Judges 9:50

Judges 9:50 says, Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  Abimelech next went to Thebez and captured it.  He was expanding his kingdom, but without following God.  Verse fifty-one adds, But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.  Though Abimelech took control of the city of Thebez, he did not capture the people who fled to a strong tower within the city.  As followers of Christ, we may have everything we own taken away, but we are always spiritually safe in our great tower, Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-two continues, And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.   Abimelech went strongly against the tower, planning to burn it down.  People today may come strongly against us as Christians planning to destroy our Tower, our faith in Jesus Christ, but as long as we remain faithful to Him, they will never be successful.  Verse fifty-three states, And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.  We are told a certain woman on the wall of the tower dropped a piece of millstone on Abimelech's head and broke his skull.  She is not even identified by name, though she effectively put Abimelech out of commission, even if he did not die immediately.  As we do what God calls us to do today as His people, we should not do it for self glorification, but for the glory of God.  Even if we do not immediately kill off all the sin in the world, if we remain faithful to Jesus Christ, we can stop its effectiveness in our life.  Verse fifty-four adds, Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  Abimelech was still worried about what people would think about him after he died.  He called his armor bearer and told his armor bearer to kill him with his sword, so that people would not say that he was killed by a woman.  Those who live for their own glory today are often more concerned with their legacy than they are with life itself.  We as Christians should never be that way, because we should live for God's glory and not our own.  The armor bearer did as Abimelech commanded him to do, and killed Abimelech with his sword.  Verse fifty-five continues, And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they gave up the fight and went home.  They had entered into an unholy alliance with Abimelech to start with, and once he was dead, they had no desire to continue the fight.  Often, people who follow a leader today are only committed to the fight for as long as that leader is alive.  Fortunately, as followers of Christ, our leader will never die, so no matter what happens in this world, we need to continue to be committed to the fight against sin and evil in this world.  Verse fifty-six declares, Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:  Though Abimelech declared himself the king of Israel by killing his seventy brothers, God had never declared him to be.  We are told instead that by the death of Abimelech that God had put an end to his wickedness.  The woman on the wall may have dropped the millstone and the armor bearer may have killed Abimelech with a sword, but it was God Who directed these events, just as He will one day put an end to all the evil in the world and to those who live outside of His will, choosing the ways of the world over Jesus Christ.  Verse fifty-seven adds, 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.  The men of Shechem who had empowered Abimelech in his killing of the sons of Jerubbaal, or Gilead, may have returned home, but God still held them accountable for their actions, just as He does everyone today.

Judges 9:42

Judges 9:42 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  Abimelech was told what those who opposed him were planning.  The element of surprise was gone.  Verse forty-three adds, And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  Abimelech divided his forces into three groups, and laid in wait until the people of the city came out, and then he slew them.  We as Christians today should not be surprised if the world around us today waits to entrap us in evil.  Verse forty-four continues, And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.  Abimelech and the third of his forces with him entered the city while the other two thirds fought those outside the city.  There is no place in this world where we are totally exempt from encountering sin, but as long as we remain faithful to God, it will never overpower us.  Verse forty-five states, And Abimaelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.  Abimelech fought against the city all day, but eventually defeated it and totally destroyed it.  Verse forty-six adds, And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  When the people of Shechem heard this, they went into the hold of the house of the god Berith.  Instead of looking to the one true and living God, these people who were supposed to be a part of God's people went to a false god seeking safety.  When we are under attack as Christians today, the only place of safety is in the arms of God.  Verse forty-seven says, And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  Abimelech was made aware of where the people were gathered.  Verse forty-eight adds, And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  Abimelech then went up on Mount Zalmon and cut a branch off a tree and told the men there with to do the same.  When people of the world are fighting against us as followers of Christ, they will always invite others to join them.  Verse forty-nine continues, And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.  Abimelech and those with him used the branches they had cut to set fire to the hold of the god of Berith, which did not help those seeking safety there at all.  False gods will never offer us any protection today, but will only lead to our destruction if we put our faith in them.

