124 — ABIMELECH.

earrings and chains they had, a very | and not in the right way at Shiloh,
great number, and purple garments, | the place appointed by God. Gideon
and many more beautiful things. | was a good man, but when he trusted
Gideon took all, and made them | in his own strength, he did wrong.
into an ephod like Aaron’s ephod,| The best people sin often, and
and took it into his own city Oph- | should always be coming to God to
rah. Gideon made the ephod in re- | ask for pardon for’ the past, and
membrance of his victory. He was | grace for the future. If Gideon
right to remember God’s kindness | sinned, we may believe he prayed
in giving him the victory, but it | for forgiveness, and that God heard
was very wrong to make an ephod, | his prayer, and pardoned him. But
a holy garment which God com- | it must have grieved him very much
manded the priests alone to wear. to see his family and his people

This was the beginning of idol- | learning idolatry through his sin.
atry. The Israelites now learnt to | He died a very old man, and was
worship in their own way at Ophrah, ! buried in his father’s tomb at Ophrah.

NIN ae
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LXX XII.

jPBIMELECH.

AJ PTER Gideon was dead, | and they attended to what he said
}| the Israelites again for- | and gave him money, and promised
‘| got God, and worshipped | to make him king. Then he went
idols.) They had none | home to Ophrah, and called his
now to warn them, and | brothers together, and killed them
they were glad to have their own | upon one stone; all but the young-
way. We do not worship images, as | est, named Jotham, who hid him-
the Israelites did; but we often for- | self, and escaped. Why did Abime-
get God, and love the world, and | lech kill his brothers? Because he
ourselves, and our pleasures, better | feared they might wish to reign too,
than we love Him. If we love any- | and he wanted to be king alone.
thing better than we love God, we} When the brothers were dead, the
make an idol of it. Many people | men of Shechem made Abimelech
make idols of money, and posses- | king. He reigned three years; and
sions, and self; and they serve them, | his brother Jotham lived far away
as the Israelites served Baal. from him, because he was afraid of
Gideon had many sons, but they | Abimelech. Was Abimelech very
were not like him. The name of | happy when he was king? No;
one was Abimelech. He was a very | wicked men cannot be very happy;
ambitious man, and wanted to be| power and riches cannot make
king. He went to Shechem, and | them so.
asked the people there, to let him| The people in Shechem soon grew
reign over them. ‘The men of She- | tired of their cruel king. God re-
chem were pleased with Abimelech, | membered all that Abimelech had