Abimelech’s downfall

The Reckoning of Abimelech: Trusting God’s Justice

Bible Passage: Judges 9:22–57

Summary:

We’ve been reading about the cycles Israel are stuck in. One “judge” or “deliver” rises up, the people straighten up. That judge dies, the idolatry returns. This pattern is replete with political and religious turmoil. The portion that we’ll look at today is one subsection in the larger section of these “deliverers”. Right on the heels of Jotham’s parable Judges 9:16

Big Idea: In perilous times, People of God should know that God's justice prevails!!

This passage recounts the aftermath of Abimelech’s tyranny and the justice that ultimately catches up with him. Despite his rise to power through treachery, divine retribution brings his reign to a violent end, showcasing God’s overarching justice. We see that the providence of God as the main agent in the background of the narrative. When truth and integrity degrades, the people suffer. The leaders of Shechem and Abimelech essentially “broke faith” with one another. They fall deeper and deeper in sin and began to look like the nations they failed to drive out.

I HAVE 4 POINTS

God's Underlying Justice.

God’s unusual means of justice

God's Inescapable Judgment

God's Poetic Finality

1. God's Underlying Justice.

In verses 23-24, we are given a theological introduction. It may appear to be the free actions of each individual, thats far from the truth. We know the reason. It is providence of God. In WCF. Providence is define as

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Shorter Catechism

Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence?

A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

The word used for Abimelech’s “reign” is used of no other judge. He was the people’s choice, not God’s. Mixed heritage. Half shechemite-Half Israelite. He was an illegitimate King. The leaders begin to have what I like to call “divinely inspired buyers remorse”. Abimelech is on the outs with Shechem. So Yahweh set the plan into motion.

“Evil” in verse 23 could also mean calamitous or animosity spirit or even experiential misfortune. NKJV uses the phrase “ill will”. God predestined the same people who helped him become king, to be the same people who aided in his demise.

Just 3 years in. Abimelech didn’t even serve a full term with a low approval rating. The Abimelech party has now jump shipped are igniting a civil war.

Shechem has a history going back to the era of the Patriarchs. During Joshua’s time, Shechem was supposed to be a city of refuge (Joshua 21:21) Now it was the place of idolatry, and rebellion.

The “baals” or leaders of Shechem approved the shedding of innocent blood, an act strictly forbidden. Exodus 23:7. + Prov 6:16-17.

Yahweh hates it. Today, the blood of millions of babies are crying out to God. God’s justice will prevail!

One role of a king is the peace and protection of it’s citizens.

Robbing citizens would threaten the king’s ability to keep his citizens safe. It also builds a case for Gaal to say i’ll be tough on crime.

Don’t we hear that by political leaders? Elect me, and i’ll solve the crime problem. I’ll clean up these Shechemite streets. I’m the better candidate.

This is fire come from Shechem. The first stage of the prophecy playing out.

Abimelech's unjust reign was undermined by internal strife, showing that God's justice often begins in unexpected ways. Even when human systems fail us, divine justice is slowly at work, setting the groundwork for inevitable resolution. This suggests that believers can take heart that God begins His work of justice even when it is not readily visible.

2. God’s unusual means of justice

Gaal arrives with his men to challenge Abimelech rule. He believes that only native Shechemite should be in charge.

The Shechemites get drunk in their idol temple. Gaal, in a drunken stupor, starts cursing the king. When you curse the king, you break the treaty with him. A crime deserving death.

A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Judges Exegetical and Doctrinal

Plutarch says, in the introduction to his Symposium: “when barbarity and immorality betake themselves to wine, the banquet comes to a disastrous end.”

That is why drunkeness is a sin. It pollutes our judgement. We are called live sober lives by the Spirit of God. Prov 31:4-5

Proverbs 31:4–5 CSB

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer. 5 Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.

Be wary of the people’s choice. Bad leaders love to play to people sensibilities. They neglect the law of God. He convinced them to curse their chosen king and his father who had rescued them from Midian.

A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Judges Exegetical and Doctrinal

By what right,” he says, “does Abimelech command our homage? Is he not always still a son of Jerubbaal, the enemy of our god?” The reaction of heathenism must be made complete

So to get from up under a fallen, sinful leader’s reign, they look to another fallen man. They continue to look for man to be their source of liberation, they’re trusting military power to save. The text says they “trusted” him. They are convinced that Gaal is the one for the job.