Judges 10:1

Judges 10:1 says, And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.  After Abimelech, Tola of the tribe of Issachar became the judge of Israel.  Unlike Abimelech, Tola had not promoted himself to be king of Israel, but was instead evidently called by God to be their judge.  Verse two adds, And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.  We aren't told much about what happened during Tola's reign, but the nation of Israel was evidently at peace, and Tola reigned twenty-three years.  Verse three states, And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.  After Tola died, Jair of the half tribe of Manasseh, on the other side of the Jordan, who was also a Gileadite, became the judge of Israel, and he judged for twenty-two years.  Verse four adds, And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.  Jair had thirty sons who rode on donkeys throughout Israel to help him in judging Israel.  He did not attempt to do everything himself or for his glory.  We as followers of Christ cannot do everything that needs to be done in God's kingdom today, nor should we believe that we can.  We need to acknowledge that we need the help of our fellow Christians in doing God's work, and we should not be doing it for our glory.  Verse five continues, And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.  After judging Israel for twenty-two years, Jair died.  That was forty-five years of peace that Israel had under these two judges.  We might think that the people of Israel would be devoted to following God by that time, but as we will see, they weren't. Sometimes, when things are going peacefully in life,we can tend to forget about God Who brings us that peace.  Verse six declares, And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.  After these two judges died, the people of Israel who were called to be God's people, began to do evil in His sight and to worship many false gods.  If we do not put our faith in God today, we can easily be led to follow many false gods and to do evil in God's sight, even though it may not be evil in the view of the world.  Verse seven adds, And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. God's anger was hot against the actions of the people of Israel, and He allowed them to be defeated by the Philistines and the Amorites.  If we turn away from following God today, we can easily be defeated by those who are in power around us.  Verse eight continues, And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.  For eighteen years, the two and a half tribes on the other side of the Jordan were vexed and oppressed by the Amorites, though it was where Jair had come from.  Just because some people devoted to God come from where we live doesn't mean that everyone in our area is devoted to God.  Verse nine concludes, Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.  The Amorites weren't content in just conquering the two and a half tribes, but crossed over the Jordan to fight with much of the rest of Israel as well.  If the forces of evil are successful in defeating a group of Christians today, we should not be surprised if they expand the war to fight against other Christians. 

Judges 9:34

Judges 9:34 says, Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  After being told about Gaal's plan to overthrow him, Abimelech and those who were with him rose by night, and he divided them into four groups and surrounded  Shechem.  Verse thirty-five adds, 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.  When Gaal got up, he went out to the city gate, and Abimelech and his forces rose up so that Gaal could see them.  Neither  Gaal, nor Abimelech, were following God in their plans, but Abimelech evidently had the larger army, which definitely could matter.  Those who do not follow God are often in opposition to one another today, and the strength and determination of their forces often matter as to who wins.  Verse thirty-six continues, 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, who was still loyal to Abimelech, that he saw men coming down from the mountains, and Zebul told him that he only saw shadows that he thought were men.  Matthew Henry says that instead of securing Zebul, the head of Abimelech's army, that the people of Shechem had left him free.  We as followers of Christ today can never allow sin to continue to run free in our lives.  Verse thirty-seven states, 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 then told Zebul that he saw men coming from many directions,  and that he wasn't just seeing shadows as Zebul had suggested.  Gaal told Zebul, thinking he was an ally instead of being true to Abimelech, that he saw two other companies of men, and he knew they weren't just shadows. The truth could no longer be overlooked.  Verse thirty-eight adds, 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 where his bold words asking who Abimelech was that they should serve him,  adding they could now be answered, because Abimelech and his forces were there.  Zebul told Gaal that it was now time to back up his bold speech.  If people brag about how strong they are, eventually there may come a time when they have to back up their talk.  Verse thirty-nine continues, And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.  To his credit, Gaal led the men of Shechem into battle against Abimelech.  We find today that those who speak the loudest against someone that they see as evil quickly turn and run when they come face-to-face with the one they are crying out against, but this wasn't the case with Gaal.  Verse forty says, And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.  Of course, when facing Abimelech and his forces, Gaal soon did flee, and many of those with him were wounded.  Verse forty-one adds, And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  Abimelech returned to Arumah after the battle, but Zebul, whom Gaal thought to be his ally, cast Gaal and those who had followed him out of Shechem.  Sometimes, we may discover too late that those that we thought to be our allies have been secretly working against us all along.

