Abimelek and Ann Black

ABIMELEK

Abimelek was one of the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal, who we know as Gideon. He was one of the natural successors after the death of Gideon to keep the peace.

But he got it all wrong.

He didn’t want equal influence with his brothers. He wanted to be king. He persuades the people to crown him king. They give him seventy shekels of silver which he uses to hire ‘reckless scoundrels’ who become his followers. He has his seventy brothers murdered.

Apart from Jotham the youngest who escapes and warns the people about the dangers of appointing a king.

“Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelek king? Have you been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family? Have you treated him as he deserves? Remember that my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian. But today you have revolted against my father’s family. You have murdered his seventy sons on a single stone and have made Abimelek, the son of his female slave, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is related to you. So have you acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today? If you have, may Abimelek be your joy, and may you be his, too! But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!”  Judges 9:16-20

No one listens. Abimelek becomes king.

After three years, the cracks begin to show. Animosity is stirred up between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem. Gaal son of Ebed questions Abimelek’s authority. The king’s deputy Zebul hears this and informs the king. He plots to get rid of Gaal.

Gaal and his supporters are forced to fight Abimelek and his men. Gaal and his supporters are oversome and flee for their lives. Abimelek turns his attention to the city of Shechem and captures it and kills its people. Many retreat to the tower of Schechem. Abimelek stacks branches round the tower and burns alive the people inside.

He then moves on to Thebez where all the people retreat again to a strong tower. This time a woman drops a millstone from the top of the tower and cracks Abimelek’s skull. He will not die at the hands of a woman, so he asks his armour bearer to kill him with his sword.

When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.  Judges 9:55

Some good thoughts to take away there (although too many tall towers for my liking when I am trying not to think about throwing myself off a tall tower in the zip wire challenge in less than three hours’ time!)…….hove you acted honorably and in good faith?……have you been fair?……..have you treated him as he deserves?……….

ANN BLACK

Finding a new church is never easy. When we moved to the North East 18 years ago, we visited a few but could not settle. And then one day, we walked into All Saints at Lobley Hill and knew immediately that our search was over. We had found the church for us. There was just something about the place. It hit us as we walked through the door. It had to do with an honesty of emotion. People felt comfortable to express what they were feeling. People clapped. People cheered. People cried. This was nothing like the restrained (repressed) services I had attended up til then.

We soon got to know Ann Black and Peter Ward. She was ordained and he was a doctor and together they had set up a retreat centre in Dunston called the King’s House. I went on a course there and soon fell in love with the place and with Ann and Peter. Again, it was all about reality of emotion. Here, feelings mattered in the Christian faith. Here, feelings could be owned and expressed. Feelings could teach us something about ourselves. Feelings were not to be denied and repressed but expressed and explored.

It was so very different from anything I had ever known before. The past was not to be left in the past and forgotten about – it could be revisited and healed and forgiven. I had always been an emotional being but here I had the freedom to embrace that and ditch the whole ‘mind over matter’ thing. Here, I could discover how to be an emotional Christian.

It wasn’t all just initial touchy feely, namby pamby sort of stuff (in answer to that particular voice in my head that I can still hear now)……Ann and Peter knew their Bible and were very wise in their teaching and counselling.

Yes, things did get worse for me emotionally for a while as I attempted to deal with my negativity and depression and hurt and emotional scars……..but I had to work through all that to come out as a more whole and healed person emotionally.

Ann really believed in me. She saw so much potential in me. She believed I would become a Reverend myself some day (which challenged the teaching about women I had grown up with even more!). And I do believe myself that I could have been ordained too if my life had taken a different course at a particular crossroads in my life. I was willing – it was just not to be. Just imagine that!

So Ann led me towards a more holistic faith, where spirit, body, mind and emotion all matter and all need to be nurtured. She challenged me to have the courage to express my darkest emotions and confront my darkest thoughts. She inspired me to change as a Christian, to learn, to move on, to grow.

I was devastated when the King’s House was sold and Ann moved away; even more devastated when she died.

She was a very special woman of God who touched very many lives. I thank God for her.