A Troublemaker Leads to Downfall
We know nothing about Gaal except what appears in this passage in the book of Judges. Though the text often mentions him as the son of Ebed, Scripture tells us nothing about his father either.
What we do know is that Gaal moves with his family to the town of Shechem. This is during the time of Abimelek’s rule. Gaal earns the town’s respect, and they put their trust in him.
During the grape harvest, they hold a festival, eating and drinking in celebration. It’s then that the people—perhaps inebriated—curse Abimelek.
Gaal builds on their dissatisfaction and questions Abimelek’s fitness to rule. “If only I had an army,” Gaal muses, “I would get rid of him.”
The townspeople rally behind Gaal’s leadership and go out with him to fight.
But Zebul, the governor of Shechem, warns Abimelek of Gaal’s coup attempt. Abimelek is ready and defeats Gaal’s army, killing many.
Zebul drives Gaal and his family out of Shechem. The troublemaker is gone.
When have we gone some place new and tried to change it?
What was the outcome?
[Read about Gaal in Judges 9:26–41. Discover a comparable situation in 2 Samuel 15:1–4.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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