Judges 9:22-57

Hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning, we're going to wrap up. What happens to Abimelech? What happens to this murderer of his brothers? Does Gotham's words come true? Let's have some coffee. We'll pray. Father, thank you so much for this day. Lord, what a blessing it is but joy it is to get to hear from you, the God of our salvation, the one who knows the beginning from the end. But Father, we pray that if we read your word, you would teach us. We pray that we would know your plan, trust in you as our King and our God. Amen, we pray.
All right, here we go. We are at Judges chapter 9. Judges chapter 9, we're going to look at verses 22 through the end of the chapter. What we're going to do is a little bit different, right, just because we got a bigger section. We're going to read, summarize, read, summarize, read, summarize as we go through.
After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. And the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the crime done to the 70 sons of Jerubalem might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech, their brother, who killed them. and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers. And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told Abimelech. All right, so we got Abimelech, he's king now for three years. Now God himself God himself sends a spirit of ill will, this hostility between Abimelech and Shechem. Shechem paid him to become their ruler and now there's this tension between them. And the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, right?
And they start essentially highway robbery that the crimes of the sons of the 70 of Jeroboam might be settled. Shechem set ambush against him on the tops of the mountains. So every time they're going by, they're robbing him. Verse 26 through 29. Now, Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brothers and went over to Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their confidence. So they went out into the fields and gathered grapes from their vineyard and trod them and made merry. And they went into the house of their God, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. Then Gal, the son of Ebed, said, Who is this Abimelech?
And who is Shechem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubal? And is not Zebal his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. But why should we serve him? If only these people were under my authority, then I would remove Abimelech." So he said to Abimelech, increase your army and come out.
It reminds me of this point in The Mandalorian in the very last season of The Mandalorian, where there's Rogu's with or maybe it's Grogu's, but not the Mando. Mando is with someone and the pirate is telling them that they just come and meet me and you'll be fine or whatever. And he just looks like he must be talking to the little Grogu. And he says, never trust a pirate.
And they fly away. Right. Point being here is that If somebody is made king by lawless means, don't be surprised when the people turn and they go towards another person. Their loyalty wasn't necessarily towards him. So anyways, this Gaul guy convinces them, follow me instead of Abimele. And now he calls him out to the floor, right? Calls him out to war. Verse 30. When Zeebel, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaul, the son of Ebed, His anger was aroused, and he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Take note!
Baal, the son of Ebed, and his brothers have come to Shechem, and here they are fortifying the city against you. Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field. And it shall be as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city. And when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity.
So now we find this new guy, Ebal. or Zeebel and Zebel sends a message to Abimelech and creates this plan, right? And so they're fortifying the city. So, you know, Abimelech's got an insider guy. Why don't you go ahead and wait in the field? And when you wait in the field, they'll come back and you can attack them in the morning and they'll be yours, right?
So Abimelech and all the people who are with him rose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. When Gaul the son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait.
And when Gaul saw the people, he said to Zebel, Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains. Zebel said to him, I used to see shadows of the mountains as if they were men. So Gaul spoke again to him, and said, See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the diviners.
Terebinth-tree. Then Zeebel said to him, Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said, Who is Abimelech? We should serve him. Are not these the people whom you despise? Go out, if you will, and fight them now." Right. And Z-Ball's like, dude, where's your courage now? Where's your fat mouth now, dude? You're the one who said, why should we serve him? Go and put your money where your mouth is and go fight him.
39, so Gall went out. the leading men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled away from him. And many fell wounded at the very entrance of the gate. Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebal drove out Gaul and his brothers, so they would not dwell in Shechem." So he's chasing them out, right? Abimelech seems to have won. Verse 42, though. And it came about on the next day, that the people went out into the field and they told to be molecular.
So he took his place, divided them into three companies and lay in wait in the field and he looked And there were the people coming out of the city and he rose up against them and attacked them. Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city, of the gate of the city.
And the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them. So Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He took the city and killed the people who were in it. And he demolished the city and sowed it with salt. He will come out of the city and Abimelech, this vicious man, turns vicious against them. They come out of the city, kills them. As the people leave that fortress of safety, slaughters them. And notice that last part. He demolished the city and sowed it with salt. He's destroying the land. He's making sure they can never plant it, never harvest it, never eat it. They're going to starve them to death for generations.
Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith. And it was told Abimelech that all the men, pardon me, it was told that all the men of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together.
Then Abimelech went up to the Mount Zalmon. He and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bow from the trees and took it and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the people who were with him, What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done. So each of the people likewise cut down his own bow and followed Abimelech, put them against the stronghold and set the stronghold on fire from above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died. About a thousand men and women.
He literally burns them alive, roasts them in the oven of the tower. And Abimelech went to Thebes and camped against Thebes, took it. But there was a strong tower in the city and all the men and women, all the people of the city fled there and shut themselves in. And they went up to the top of the tower. Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it. And he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. And he called quickly to the young man, his armor-bearer said to him, draw your sword and kill me lest men say of me a woman killed him. So his young man thrust him through and he died. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place. And Abimelech He destroys the people in the Tower of Shechem, fulfilling the words that Jotham had said.
He had said the fire would come out of the bramble bush, destroy them. But then at the end, he goes to Thebes, right? The woman drops the millstone on his head. He knows that he's mortally wounded and he tells his armor bearer, trust me. He does. Strong man's gone.
And here's what I have underlined as the best verse. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his 70 brothers. And all the evil of the men of Shechem, God returned on their own heads. And on them came the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubal.
It doesn't play around. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I will repay. We don't need to be hell-bent in our lives about going after it. We want our vengeance, but we're able to say, no, no, no, the Lord, no, the Lord will judge. But is this a three-year gap between Jotham's prophecy and Drubal's fall? It's a bloody ugly thing. Oh, it's a nightmare chapter. And yet the Lord knows what's going on.
It's not like God is blind to the circumstances of life. So we're able to trust him. You're able to trust him in this life. Maybe you suffer, even for the sake of Christ, even for the name of Christ in this life. Suffering is not in vain. God sees, God avenges, God will care. So trust in him.
Father, we thank you that we know that wicked rulers rise, wicked rulers fall. Lord, please teach us to walk in your ways and to trust you. Lord, and when there are sinful rulers, we pray that vengeance would be yours. We trust you, Lord. Father, please give us wisdom.
Let's walk in your ways. Thank you so much. The day has come when you will humble every king. Every people, every tribe, every tongue, every language, everyone will bow to the King. You, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Father, please help us live with eternal Jesus. May you walk in the way that comes from knowing that you are a King. May you walk in the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll see you next time.