Looking at a Bad Example is at times Helpful...Judges 9

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,

If you don't remember the story of Judges 9, here is a synopsis.  Abimelech, the son of one of Gideon's concubines whose name means literally "My father is king" wanted recognition and desired to rule and reign over Israel.  This was in direct disobedience to his father's command in Judges 8:23.   "But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.”  His brethren and the people of Shechem gave him some silver with which he hired hit men to kill all of his brothers....all 70 of them...on a single stone by decapitating them.  His youngest brother Jotham escaped the carnage by hiding.  So Abimelech became King not over all of Israel but over Shechem.  Jotham then goes up to the top of Mount Gerizim and tells the first parable in the bible.  The bottom line is that he compared Abimelech to a useless bramble...which produced no fruit and barely any shade. Its' wood could not even be used for construction...it was only good for burning. Fruitful trees would not do this, Jotham says...only worthless brambles. Why...because fruitful trees understood the sacrifice that leadership would require and they were not interested...the bramble had nothing to lose. Here are Jotham's words  from Judges 9:16-21: (Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon)

“Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves— ¹⁷ for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; ¹⁸ but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— ¹⁹ if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!” ²¹ And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother."

I love that last line...Jotham ran away and fled...smart man.  Notice that Jotham said that if they had not acted in sincerity and truth to Gideon (and they had not) then let Abimelech devour them with fire.  Three years pass,  God sends an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.   The men of Shechem decide to rebel against Abimelech...it did not work...Abimelech had a double agent working for him.  After a day of fighting the city was demolished and sowed with salt. Abimelech then sets fire to the tower of Shechem where about a thousand men and women had taken refuge.  (just as Jotham had predicted fire came from Abimelech and burned the people of Shechem) 

Abimelech then goes to a nearby town and attempts the same thing.  This time, however, a woman drops a millstone on his head. Not wanting to die by the hand of a woman, he asks his armor bearer to put the sword through him. Death comes...

There is the sad sad story...So many lessons for us.

The first one that jumps out was Gideon had done so much good in leading the nation but missed the mark in regard to family.  His sin in taking multiple wives and a concubine(s)  may have helped cause the death of his sons.  It also obviously affected the people of the city of Shechem. You will reap what you sow.  Look at what Abimelech reaped for his misplaced ambition.   He had his head crushed by a millstone dropped by a woman and then was thrust through with a sword by his own armor bearer. Girls...our own sin has the same effect and will come back on our own heads and hurt or destroy not only us but those around us. 

The next lesson for us would be humility and not putting ourselves forward for leadership.  Allow God to do that work.  Abimelech's problem was unbridled ambition, and he stopped at nothing to get what he wanted.  James 4:6 says that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.  It also says in 1 Peter 5:6 that we are to humble ourselves in His sight in order that He might exalt us in due time.

Girls...do not strive.  Abimelech used physical force to get what he wanted not considering what the Lord might have for him or even where the Lord might have wanted him.  We do the same thing but with more subtly.  We manipulate people and circumstances...not caring who gets hurt in the process or what the Lord's will for us might be. We just want what we want and tear down our own houses in the process.  Be careful to go in the strength, will and power of the Lord and not in your own.  Disaster inevitably will result when you attempt to get what you want outside of the will of God.

Love
Mom