The Story of Abimelech: When Divine Justice Meets Sinful Pride
Notes
Transcript
ABIMELECH: WHEN DIVINE JUSTICE MEETS SINFUL PRIDE: Judges 9 – MHAFB, 29 Mar 20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Series: Days of Anguish, Days of Hope / Topics: Abimelech (son of Gideon); Shechem (city); Justice of God;
Arrogance; Pride; Diviners’ Oak; Sacred Tree; Abimelech rules in Shechem; Gaal stirs up Shechem; Abimelech
destroys Shechem; Abimelech sets fire to the tower of Shechem
Before Worship: Pray with leaders!
Openings Verse: Psalm 5 (10)
Songs: Hosanna (Praise is Rising), Made Me Glad, All My Hope
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SLIDE-Transition to Sermon
Introduction
Attention:
1. In March of 1980 Mt. St. Helens, a volcano in SW Washington that was once known as the
Mt. Fuji of North America, came to life with earthquakes and steam vents.
a. By April the north side of the mountain grew an enormous bulge
b. It was obvious to geologists that an eruption was imminent!
c. Therefore, authorities began to evacuate the entire region.
2. However, 83-year-old Harry Truman refused to heed their warnings.
a. 52 years prior Mr. Truman built the Mt. St. Helens Lodge alongside Spirit Lake on the
north side of the volcano
b. Although the lodge was closed in his twilight years, he refused to leave
3. When interviewed by reports, he shared his opinion that the danger was exaggerated. In
different interviews, he shared,
a. “I don't have any idea whether it will blow, but I don't believe it to the point that
I'm going to pack up. . .
b. If the mountain goes, I'm going with it. This area is heavily timbered, Spirit Lake is
in between me and the mountain, and the mountain is a mile away, the mountain
ain't gonna hurt me. . .
c. You couldn't pull me out with a mule team. That mountain's part of Truman and
Truman's part of that mountain.”
4. His defiance raged against reports, geologists, and police.
a. And this defiance continued right until Sunday, May 18, 1980, when he was entombed by
the largest known debris avalanche in recorded history...
b. Just after 8:30 AM, Mt. St. Helens erupted with a blast that
i. flattened 230 square miles of vegetation & buildings,
ii. obliterating 200 homes, 185 miles of highway, & 15 miles of railway.
c. This eruption shot more than 1.5 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide and ash into the
atmosphere.
i. The plume continued to rise for more than 9 hours, stretching 16 miles above sea
level.
ii. It collapsed the northern flank into volcanic mud flows (lahars) of over 3.9 million
cubic yards
1. that flooded the Toutle & Cowlitz rivers,
2. and destroying bridges & lumber camps for over 17 miles up until clogging the
Columbia River.
5. Tragically, 57 people died, along with Mr. Truman
a. In sinful pride he greatly over estimated his own survivability & Mt. St. Helens’
actual threat
6. In his manifestation of pride we come to our focus today…
a. SLIDE-Title: The story of Abimelech: When Divine Justice Meets Sinful Pride
7. I invite you to open your Bibles at home to Judges 9 now.
a. Also, remember that I posted the notes page for this as a printable PDF on the Protestant
Parish Facebook page.
i. If it helps you better engage with & be transformed by God’s Word, please use this to
follow-along at home & fill in blanks!
ii. Answers will be posted on the Protestant Facebook page later this afternoon
Big Picture:
1. Genesis introduced us to the first Abimelechs of the Bible
a. This name was given to local Canaanite kings that interacted with Abraham & Isaac
2. The Abimelech we meet this morning is the son of Gideon.
3. Last week
a. We saw the tragedy of Gideon’s failure to accomplish a lasting righteousness in His life,
i. He failed to enthrone God as king over his life.
b. In this, we reflected on our own inability to accomplish lasting righteousness without
enthroning God upon our heart & were challenged to…
i. ...honestly confront whatever we are holding back from Him in our lives & repent
from them
ii. ...focus on Jesus’ kingliness & holiness & to live by the Holy Spirit.
c. I pray that you have seen God begin to work in your life in a new way as you have done
this very thing!
4. Today we'll see how well Abimelech enthrones God in his life.
a. Spoiler alert… he fails in a heartbreaking way!
5. SLIDE-Thesis: And yet, God uses his great failures to powerfully show us our main point
for today; that…
a. Sinful pride will not escape God’s justice
Transition:
1. Due to the length & structure of this chapter,
a. I am breaking it up into a few key parts that we will read at two major points in the
sermon
2. The first section highlights the “Arrogance of Man”
a. And the second highlights the “Justice of God”
The Arrogance of Man
Verses:
1. With that, I invite you to stand & join me as we read God’s Word, Judges 9:1-7, 16-21:
VV Slides: “1 Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem and spoke to his uncles and
to his mother’s whole clan, saying, 2 “Please speak in the hearing of all the citizens of
Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you
or that one man rule over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
VV Slides: 3 His mother’s relatives spoke all these words about him in the hearing of all
the citizens of Shechem, and they were favorable to Abimelech, for they said, “He is
our brother.” 4 So they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baalberith. Abimelech used it to hire worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.
