Judges 9:35 says, And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.  Gaal was standing looking out of the city, and then Abimelech and his army rose up out of hiding.  Verse thirty-six states, And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.  Gaal told Zebul that he saw people coming down from the mountain, and Zebul basically told him that he was just seeing things.  Since Zebul was working with Abimelech, he was attempting to keep Gaal from continuing to notice Abimelech, while at the same time ridiculing Gaal.  We should not be surprised when the people of the world who are supposedly allies are secretly working against each other.  They might just be looking out for themselves.  We as followers of Christ cannot afford to be that way.  We must always try to be honest with others and do our best to help them.  Verse thirty-seven declares,-And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.  Gaal once again said he saw the people coming down in two companies.  It would be unlikely that he would mistake the shadows of the mountain for two groups of people.  Verse thirty-eight states, Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.  Zebul asked Gaal if he had not questioned the power of Abimelech and despised him, and told him to now go out and fight him.  Basically, Zebul told Gaal that it was time to put his words into action.  It is easy to be brave as long as we don't really face the enemy, but it is sometimes a different story when we actually do face them.  Verse thirty-nine declares, And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.  To his credit, Gaal led the men of Shechem out to fight with Abimelech.  He at least attempted to live up to his boasts.  Of course, just be willing to live up to a boast does not ensure success.  Verse forty states. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.  Though Gaal went out to fight Abimelech. he was soon running from him, and the people with him suffered many who were overthrown and wounded, all the way to the gate of the city.  Verse forty-one continues, And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  Abimelech defeated Gaal and his forces and returned to Arumuh, while Zebul drove Gaal out of the city.  The people of the city might have still opposed Abimelech, but they had lost faith in Gaal, maybe partly because of his big talk.  We should never be surprised when people of the world turn on each other, even those who had seemed to be allied together.

Judges 9:22 says. When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,  Verse twenty-three adds, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:  After Abimelech had ruled for three years, we are told that God sent an evil spirit to come between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.  Again I have to believe that it was more God allowing an evil spirit to come between them than His actually sending one, since I don't believe that God leads people to evil.  Verse twenty-four states, That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.  There was now a time for accounting for the cruelty in the killing of Gideon's other sons.  Both Abimelech and the men of Shechem who had backed him were guilty of their deaths.  All who participate in evil actions will be held responsible for their actions by God, even if they never are by the people of the world.  Verse twenty-five says,  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.  The men of Shechem had men lie in wait for Abimelech at the top of the mountain and they robbed people who came along.  Verse twenty-six states, And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.  Gaal and his brothers came to the men of Shechem, and they put their confidence in him.  When the people of the world have given up on one ruler, they will always be looking for someone else to help them.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.  Having made Gaal their leader, the men of Shechem partied and cursed Abimelech.  These were the same men who had supported Abimelech when he had seized power.  Their own jealousy and ambition had caused them to now despise Abimelech, just as those traits, those evil spirits, will cause the people who do not follow God today to have disputes, even if they have been allied at times.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?  Gaal questioned why they should serve Abimelech.  He asked who Abimelech was that they should serve him.  He was bold in his defiance of Abimelech.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.  Gaal challenged Abimelech, but he also attempted to give his challenge God's endorsement.  Gaal told Abimelech to increase his army and come meet him.  People often get caught up in their own sense of power and at times also attempt to give their actions God's endorsement without really seeking God's guidance.  Verse thirty states, And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.  Then verse thirty-one adds, And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.  Zebul, the ruler of the city heard Gaal's plans and sent word to Abimelech.  Gaal should not have assumed that everyone was going to agree with what he was doing.  Verse thirty-two continues, Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:  Zebul advised Abimelech to come by night and lay in wait in the field near the city.  Verse thirty-three concludes, And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.  Zebul then told Abimelech to come against the city early in the morning and when Gaal and the men of the city came out after him, Abimelech could do to them whatever he chose to do.  Zebul not only sent word to Abimelech, but the told him how to defeat Gaal.  Gaal had put too much faith in his own ability to get everyone to side with him against Abimelech.  Verse thirty-four declares, And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  Abimelech carried out the plan.  The people that had been with him might have turned against Abimelech, but he was still the ruler.  Getting rid of those who come to power through evil ways may not be as simple as those who have enabled them to come to power think.