Judges 9:22

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 ruled three years, God caused trouble to arise between the men of Shechem and him.  Matthew Henry says that their own lusts, influenced by Satan and allowed by God led to their falling out.  God still allows Satan to influence people today if they don't put their faith in Him through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four continues, 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.  God allowed this because Abimelech had killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Gideon, and the men of Shechem had aided him in doing so.  We may have a time of success if we go against God and His people, but we will one day be held accountable.  Verse twenty-five states, 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 people of Shechem begin to have people lie in wait for people coming across the top of the mountain and rob them, and Abimelech heard about this.  He evidently had not authorized it, nor was he profiting from it.  There is no better way to get the attention of greedy, selfish rulers, or people in general, than to start doing something that they see as effecting what they think should at least partly be theirs.  Verse twenty-six adds, 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, the son of Ebed came to his brothers and went over into Shechem and the people there put their faith in him instead of Abimelech.  There will always be new people who challenge the rule or authority of others when they are neither following God's leadership.  Verse twenty-seven continues, 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.  After putting their faith in Gaal, the people of Shechem began to openly defy Abimelech.  They gathered their harvest and made merry in the house of their god, without any concern for nor devotion to Abimelech.  They may have been parting ways with Abimelech, but they still hadn't confessed their sin of having aided him in killing the seventy sons of Gideon.  Simply having a falling out with other sinners will never save us if we do not confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-eight says, 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 asked who Abimelech and Zebul his officer were, that they should serve him, asking was Abimelech not the son of Jerubbaal, or Gideon, whose other sons he had killed to keep them from claiming power over Israel.  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 then stated that he wished the people were under his authority and challenged Abimelech to increase his army and come and face him.  Neither Gaal nor Abimelech was appointed by God.  Verse thirty states, And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.  When Zebul, who was ruling over Shechem while Abimelech was away heard what Gaal said, he became angry.  He still sided with Abimelech, though the other people of Shechem were turning against him.  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 sent messengers secretly to Abimelech telling him that the city of Shechem was being fortified against him under the leadership of Gaal.  We should not be surprised when lost people of the world today go to war with each other.  Verse thirty-two continues, Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:  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 advised Abimelech to gather his forces by night in the field outside Shechem, and then when Gaal and the men of Shechem came out, he could take them by surprise.  Often, those who are seeking their own power in the world today act in darkness hoping to catch their enemies off guard, but we as followers of Christ should never do this, because we should be walking in the Light, empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

