Judges: Fratrcide, Fables, and God's Faithful Retribution Part 2

Nevertheless, He pays...

A woman once said to a French Cardinal,

“My Lord Cardinal, God does not pay at the end of every week; nevertheless He pays.” Anonymous

There is a deception believed by many that because God is silent he must be absent. Either he does not exist, or he does exists but he does not care. The characters and community of people in Judges 9, might have been tempted to accept such a deception.

An evil man who was the outcast son of Gideon, Abimelech, had risen up to take the rule of Israel by force. Using a blood is thicker than water argument, Abimelech persuaded the leaders of Shechem to follow to pay for his coup d ‘etat and the treachery or murdering his 70 brothers. He shrugs off Jotham’s warning and rules for three years. In all of this chaos and time, God does not speak a word from the end of chapter 8 until after chapter 10:1-5. He is not mentioned by his covenant name (Tim Keller), but only in Judges 9:23, as elohim describing his activity. It’s as if God has checked out, went to sleep, or has given up, or maybe evil has won the day and now Israel has to suffer under the treacherous rule of Abimelech. If God is silent, he must be absent.

You might be tempted to accept the same deception today, especially if you look at the church in our culture. It is no secret that church has lost its influence in today’s society. There has been a massive exodus from the church. In 2019, 4,500 churches closed their doors. In 2000, the median worship attendance was 137. Today the median attendance is 65.(1) Furthermore, there is an increase of hostility toward the church. Open Doors International claims that over 360 million Christians are persecuted for their faith; that is up twenty million from the previous year. The church is so far removed from the main stream of society that our culture rejoices in the wickedness it once was appalled. It calls what is evil good and what is good evil. LifeWay Research says, “1 in 6 young adults identify as LGTBQ. Few American adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (5.6%), according to Gallup, but the numbers are much higher among younger generations (15.9% of Gen Z). That means almost every Christian student will have an LGBTQ friend or classmate...”. (2) Our schools and our government rejoice in the LGBTQ agenda, while it renounces prayer in schools, and even works to suppress the gospel of Christ.

As a Christian living in 2023, you may feel so overwhelmed by the world turning upside down that you identify with the folks in Judges 9. If God is silent, he must be absent.

God is not sleeping on you. He’s not left you or forsaken you. As Timothy Keller notes,

“Just because God is silent does not mean he is absent.” Timothy Keller

This morning, I want you to know without a doubt, church, that

You can trust that God faithfully sees and will repay evil with his righteous judgement.

Abimelech was not out of sight and therefore out of the mind of God. God saw Abimelech and knew that his heart desired evil against his brothers. God heard every word that was uttered by Abimelech to the brethren. God saw their idolatrous hearts as they gave way to treachery. God saw Abimelech slaughter his seventy brothers, even though Abimelech thought he could take caution to no let their blood spill on the ground. God saw Jotham stand on Mount Gerizim and heard his fable, warning Abimelech that God sees his treachery and will call him to account. God saw Abimelech burn a thousand men and women alive in the Tower of Shechem. God saw all of it, from its wicked inception in Abimelech’s heart to his setting fire to the tower. God may have been silent, but he was not absent.

You can trust that God faithfully sees, more than you can comprehend (Judges 9:23)

When you talk about God seeing, you have to keep in mind God’s power, His knowing, and His presence; God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. All three of these attributes are in unity with each other, meaning you cannot discuss one without the others.

John Frame summarizes what all three mean. He says

“Omnipotence means that God is in total control of himself and his creation. Omniscience means that he is the ultimate criterion of truth and falsity, so that his ideas are always true. Omnipresence means that since God’s power and knowledge extend to all parts of his creation, he himself is present everywhere. Together they define God’s lordship, and they yield a rich understanding of creation, providence, and salvation.” (3) John Frame

Dr. Frame is saying that God is sovereign because he is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He sees everything, he knows everything, and he controls everything. Think for a moment how God sees everything and knows everything.

On Wednesday, Ethan and I were driving in town on our way to lunch. We were discussing God’s omniscience. I tired to explain to him that God not only knows what was, what is, and what will be, but he knows every potential possibility as well. For example, I know Ethan was driving the car down the road. I can read the situation and assume things will remain them same. Ethan, however, could deicide to cross the lane and hit a car head on, or another car could cross the lane and hit us. Maybe a cat could streak across the road and cause a chain reaction that causes catastrophe to all the traffic on Union Ave. There are endless possibilities that I cannot comprehend, but God knows every single one of them, and brings to pass the desired outcome that he wills to happen. Charles Caldwell Ryrie, sums this up well when he says,

Omniscience means that God knows everything, things actual and possible, effortlessly and equally well.