VV Slides: 5 He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers,
the sons of Jerubbaal, on top of a large stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of
Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid. 6 Then all the citizens of Shechem and of Bethmillo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar
in Shechem.
VV Slides: 7 When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised
his voice, and called to them: Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, and may God listen to
you...”
2. Slide Break: Jotham then shares a fable to highlight the wickedness of Abimelech &
Shechem in their actions; at the end of that, he shares…
VV Slides: 16 “Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech
king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him
appropriately for what he did—
VV Slides: 17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from
Midian, 18 and now you have attacked my father’s family today, killed his seventy sons
on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the
citizens of Shechem ‘because he is your brother’—
VV Slides: 19 so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house
this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, may fire
come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may
fire come from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
VV Slides: 21 Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and lived there because of his
brother Abimelech.
3. Please be seated & join me in prayer…
a. Righteous God,
i. As we go through the passage You have provided for this morning, we pray that you
guide our hearts and minds to You.
ii. Teach us as you would have us learn.
iii. Transform us each as a community, in our respective homes.
iv. Grow us up into the Followers and Ambassadors of Jesus that You have called us to
be.
b. In Jesus Name we pray—Amen!
Transition: And now, I invite you to move with me into our first consideration this morning…
1. Main Point 1: The Arrogance of Humanity
Explain:
1. Before getting too deep into these verses, know that there is a godly pride, this is
a. MP1: A sense of satisfaction from a right understanding of one’s abilities &
achievements,
i. MP1: held in a way that is consistent with loving God & others
b. This could be pride in yourself or pride in another person
c. This satisfaction may be mild, or it may be a great joy!
2. But the pride we see in Judges 9 is quite different… it is a sinful pride—
a. MP1: An undue confidence in and attention to one’s own skills, accomplishments,
state, possessions, or position (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003)
b. “It attributes to oneself the honor & glory due to God alone” (HIBD, 2003)
c. It is “a disposition to exalt self, to get above others, to hide our defects, and to pass for
more than we are." (Charles Finney)
d. It is the secret fondness to be noticed, the love of supremacy, the drawing attention to
yourself in conversation, the great pleasure of being flattered, the love of being first &
being praised by men
e. It is a self-reliance, self-centeredness, & can oddly even be self-condemnation!
f. It is hubris & arrogance against God & His truth, what 1 John 2:16 calls “the boastful
pride of life”
g. The pride which Proverbs so often speaks against (Proverbs 11:2, 16:18, 18:12, 29:23)
Illustrate:
1. Pride brings destruction on those who embrace it.
2. It was seen with Mr. Truman’s response to the imminent eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
3. And even today it has been seen in the carelessness that many young adults displayed in
their large spring break beach parties or St. Patrick Day parties
a. (c.f. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spring-break-party-coronavirus-pandemic-miamibeaches - https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/24/health/kentucky-coronavirus-partyinfection/index.html - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/six-positive-coronaviruscases-kentucky-linked-st-patrick-s-day-n1170556)
4. And it is seen in the judgmental attitude with which we can look at these careless young
adults—
a. Or the judgmental attitude we look at those who hold judgmental attitudes against such
people...
Expand:
1. You see, pride is a very sneaky sin…
2. As C.S. Lewis shared, it is the “vice of which no man in the world is free, which everyone
loathes when he sees it in someone else, and of which hardly anyone imagines that he is
guilty"
a. It often seems so easy to point it out in others, &
b. It is often true that when you adamantly deny it’s existence in your heart—
i. That you are already quite infected.
3. Consider the pride that was flaunted in our verses so far…
a. Consider Abimelech’s great arrogance:
i. While Gideon (at least formally) rejected kingship when many tribes appealed that he
be their king, Abimelech arrogantly pursued kingship
ii. To achieve his goal, he asserts himself over his 70 brothers,
1. Violently pursuing his own desires at the cost of human life.
2. He received money devoted to a pagan god to hire worthless men to murder his
brothers
b. In this all we also see the arrogance of Israel
i. Despite the salvation God provided from Mideon, as Judges 8:33-35 shares,
1. They rejected God in favor of the Baal’s (specifically Baal/El-Berith in Shechem;
lord/god of the covenant) &
2. They did not show kindness to Gideon’s family, despite the great good he did for
them
ii. They even used “the Oak of the pillar in Shechem,”
1. which was once a spot of special significance to their relationship with Yahweh
(see Genesis 12:6-7, 35:4; Joshua 24:1, 25-27)
2. and used it to crown their arrogant & bloodthirsty king (see Ezekiel 6:13).
iii. And all of this was in the shadows of Mt. Gerizim, upon which Jotham stood, & Mt.