Judges 9:7

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 to his brothers, he called out to the men of Shechem from the top of Mount Gerazim. Jotham did not raise an army and attempt to take over ruling the people of Shechem, even though Abimelech had said this was the intent of the sons of Gideon.  He simply began to point out their stupidity in following Abimelech.  Verse eight adds, 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 begin to speak in a parable about the trees wanting to elect a king.  This parable was evidently inspired by God, and it showed Jotham's understanding of the situation.   Sometimes, instead of fighting against those who profess to be Christians and who are doing things that are not in accordance with God's will, all we can really do is point out the error of their ways under the guidance of God.  We cannot just base it on our own opinion, but must be based on God's word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Verse nine continues, 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 trees first went to the olive tree to ask it to be king, but the olive tree turned them down because it provided olives used to honor God and men, so why would it want to give this up simply to rule over the other trees.  The trees really had no need for a king, and neither did the people of Shechem, because God was their king and they were simply to be productive doing what God called them to do, and this still applies to us today.  We as followers of Christ should not aspire to rule, but to serve, doing what God calls us to do and bearing fruit for His kingdom and His glory.  Verse ten states, And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.  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?  The trees next went to the fig tree, and got pretty much the same answer as the olive tree had given them, which was why give up doing what it was designed to do simply to spend its time being a ruler over the other trees.  If God has not called us into a leadership position, why would we today want to be in that position instead of serving where God has called us to serve?  Verse twelve says, Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.  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, being determined to have a king that they didn't need, next went to the grapevine, and again received a similar answer as to why the grapevine wouldn't serve as their king.  We should never be so determined to have an earthly ruler that we continue to look everywhere instead of looking to God.  Verse fourteen states, Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.  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 trees finally asked the bramble, and unproductive and destructive vine, to be their king, and the bramble accepted.  Since rhe bramble was being used to represent Abimelech, Matthew Henry says this might imply that the people of Shechem asked him to be their king and he in self pride accepted, but this really doesn't seem to be what the Bible says.  The bramble did say that they were to trust in its shadow.  We as Christians should never exalt leaders, especially those who do not seem to put moraliy first, if they continually exalt themselves.  Verse sixteen continues, 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;  Jotham then pointed out that this was what the people of Shechem had done when they foolishly chose Abimelech as their king, while ignoring all that Gideon had done for them while asking for nothing in return.  We today need to judge people by what they have done to benefit others by God's guidance, and not by what they may have done to help themselves.  Verse seventeen declares, (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:  Verse eighteen adds, 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 reminded them of what his father, Gideon, had done for them and then of how they had treated him by killing his seventy sons on the word of Abimelech that they aspired to be king.  Abimelech, Gideon's son by his concubine, who had done nothing for the people of Shechem,  was the only one of Gideon's sons to ask to be made king.  Yet, the people followed him because he said it would stop Gideon's other sons from wanting to rule over them.  We need to be careful that we do not follow someone who promotes himself as being the one who can keep us from a harmful situation that does not really exist.  Verse nineteen states, 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 said if they had dealt truly and sincerely with the Gideon and his sons, that they should rejoice and Abimelech should rejoice with them.  Ultimately, as Christians, we all have ask ourselves if we are dealing honestly and truly with those that we may condemn or follow, and it must all be done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse twenty-one 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 said that if they had not done so, let Abimelech and them be destroyed by fire.  One day, those who refuse to follow God by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord will go away to everlasting punishment in the fires of hell.  Verse twenty-one continues, And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.  Jotham did not attempt to take over as king, but fled to Beer because of his fear of his brother, Abimelech.  I don't believe that we as Christians today should ever run away out of fear, but neither should we claim power for ourselves, unless we truly believe that this is what God wants us to do.

Judges 9:1

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, Gideon's son by his concubine, went Shechem to his mother's brethren and talked with all of them.  Shechem was in the land of the tribe of Ephraim, and there is no indication that the elders there felt that God had chosen Abimelech to be the leader of Israel until he started promoting the idea himself.  There definitely was no record of God calling him to do so.  We need to be careful about following those who are promoting themselves today as the only way to be successful in following God.  Verse two adds, 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 asked the people of Shechem to consider whether it was better for seventy sons of Gideon to reign over them, or one, Abimelech himself, who was of their tribe, alone to reign over them.  Of course, Gideon himself had not said any of his sons were going to be in power over Israel after he died, and neither had God.  We may be called on at times to make a choice that seems sensible in worldly terms, but is not something that God has called on us to make a decision about.  Verse three continues, 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.  The men of Shechem all spoke of Abimelech and asked the questions he had asked, and decided it was better to follow Abimelech, because he was of their tribe.  They did not consult God, even though they were a part of His chosen people.  We as followers of Christ should never make decisions in life based on what seems best for us without first talking to God about it.  If we do make decisions without praying about it, we will often make the wrong one.  Verse four states, 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 people of Shechem gave Abimelech money from the public treasury, which he used to hire vain and light men, or those willing to do anything for money, to help him in establishing himself as the ruler of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this was money given to the idol that they worshipped.  People today, even those who profess to be God's people, will often offer material support to someone who appears to be the best person to benefit them personally, without considering what God would have them do.  Verse five adds, 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 went to Ophrah and killed the seventy sons of Gideon, except for Jotham, the youngest, who hid himself.  Verse six continues,  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 with the men of Millo and made Abimelech king.  Of course, they were only a part of the entire nation of Israel, but they were making Abimelech king.  We cannot make decisions that will affect other Christians today without first praying and then discussing things with them if possible.