Charles Caldwell Ryrie

In the same vein as Ryrie, Michael Horton says,

In fact, an implication of God’s omniscience is that the future is determined. God knows the future exhaustively because he has decreed the future exhaustively.

Michael Horton

Out of all the possibilities that can happen, God sees them all, knows them all, and has the power to determine what will take place in all of time and creation. He is the Lord. He is the sovereign because he is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

This is great for all of us who worry about the future. The reason you worry is because you cannot control every possible outcome. The reason God does not worry is because he does control every possible outcome. God sees everything. God knows everything. God has the power to control everything. Consider for a moment examples in the bible of seeing, knowing, and working his will.

Six chapters into the creation story,

Genesis 6:5 ESV

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

God does not simply see the wicked acts. He knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart form where they come. The Great Puritan Thomas Brooks says,

“There is not a desire that arises in thy soul, but the Lord takes notice of it.” Thomas Brooks (Unsearchable Riches of Christ, 1655)

God sees the wickedness and knows the desires of man’s heart and judges the world with a worldwide flood.

Genesis 6:7 ESV

So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

Omnipotence. Omniscience. Omnipresence.

The Psalmist says,

Psalm 33:13 ESV

The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;

The Lord is seated on his throne on heaven. He is able to see all of the sons and daughters of Adam. This is reiterated in verse 14.

Psalm 33:14 ESV

from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

There is no human being on this earth God cannot see, those in the womb and those outside the womb (Psalm 139:1-10). He knows every hair on their head and every intention and thought in their heart.

In verse 15,

Psalm 33:15 ESV

he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

God sees your deeds. He knows your thoughts. He knows your intentions, regardless if you lie about them or not. He knows every possible outcome of your decisions and he has the power to wield your life toward whatever direction he desires. What does Solomon say to his son, the future king of Israel,

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

Now, with the lens of God’s sovereignty, his omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, read Judges 9. Just because God is silent does not mean God is absent. Just because evil raises it head and devours for a time, does not mean God does not see it, know all of its possibilities, and is not working everything out for his glory and your good (Romans 8:28). Judges 9:23 confirms this truth

Judges 9:23 ESV

And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,

Can you see God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence? God is completely aware of the circumstances revolving around Abimelech. God chooses not to reveal himself in creation, say as, a lightening bolt striking him dead, or as w rod through his prophet. God knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and he uses the spiritual realm to create a schism in the loyalty between Abimelech and his Shechemite brothers. God has the power to send an evil spirit, a divisive spirit, to create conflict between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem to such a degree that they dealt treacherously with him; int he same treachery he committed against his seventy brothers. Only a sovereign God who sees everything, knows everything, and has the power to control everything can do that.

You might be wondering how does human will work with God’s sovereignty. If you are paying attention, there is a tension here between Abimelech’s wicked intentions and actions (his freedom to make decisions) and God’s sovereign will. If God is in so much control, how can Abimelech be held responsible for his actions. I think R. C. Sproul is helpful when he says

It is not freedom that is canceled out by sovereignty; it is autonomy that cannot coexist with sovereignty.

R. C. Sproul

The word autonomy means “self-law.” To be autonomous is to answer to no one, that is you are a law unto yourself. That is what our culture holds to, by the way, an over realized view of self-autonomy. The problem is you cannot have a sovereign God and a completely autonomous creature. The two cannot exists. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign and that man is free with limitations. The limitation is the sovereign will of God. Man does not restrict the sovereignty of God. If he did, he would be sovereign. As Sproul notes, God restricts the freedom of man with his sovereignty. R. C. Sproul goes on to say,

There will always be a conflict between divine sovereignty and human autonomy. There is never a conflict between divine sovereignty and human freedom. The Bible says that man is free, but he is not an autonomous law unto himself.

