The Result of a Bad Decision

“Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon)”.  Judges 9:56-57

Gideon (Jerubbaal) was one of the judges that God placed over Israel.  After his death, Israel again returned to idolatry.  Gideon had seventy sons by several wives, but he also had one son by a concubine.  This son was Abimelech who killed all the sons of Gideon except one, Jotham, so that Abimelech could rule Israel.  Jotham placed a curse upon Abimelech and all those who supported him (verse 20).  Three years of Abimelech’s rule had passed.  We are not told of any specific events that occurred during these three years, but speculate that life for those in Shechem was only mediocre at best.  Everything, and I mean everything, happens according to God’s timetable–never too soon and never too late.  After these three years had passed, God sent an evil spirit between the men of Shechem and Abimelech.  What that meant was that God allowed Satan to do his dirty work upon a soul or souls in order for God to accomplish His mission.  Those whose hearts are darkened and hardened have little or no resistance to the call of sin.  This is not to say that believers cannot be tempted, but they have the Holy Spirit as a protector of their hearts and minds.  Those without the Holy Spirit have no such barrier against Satan’s influence.  Those who reject God are fairly easy targets for Satan.

Since the men of Shechem had hardened their hearts to God, He sent an evil spirit upon them which took root with ease and promoted a hatred for Abimelech.  The one that they had praised was now the one they despised.  One of the traits of a sinner influenced by Satan is that they can become highly fickle, that is, they can change alliances and loyalties at the drop of a hat.  Their devotion drifts whichever way the wind blows.  The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 1 that the ungodly “are like the chaff which the wind drives away”.  The men of Shechem had a change of heart toward Abimelech, but not toward Jehovah God.  Instead of calling upon the LORD, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

The men planned an ambush, but in their watch for him, they begin to rob passersby.  These robberies would help to show the people of Shechem that Abimelech was an ineffective leader in that he couldn’t protect the people by keeping law and order.  Later, there was another man named Gaal who desired to challenge Abimelech, but failed in his attempt because he was not equipped to back up his threat.  Gaal escaped, but those men of Shechem who were with him were wounded.  Abimelech returned home, but the people of Shechem were determined to come out from under his rule.  There were some who were still loyal to him, thus the city was divided.  Some of those who were against him were slain by Abimelech’s followers.  He then sowed the city with salt as a symbol of his ability as a conquering king and powerful leader.  Some of the people of Shechem took refuge in a temple dedicated to their god Baal-berith which was located in a nearby town.  They were so deceived in their idolatry that they likely believed their god would protect them.  However, Abimelech set the temple on fire and all inside perished.

Abimelech didn’t care if he destroyed every city in the surrounding area.  He went to Thebez where the people there had fled into a tower for protection.  Upon Abimelech’s arrival at the tower of Thebez, he attempted to set it on fire.  Being preoccupied with his plan to destroy those inside, he wasn’t aware of what was going on inside at the top of the tower.  What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.  A woman picked up a millstone used for grinding grain, cast it out the window, and it landed on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.  For a woman to lift a very heavy stone which normally would have not been at the top of a tower and be able to toss it down, and it hit exactly on Abimelech’s head was not a “lucky shot”.  There had to be some Divine help in this situation.  To die at the hands of a woman was a disgrace and a dishonor to a man, particularly a mighty leader.  Abimelech did not die immediately, but told his armorbearer to kill him with his sword which he did.

Abimelech was dead and so were the people who had participated in the murder of Gideon’s sons and those who had refused to denounce the murders and had promoted Abimelech to rule over them. Jotham’s curse had come to pass.  Even the people who had not had a physical hand in the murders of Gideon’s sons still suffered the same fate as those who had committed the crimes.  They went along to get along.  None of them had the courage to stand and condemn Abimelech and fellow Shechemites for their ungodly deeds.  When one abandons God, he or she also gives up integrity, courage, peace, contentment, and joy.  Jotham had foretold and warned Shechem that their sin would eventually catch up with them, and for certain it did.  As the old gospel songs says, “You can’t do wrong and get by.”  God will not allow one of His children to drag His name through the mud for very long, but He always stands ready to forgive those who come to Him in repentance and faith.