Who are we looking to? What has my allegiance? Have we forgotten our citizenship? We are dual citizens.

Of course, words spreads and gets back to Abimelech’s officer Zebul. They set up an ambush.

Once Gaal sees the ambush, Zebul is like “Gaal my man when was the last time you’ve been to an optometrist? Gaal could not be convinced his eyes are playing tricks on him when he sees Zebul’s army coming.

Zebul asks “wheres that big mouth of your now? ”Now, Gaal has to back up his word.

Given time, God will let us see when we have been foolish. We, too can be blinded by our own pride.

3. God's Inescapable Judgment

fire now comes forth from Abimelech and its blazing! Jotham’s parable is playing out as he said on Mt Gerazim. Jotham’s name means Yahweh is upright or Yahweh is perfect. It Is an indictment on Abimelech and Shechem. They have abandoned the One who is Upright and turned to a man thirsty for power and glory.

We are called to be a prophetic voice in the world. God’s people are to be the bearers of truth. We ought to be the ones to know righteousness. who proclaim God’s justice just as Jotham did. We cannot let society shut our mouths and close our ears to the injustice in the world. Why? Because God’s Justice will Prevail!

Gaal and his men are driven away, but the people still want Abimelech gone. So they fight all day. He destroys the city and did a symbolic gesture with salt as if to say “may nothing grow or flourish here”. Those remaining flee to the tower for refuge. What they discover is that neither the tower or their god could rescue them. God is against all who would exult themselves as God. They were against YHWH who’s name alone is a strong tower! He is a stronghold.

4. God's Poetic Finality

which leads us to our last section.

Motivated by his success, he set his sights on Thebez; about 11-13 miles away. Pride now has taken over and exceeded his strategic thinking.

The same fire he unleashed, ultimately consumed him.

This is a cautionary tale of what happens when we forsake the true King. Because We have a God’s who justice prevails!

This is what happens when truth and integrity erodes. When people abandon covenant loyalty. While God raised up judges, He was the one judging all people the whole time. He uses evil men to chastise his people.

John Chrysostom comments…..“Pride is the beginning of sin, the first impulse and movement toward evil. Perhaps indeed it is both the root and the foundation.… For every sin begins from it, and is maintained by it.… From pride springs contempt of the poor, desire of riches, the love of power, the longing for much glory.… There is therefore no evil like pride. It renders a man a demon, insolent, blasphemous, perjured, and makes him desirous of deaths and murders.… How then can a man extinguish pride? By knowing God. For if we know him, all pride is banished.”1

1 John Stott, The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott, ed. Mark Meynell (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

The people knew back then that there were differences between men and women. Not a difference in value or worth, but in our God given makeup. Something the culture as blurred to the point of not being any discernable difference; which is anti God. He isn’t the first King to be dealt a near fatal blow by a woman; which was disgraceful. Even in death, Abimelech is afraid of his legacy. Yahweh gave him a humiliating death. His legacy was that he had a short-lived reign and became a byword. (a story about what not to do)

2 Samuel 11:21 “21 At Thebez, who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the top of the wall so that he died? Why did you get so close to the wall?’—then say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead also.’ ””

Pride is a denial of dependence upon God.

John Blanchard

God is merciful even in his judgement.

> YHWH repays evil for evil

Psalm 94:23 Prov 5:22 Job 31:3 Gen 9:5 ** Gal 6:7

Galatians 6:7 LSB

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Application/Teaching: We must recognize that despite the apparent triumph of evil, God is sovereign and just. It reminds us to trust in His timing and justice, especially when we feel overwhelmed by injustice and wickedness in the world. 2 Pet 3:8-9

2 Peter 3:8–9 LSB

8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Be encouraged family. Trust in God's divine order and moral governance over the chaos of human actions. Christ stands as the ultimate judge who will right all wrongs. His resurrection assures us that justice will ultimately be served, making it relevant to the final judgment where good prevails over evil. These deliverers were temporary and wholly insufficient. Only in Christ can we find our assurance.

He calls those who have not placed their trust in HIM TO COME TO HIM. Place your trust in the One who has defeated the real enemy- sin in our hearts. He call us to repent continuously. 1 Jn 1:9

Abimelech vs Jesus:

An illegitimate King vs The True King

A king who failed to protect- The true king provides.

A short lived reign vs an eternal reign.

Led to death by his own pride- The true he will never lead us astray.