want Abimelech to get too powerful.

That isn’t in their best interest, they setup Abimelech as King in hopes he would give them special treatment as their relative.

But Abimelech finds out about it.

Gaal

Well, if Abimelech can decide he wants to be king, why can’t someone else.

Gaal, a purebred Canaanite, a Shechemite, a child of Hamor who was killed by Jacob’s sons.

He comes to twon.

Judges 9:26-

So Gaal is going to do what is right in his own eyes.

Zebul

But so is Zebul!

Zebul is caught in the middle, placed as governor of Shechem by Abimelech but face to face with Gaal.

So he sends a message to Abimelech to gather his army and come out.

And to sneak up by night and attack at sunrise.

Then he stands with Gaal while it is happening and convinces Gaal that he is seeing shadows when he spots the invading armies.

And

Judges 9:34-3

“Where is your mouth now?”

I love it.

Come on, big man!

Judges 9:

But that isn’t enough for Abimelech, what about the people of Shechem?

Didn’t they betray him too?

He sets an ambush outside the city so when the people go out to the fields, he and his men rush and kill them.

The leaders flee

Judges 9:

Judges 9:46-

They killed them all.

Why not do it again?