Gideon's son Abimelech

This morning at our Adult Bible Study we focused our thoughts on an unusual story of Abimelech. I cannot recall ever heard a sermon preach on this chapter of the Bible. Nevertheless it has some valuable lessons to teach us.

Abimelech the son of Gideon’s concubine was not a judge, nor a deliverer of the nation. Somehow he got mention in the Book of Judges. He was quite a unique figure.

In earlier chapter we read that Gideon had pledged that neither he nor his son would rule over Israel. Here we have this son who apparently played on the fears of his own people and got them to crown him king of Shechem.

He implemented his plan by going to Shechem his mother’s home town to drum up support from his mother’s side of the family. He took advantage of the kinship with his relatives who were Canaanites. They supported him against Israel.

Shechem was an important city, crossroads for the trade routes and a natural link between the coastal plain and the Jordan valley. Those who controlled Shechem would dominate the countryside.

So the Shechemites made him king and even gave him 70 shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith to start up his campaign. Getting the support of the gangsters and half brothers from his mother’s side, he killed 69 of his half brothers on his father’s side! The youngest brother Jotham managed to escape to Mount Gerizim. From this place of safety he shouted out the parable of the trees as recorded in Judges 9:7-21.

It was the first recorded parable in the Bible. In the parable the worthy trees – the olive tree, the fig tree and the vine, all refused to be king of the forest. But the unworthy bramble or thorn bush thought differently and accepted the honour.

Jotham applied this parable to the city of Shechem who had chosen a worthless man to be their king. Unlike the olive tree, fig tree and vine, the bramble was useless, producing no fruit or shade. It is hardly worth using as fuel for burning.

People who desire power always outnumber those who are able to use power wisely once they have got it. Power somehow has a way of taking over and controlling the person using it. Leaders beware of the danger. How important it is for us to keep our relationship with the Lord right that we may use whatever power or gifts given us for His glory.