R. C. Sproul

This is comforting to you, whether you realize it our not. The point I am making to you thins morning is you can trust that God sees and knows more than you can comprehend. When the Abimelech’s of the world wreak havoc on your life and bring pain and suffering to your family, you can trust that God sees everything, knows everything, and has the power to say to evil, “you can go this far and no further. “

When you are waiting for the results to come back from the doctor, or the wayward child to come home, or who will win the election, and you go to bed worried sick about what tomorrow will bring. You do not have to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-33). You cannot see tomorrow. You cannot comprehend all of the possibilities of tomorrow. You do not have the power control one minute of tomorrow’s day, but your sovereign God does. He sees everything. He knows everything. He has the power to control everything.

I love what R.C Sproul says to comfort those inflicted by evil.

The evil desires of men’s hearts cannot thwart God’s sovereignty. Indeed they are subject to it.

R. C. Sproul

Abimelech’s evil was subject to God’s sovereignty. From Judges 9:23 onward, the sovereign hand of God is against Abimelech. Although God is not spoken of until chapter 10, he works to bring retribution to Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem for their treachery. God judges sin and repays their evil. God told his people that he will judge the wicked.

Deuteronomy 32:34–35 HCSB

“Is it not stored up with Me, sealed up in My vaults? Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay. In time their foot will slip, for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”

For Abimelech and the leaders of Schechem, their doom comes in verse 24-57.

You can trust God’s retribution (Judges 9:24-57)

The word retribution means to pay back what one deserves. In God’s economy, God’s retribution is to pay back humans what their actions deserve. It is a word associated with judgement, and on rae occasion it is associated with rewards. If God is just, he will punish or reward people what they deserve according to their deeds.

Judges 9:24-57, reveals the course of action God sovereignly works out to bring justice to Abimelech and the leaders of Schechem for their murderous treachery. You can see God’s retribution from three angles of perspective.

God’s timely retribution (Judges 9:22)

In Judges 9:22, the writer of Judges says,

Judges 9:22 ESV

Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

God allowed Abimelech to rule over Israel for three whole years before he acted to bring about justice for Gideon’s seventy sons. We are not told why God waited three years, but we know that God’s timing is not our timing. Remember, he sees everything. He knows everything. He has the power to control everything. That means that he is working at 10 million levels more than we can see. We can say with Solomon, however,

Ecclesiastes 3:16–17 ESV

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

John W. Ritenbaugh’s commentary on these verses are prudent. He says, “Solomon was comforted by two godly realities that we should also understand and use. First, he assures us that God will judge. The timing of His judgment is in God's capable hands.”

Abimelech’s time was up. After three years, the Lord moved to begin working His retribution. This reminds you and I that no evil on this earth will go unnoticed and unpunished. God will reconcile every sin, every injustice, and every evil in his perfect time, and just as his timing is mysterious, so is his means to bring it about may be to us.

God’s creative retribution

God uses an evil spirit to to sir up strife between Abimelech and his brethren (Judges 9:23). It should be noted that, evil spirit does not necessarily imply demonic activity, since the Hebrew word ra‘ah can simply mean “bad. (6) The point is, because God sees everything, knows everything, and has the power to control everything, whether it be in the unseen realm or the heart of man, he has the capability to use every possible means to accomplish his will. God did not appear in a theophany to Abimelech, although he could. He did not speak through a prophet, although he could do that as well. Instead he chose to work in mysterious way to bring about his judgement. Using the unseen realm and the desperately wicked heart of man, God created division between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem that lead to both of them perishing.

As a result of the strife between them, the leaders of Shechem quickly turned on Abimelech in verses 24-25. Then a man named Gaal moves into Shechem with is family. After having too much to drink he criticizes Abimelech’s leadership and says he can do a better job. Why should we serve him, says Gaal (Judges 9:26-30). Well Zebul, Abimelech’s faithful office of the city, heard these words and reported them to Abimelech. This enraged Abimelech and he arose to slaughter Gaal and the leaders of Shechem.

So Abimelech arrives by night and drives out Gaal from the city. He returns and slaughters everyone of the city to such a degree that he lays salt in the ground. Since salt is a preservative, this act symbolized the eternal and unchanging nature of this destruction. (7) He gathers all the leaders of Shechem, a thousand of them, and he burns them alive in the Tower of Shechem. Ironically, Abimelech’s rage is an instrument in the hands of God to fulfill the curse of Jotham’s fable. Abimelech, however, will not escape God’s hand of judgment.