Judges 9:7 says, And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.  When Jotham heard what had happened, he went to the top of  Mount Gerizim and cried out for the people to listen to him, so that God might hear them.  What they had done was not what God would have had them do.  We should always proclaim God's word and ask others to listen to us.  Verse eight states, The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.  Jotham spoke in an analogy about trees.  The other trees wanted the olive tree to reign over them, much as the people of Israel wanted a leader.  Verse nine adds, But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?  The olive tree said there was nothing to be gained by leaving its fatness to rule over them.  Verse ten says, And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.  The trees next asked the fig tree to be their ruler.  Verse eleven adds, But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?   Once more they were rejected.  The fig tree said it wasn't worth its time to give up what it already had.  Verse twelve adds, Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.  Then verse thirteen adds, And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?  The trees next asked the vine to rule over them.  They seemed to be looking for just any ruler.  We cannot look to just anyone to be our spiritual leader, but must look for the person that God has chosen for us.   The vine asked why it should leave its making of wine simply to rule over the trees.  This was not God calling these various plants to rule over the others, but if God calls us to a place of service, whether great or small, we cannot say that it would cost us too much or that it doesn't fit in our plans.  Verse fourteen states,
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.  The trees now went to the bramble, which would have been nothing but a  pest to them and asked it to be their ruler.  The trees really didn't even need a ruler, but they were determined to have one no matter how unqualified that ruler might be.  We cannot be the same way.  Verse fifteen adds, And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.  The bramble told the trees to put their faith in it, or else it would destroy them.  The trees now had something willing to rule over them, but only if the put all their faith in it to avoid being destroyed.  Verse sixteen declares, Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;  Then verse seventeen adds, (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:  Then verse eighteen continues, And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)   Jotham then applies this to the people of Israel.  He asked if they had dealt honestly with the sons of Jerubbaal, or Gideon, in making Abimelech king.  Gideon was the one that God used to deliver them, and yet they had killed all of his sons except Abimelech and Jotham, who had managed to escape.  Jotham asked if they thought this was the right thing to do.  Then verse nineteen proclaims, If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:  Jotham told the people that if that had done right by Jerubbaal and his descendants, then they should rejoice with Abimelech and he should rejoice with them and rule over them.  Then verse twenty adds, But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.  Jotham then added a but to the proclamation.  If they had not dealt honestly with Jerubbaal and his descendants, then let them be destroyed by fire.  If we are putting our faith in false gods today, or any person that stands between God and us, one day our works will be consumed by fire.   Verse twenty-one states,  And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.  Jotham went to Beer to live, because he feared Abimelech, his brother.  He did not call on God to empower him to defeat Abimelech, nor did he call on God to immediately destroy Abimelech.  When confronted with an enemy, as followers of Christ, we must call on God to help us overcome our enemies and should never run away from them in fear.

Judges 9:1 says, And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,  Abimelech, the son of Gideon's concubine, went to Shechem, and talked with his uncles.  Verse two states, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.  Abimelech had a proposition for them to propose to the men of Shechem.  He asked his uncles to ask the men if it were better for them to serve the seventy sons of Gideon, or to serve one man, Abimelech, who was related to them by blood.  The question is somewhat the opposite today, and that is whether it is better for a person to serve one God, or to serve all the things, or many gods, of this world.  The powers of the world will always make themselves seem the better option, just as Abimelech did.  Verse three says, And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.  After Abimelech's uncles asked the men who they had rather serve, they decided on Abimelech, since he was a blood relative.  Sometimes, we might be inclined to follow our blood relatives, but if they are not following the leadership of God, then we need to follow those who are truly God's people instead.  Through our faith in Christ, we become a part of a new, spiritual family, and we must never turn our backs on them.  Verse four declares, And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.  The men of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver, which was the same as the number of the rest of Gideon's sons.  Abimelech then hired some disrespectful men to follow him.  The people of the world are always going to be ready to spend money to defeat God's people, and it will have to be accomplished by disrespectful people.  Verse five declares, And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.  Abimelech and those with him went to Gideon's house and killed all of his sons, except the youngest, Jotham, who managed to hide himself.  It is not unusual in parts of the world today for leaders to kill all their relatives that they think might be a threat to their power.  Gideon had been a mighty man of God, and he left behind many sons, but somewhere along the line we quit hearing about Him asking God for guidance, and now all that was left was two sons, one of which had killed all the others except one.  All we can leave behind in this world that is of everlasting value is our spiritual legacy.  Verse six says, And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.  The men of Shechem gathered together and made Abimelech king.  There is no reference to anyone asking God if this was His plan, which should be our first step in anything that we as Christians do today.

