When the Lord isn't present, but God is

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don't know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it "really" means. Let's see where this takes us! 

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Judges 9

I'm reading Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

As previous chapters indicate, Gideon's other name (after he destroyed the Baal shrine) is Jerubbaal.  

Jerurbbaal's son of a concubine, Abimelech, goes to his mother's hometown of Shechem to lead an uprising against his 70 brothers and make himself king. Abimelech succeeds and is king for three years before Shechem itself revolts. Abimelech defeats them but is killed in another battle.

What I find interesting is that The LORD (or Jehovah in the YLT, the personage also commonly known as Yahweh) isn't mentioned at all in this chapter. God is, but not the LORD.

I think this is because the LORD is personal. I believe the Bible we've read so far makes sense if we understand it all as metaphor and the LORD the higher self, the inner voice that leads us to a better life. The LORD is of God, from God, but God is also a broader, impersonal force, the author of cause-and-effect (also known as karma). 

The story of Abimelech and Shechem is like the woman who steals another's husband, only to find that he cheats on her as well. Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem were partners in crime to slay Abimelech's brothers, then Abimelech finds they're not loyal to him either.

Nobody was listening to the LORD, but God's work was done.

And remember, I understand all of this as allegory. "Why did God allow all these innocent people to die?" isn't the question because this is a story, not history. The lesson is that God does not force you to choose a path of betrayal and violence, but when you make that choice, God's laws are set in motion.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles (subscribe), The Daily Bible Chapter (subscribe), JL Cells (subscribe), and The MVP Chase (subscribe). Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)