Ebal
1. It was upon these mountains that Israel stood in Joshua 8:30-35 to commemorate
the blessings or curses that would accompany their faithfulness to or rejection of
God’s covenant (see Deuteronomy 27:11-28:68)
2. How far they had fallen through these years!
3. Indeed it is evident to all that they did not act “faithfully and honestly” with
Gideon’s house (Judges 9:19)
4. Pride infects our hearts in a far greater & deadlier way than the Coronavirus.
a. MP1: It devastates our lives, families, & communities.
5. We must work careful with the Holy Spirit to disinfect our lives,
a. For it is not pleasing to our Lord & Savior!
b. And those who let it rest in their heart will be subject to the Justice of God
Transition:
1. Which just so happens to be our next main point.
The Justice of God
Verses:
1. Please stand again with me & read our next section, Judges 9:22-24, 50-57, in which we see
God’s justice fall upon Abimelech & the cities that he so arrogantly & murderously exalted
themselves with him…
a. As we do this, listen carefully for where the narrator explains how God enacted His
justice
VV Slides: 22 When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23 God sent an evil
spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They treated Abimelech
deceitfully, 24 so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to
justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them,
and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers…
2. Slide Break: After much political drama, Abimelech goes to war against Shechem & several
cities that joined it.
a. Abimelech has horrifying success in this war, ruthlessly slaughtering men, women, &
children
b. At one point he burned down the tower-temple of Shechem’s god’s, El-berith, while
many families were taking shelter inside it (that supposed father-god of Baal clearly had
no power to save!)
c. Then moving against another enemy, the city of Thebez, he attempts the same basic
tactic.
i. Let’s pick up in v50…
VV Slides: 50 Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against it, and captured it. 51 There
was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and citizens of the city fled
there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. 52 When
Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire.
VV Slides: 53 But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head
and fractured his skull. 54 He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw
your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his armorbearer ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was
dead, they all went home.
VV Slides: 56 In this way, God brought back Abimelech’s evil—the evil that Abimelech
had done to his father when he killed his seventy brothers. 57 God also brought back to
the men of Shechem all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon
them.
3. Please be seated as we now consider…
Main Point 2: The Justice of God
Explain:
1. Did you catch the explanations of God’s justice?
a. In v23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech & the citizens of Shechem (c.f. 1
Samuel 16:14)
i. Which v24 specifically says was done so that the crime against Gideon’s sons would
come to justice for all of the guilty parties!
b. The Hebrews word translated “evil” here (ra’ah) most generally means ‘bad’
i. It has a range of possible meanings from moral & ethical wickedness, to misery,
distress, trouble, and injury!
ii. Rather than dispatching a demon, it is more likely that this says that God caused a
hostile attitude (of distrust & disagreement) to develop between Abimelech and the
men of Shechem so that they would turn against each other.” (The Apologetics Study
Bible, 2007)
c. The end result was exactly what Jotham said should happen if their initiating of this
supposed kingship was faithless & dishonest (Judges 9:19-20)
d. Vv56-57 highlight that this was God’s way of ensuring Abimelech’s & Shechem’s evil
was brought back onto them…
Biblical Examples:
1. Similar to how Haman was hung on the gallows he arrogantly built for Mordecai (Ester
7:10)
a. Or to how Daniel’s accusers were themselves thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24)
2. For, as Proverbs 26:27 shares, “The one who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a
stone— it will come back on him.”
3. Our God is a God of justice!
Expand:
1. At this point, let’s reflect on what God’s justice is…
2. MP2: God’s justice is deliberate & active
a. Again, consider how God followed through with justice for Abimelech & citizens of
Shechem
b. It wasn’t an accident that their relationships became embittered
c. It wasn’t an accident that their ending was so violent—
i. Which actually highlights the next point…
3. MP2: God’s justice is equivalent to our sins
a. What was the sin of Abimelech & Shechem? The ruthless murder of men.
i. And in the end, they ruthlessly murdered one another
ii. A pit was dug & they fell into the pit.
b. Put in a modern sense, the punishment should match the crime
i. God’s Old Testament law actually demonstrates this in many areas! (e.g. Leviticus
24:17–22)
4. MP2: God’s justice is a manifestation of His glory, which includes…
a. While not clearly demonstrated in this morning’s verses, it is an important note to make...
i. God’s justice often receives a bad reputation from people who take certain stories out
of context
ii. Consequently you even have some heresies that claim the God of the Old Testament is
not even the same as the God of the New Testament!
b. How can this happen?
i. From taking stories & teachings out of context
c. One of the best teachings that counters this & demonstrates the true & total glory of God
is found in Exodus 34:6-7:
i. Moses just experienced God’s amazing mercy & grace after Israel sinned with their
idolatrous golden calf
1. He then cries out, “Please, let me see your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)
ii. Hiding Moses in the cleft of the rock, God reveals His glory to Moses when He passes
by.