Judges 8:22 says, Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.  The men of Israel asked Gideon to be their ruler, and for his sons and grandsons to follow him in ruling them.  They said that he had delivered them form the Midianites, but really God had.  Verse twenty-three states, And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.  Gideon said neither he nor his sons would reign over them, but that the LORD would.  No matter who the earthly leader may be today, as followers of Christ we can never forget that God is in charge.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)  Gideon then requested that the men give him the earrings that they had gotten from their enemies.  This would have been seen as some of the fruits of war.  We really shouldn't look to profit materially from defeating our spiritual enemies,  Verse twenty-five says,  And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.  The men said they would willingly give the earrings to Gideon, and they did.  Gideon did not demand that they do this, but they willingly granted his request.  When we are asked to give up the things of this world that may come between God and us, we need to do so willingly.  God will never demand that we do this, but He will ask it of us.  Verse twenty-six states, And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.  There was a lot of gold.  No matter how much we are asked to give up of the things of this world in order yo remain true to God, we must never feel that it is too much.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.  Gideon made an ephod of the gold and put it in his city, and the people of Israel began to worship it.  This became a snare to Gideon and his house.  If we allow anything to stand between God and us, it will become a snare to us.  Verse twenty-eight states, Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.  Israel once again had a period of peace during Gideon's lifetime, for forty years.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.  Then verse thirty adds, And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.  Gideon lived in his house, not in a palace as a ruler, and he had seventy sons, since he had many wives.  I don't believe that he would have been following God's will in this, but would have been living by his own desires.  Just because God uses us to accomplish great things in the world does not give us the right to then live by our own desires.  Verse thirty-one says, And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.  Gideon also had a son named Abimelech with his concubine at Shechem.  He not only had many wives, but he had at least one concubine, with whom he had a son.  Verse thirty-two states, And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.  After a long life, Gideon died and was buried.  No matter what we do for God, there will come a day when we die, unless Christ returns first.  Verse thirty-three declares, And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.  Once Gideon was dead, the people of Israel once again turned away from God and started worshipping Baal.  We cannot allow our faith to be based on any earthly leader, but it must be based on our relationship with Christ.  Verse thirty-four adds, And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, once again forgot God and all that He had done for them.  We as followers of Christ cannot afford to be the same way, but must always remember what God has done for us and remain true to Him.  Verse thirty-five concludes, Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.  The people of Israel may have wanted Gideon and his descendants to be their rulers, but now that he was dead, they no longer felt any reason to honor his descendants.  If people forget God, we should not be surprised that they do not show any respect for those who serve Him and have been used by Him to do great things.

We will pause our study of the book of Judges this morning to think about Easter Sunday, the day that the world really changed.  This year, with all the change brought about by the coronavirus, we are not having a normal Easter, but neither did the world all those years ago.  Those who opposed Jesus thought He was dead and sealed securely in the tomb.  The disciples were hidden away in discouragement and felt defeated.  The women closest to Jesus were on the way to prepare His body for a regular burial.  But then, everything changed.  When the women got to the tomb, the stone was rolled away and instead of a dead Jesus, they found an angel.  Then, they got the good news that Jesus was not there, but He was risen.  He was alive, and the world has been a different place ever since.  Today, when the world seems to be a nearly hopeless mess because of the coronavirus, we as followers of Christ have good news, and that is that Jesus is alive.  Peter and John ran to the tomb when the women told them what had happened, but Jesus wasn't there.  We may feel the need to congregate at a church building today, but we do not have to be at a particular place to worship God, just as the disciples didn't have to be at the tomb to find Jesus.  Jesus is with us wherever we are as followers of Christ through the Holy Spirit, and the good news is that we can worship Him wherever we are.  So today, let's just declare, "He is risen," and because He is risen, He will be with us forevermore if we simply accept Him as our Savior and Lord by faith.  The coronavirus will pass, but Jesus lives forever and calls us to salvation through Him.      

Judges 8:10 says, Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.  Zebah and Zalmunna and about fifteen thousand men were all that were left as over one hundred and twenty thousand had already been killed.  The size of the opposition does not really matter as long as we are faithful to God.  Verse eleven states, And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.  Gideon went up and killed the last of the host, or soldiers.  Verse twelve says, And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.  The two kings once again fled and Gideon pursued them.  They seemed to have abandoned their men and were concerned only for a few leaders and themselves.  Those who do not follow God often look out only for themselves, and some times it seems that at times some of those who are followers of Christ are the same way unfortunately.  Verse thirteen declares, And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,  Gideon returned to the battle before the sun was up.  Nearly all the enemy may have been killed, but a few remained.  We today do not need to become less vigilant when it seems that our enemies are almost all slain, but need to realize that in this lifetime they never will be.  We need to start every day prepared to face the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen says, And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.  Gideon asked a young man that he met about the men he was pursuing, and he told Gideon about them.  Verse fifteen states, And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?  When Gideon returned to Succoth, he reminded them of his earlier request for bread for his men and their denial of it because Zebah and Zalmunna were not yet defeated.  We should not be surprised if the people of the world today look around and see the forces of the world as more powerful than Christians and ask why they should help us  Like the people of Succoth though, one day they will know, as God has already secured the victory.  Verse sixteen declares, And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.  Gideon took the leaders of Succoth into the wilderness and the  briars and taught them a lesson,  Verse seventeen adds, And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.  Gideon then tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.  This would be speculation, but the tower probably represented some god.  I do know without speculation that we must tear down everything in our lives that becomes more important than God.  Verse eighteen states, Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.  Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna who the people they killed at Tabor were, and they said that they looked like Gideon.  Verse nineteen declares, And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.  Gideon said that these men that were slain bt Zebah and Zalmunna were his brothers, and if they had saved them, then Gideon would not kill them.  Their actions had consequences, just as ours do today..  The only way to be forgiven and not bear the responsibility of those consequences is through faith in Christ.  Verse twenty adds, And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.  Gideon told his oldest son, Jether, to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, but he couldn't do it. because he was still a youth.  We as followers of Christ should not allow our age to keep us from following God's commands, whether we are very young or very old.  Verse twenty-one concludes, Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.   Zebah and Zalmunna basically told Gideon to go ahead and kill them, and he did.  We need to spiritually slay all the enemies of God today, whether they invite us to or not.