Abimelech’s arrogance is reaching its pinnacle. Because he is so successful in his battles, he encamps against Thebez. In a wired turn of events, during the battle for the city, a random woman throws a random mill stone over the wall, and fatally wounds Abimelech (Judges 9:53).

And lest you think that all of this was random, the writer of Judges makes it clear,

Judges 9:56–57 ESV

Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

The entire series of events was orchestrated by God to bring retribution to Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem (Judges 9:23-24).

God uses creative means, which means every means available to him, to orchestrate his retribution. He is not limited by time, space, or alternate dimensions. He sees everything. He knows everything. he has the power to control everything. When he sets his mind to bring about justice, it will be in his perfect time wielded out by his perfect will, and it will be final.

God’s retribution is final

God does not let Abimelech or the leaders of Shechem escape. All of them perished for their evil actions. That is the plight of every human being who acts wickedly toward God.

“God does not pay at the end of every week; nevertheless He pays.” Anonymous

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is final. Once you leave this world and you arrive in eternity, you will be paid what you are due. It is appointed for man to die, and then comes the judgement. The God who sees everything and knows everything, has the power to rightly condemn you to hell for all eternity. You will not have an excuse because God saw all of your works and he knew the thoughts and intensions behind your works, which the Bible says even your best works are as filthy as used menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6). They are filthy because you do not do them with the kind of faith that pleases God. The kind of faith that pleases God is the kind of faith that believes he exists and rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). So, you will be paid back for your sinful treason against God by suffering his wrath in hell.

If you notice, however, God does not leave Israel without his grace. In Judges 10:1-5, God raised up a judge better than Abimelech. He raised up Tola.

Judges 10:1–2 ESV

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

The writer of Judges describes Tola in a similar fashion as Deborah is described. As you might remember, Deborah was an admirable women who judged Israel with integrity. As sure as God sees everything, knows everything, and has the power to control everything, his grace is as abounding as his judgement.

Israel did nothing to deserve the likes of Tola or Deborah, and any other single minded heart united loyal loving judge God raised up. It was all his grace. God offers sinners his grace.

Even though we are prone to having a double minded heart divided disloyal love for God, and we are prone to seek the Abimelech of the world to lead, even save us, God demonstrated his love for us that while were sinners he sent his son to die for us, to save us, and to lead us into His kingdom.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God holiness demands that the wages of your sin be paid, but God’s grace offers you a way for your sin to be paid for. D. A. Carson explains

His holiness demands retribution; his love sends his own Son to absorb that retribution on behalf of others.

D. A. Carson

Jesus died on the cross to receive what you owe from violating God’s holiness. he absorbed the wrath for you, and in turn gives you righteousness. God accepted his sacrifice and raised him from the dead. Your sins are completely forgiven. Your debt is paid. To receive this grace you must believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away your sin; every sinful thought, intention, word, and action is reconciled on the cross by faith. He makes you a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come. You are a new creation!

Yes, God does not pay at the end of the week, but he does pay. For you, Christian, your debt has been paid in full by the atoning work of Jesus. In Christ, God looks at you as His son or daughter. He delights to lavish his love on you, and he will pay you what the righteousness of Christ deserves-the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. He calls you today to rest under the sovereign rule of Jesus. He calls you to joyfully advance His kingdom by making much of Jesus, a kingdom that will one day rule without opposition.

For now, the Abimelech’s of the world will have their way and their treachery. God has given leash to Satan for a time. The world will look chaotic and godless. We will suffer at the hands of evil, just like the seventy sons of Gideon. Our leaders will act wickedly and rule without sense. Do not let your hearts be troubled! God sees everything. God knows everything. God has the power to control everything. Just as Abimelech paid for his treachery, so will Satan and all who follow him. God does not pay at the end of every week, but rest assured, church, God faithfully pays.

1. (https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/about/what-is-christian-persecution/)

2. (https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/05/22-vital-stats-for-ministry-in-2022/)

3.Frame, John. The Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence of God. The Gospel Coalition Essay. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/omnipotence-omniscience-omnipresence-god/

4. (https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/05/22-vital-stats-for-ministry-in-2022/)

5. (Stratis, Justin. 2018. “God’s Omniscience.” In Lexham Survey of Theology, edited by Mark Ward, Jessica Parks, Brannon Ellis, and Todd Hains. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

6. Duguid, Iain M. 2017. “Judges.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 378. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

7. Duguid, Iain M. 2017. “Judges.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 379. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.