1. Now, it was not the ‘passing by’ of God that was the ultimate glory displayed
here—
a. Being a Spiritual Being, a physical manifestation never does justice to His glory
2. What will capture His glory much more greatly is the truth about Who He is
a. Listen to what He declared about His glory to Moses:
Exodus 34:6–7 CSB
6
The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed: The LORD—the LORD is a
compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and
truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity,
rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers’
iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
d. There is rich beauty in this declaration & one could preach sermons simply on this! But
for the sake of time, I draw your attention to these things:
i. MP2: God’s glory is seen in His loving mercy, grace, & faithfulness
1. Note again that this includes: Compassion, slowness to anger, faithfulness, love, &
forgiveness
2. And this abounds for THOUSANDS of generations!
3. His blessings on one family will have positive affects generations upon generations
to come!
4. Now, while God offers forgiveness of “iniquity, rebellion, and sin,”
a. Not everyone accepts it.
b. Some refuse to repent & believe (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38, 20:21; )
ii. MP2: And so, God’s glory is also seen in His punishment of the guilty
1. MP2: That is to say, those who refuse to repent & believe
a. The two necessities to receive God’s forgiveness!
2. And while His blessings affect THOUSANDS of generations, this justice will only
have negative affects for 3-4 generations—note that extreme contrast!
5. So, while God is a God of Justice,
a. Throughout human history, the loving mercy, grace, & truth of God has much more
powerfully defined our interactions with Him than has his punishing justice
6. Should we over-emphasize His justice?
a. By no means
7. But let us not ignore it, either,
a. For “He will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:7)
Transition:
1. Now, let’s close this off…
Conclusion:
Conclusion
Reiterate:
Sinful pride will not escape God’s justice
1. While there is a godly pride,
a. We must work tenaciously with the Holy Spirit to have sinful pride routed out of our
lives!
2. Why? In part, because we have a God of justice.
a. He is deliberate, active, & equitable with this—
b. He will not leave the guilty unpunished
3. And yet, by His amazing grace, what has defined Him most in His interactions with us is
His glorious loving mercy, grace, & truth!
Apply:
Con: So, how should we respond? I suggest this for your prayerful consideration…
1. Con: Grow to better understand & respect God’s justice
a. A well-rounded reading of the Old Testament with a good study Bible can really help
with this.
b. Take some time to really ingest the aforementioned Exodus 34:6-7 passage.
c. And as you do this, always keep this understanding of God balanced…
i. Con: With His glorious loving mercy, grace, & faithfulness!
2. Con: Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal your sinful pride
a. Remember, so often pride will blind us to our faults & our need for God
i. It encourages sinful self-confidence & independence
ii. All while convincing us of our own righteousness
1. And causing us not to realize our need for God’s forgiveness!
b. Being such a sneaky sin—
i. We need the One who truly knows our hearts to reveal what is in it (Jeremiah 17:9–
10)—
ii. Especially when it comes to pride!
c. And with this…
i. Con: Repent as He reveals such pride!
d. Finally…
3. Con: Tenaciously pursue godly humility!
a. This is the counter-measure to pride!
i. As you grow in godly humility you will naturally decrease in sinful pride.
b. And as a warning here—
i. Make sure you are pursuing *godly* humility
ii. Human conceptions of humility are often warped, corrupt, & incomplete
c. Study God’s Word to help you in this journey
i. I especially encourage you to spend time in James 4:1-10
ii. And the ‘Digging Deeper’ notes for today’s sermon will give even more ways to
pursue this.
d. And for more help, you are always encouraged to reach out to Chaplain Payne or me
i. You can find our e-mails in the bulletin & comments section for this video.
Appeal:
1. Beloved,
a. We serve a great God of justice and fearful wrath upon those who live unrepentant,
faithless lives.
b. But I have great confidence that this is not how you will know our God
2. Come to Him and see His amazing glory
a. That while He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished-i. It is His great joy & pleasure to offer the free gift of forgiveness
b. And upon receive this through repentance & faith in Jesus Christ,
i. You will find Him to be the amazing God of loving mercy, grace, & faithfulness.
Conclude:
1. Pray with me...