15. Staying on Higher Ground: Abimelech – The Bramble King – Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church

Hymns: 229 Thy Kingdom Come, O God 445 O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee 386 Be Thou My Vision

Judges 9:1-56

¹And 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, ² 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. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. ⁸ The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹ 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? ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹¹ But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹² Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³ And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? ¹⁴ Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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; ¹⁷ (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: ¹⁸ 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;) ¹⁹ 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: ²⁰But 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. ²¹ And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. ²² When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, ²³ Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: ²⁴ 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. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ 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? ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger Was kindled. ³¹ 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. ³² Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: ³³ 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. ³⁴ And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. ³⁵ 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. ³⁶ 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. ³⁷ 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. ³⁸ Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou adist, 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. ³⁹ And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. ⁴¹ And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. ⁴² And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ 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. ⁴⁵ And Abimelech 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. ⁴⁶ And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. ⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ 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. ⁴⁹ 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. ⁵⁰ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. ⁵¹ 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. ⁵² And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³ And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.⁵⁴ 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. ⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. ⁵⁶ Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: ⁵⁷ 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.

Abimelech – The Bramble King

OUTLINE

Brutal Ambition for Self-Exaltation (v1-6)
Prediction of Downfall (v7-21)
God’s Judgment (v22-56)

INTRODUCTION

We bring the scene at the end of the Judgeship of Gideon – Judges 8:28-35 (KJV) 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. And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 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 Abi-ezrites. 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 Baal-berith their god. 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: Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

The kindness of Gideon and his house and what he did to deliver the people of Israel from the Midanites were soon forgotten after 40 years of quietness following the subduing of the enemy. The children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 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. They not only departed from the Lord to go after their idols, being unfaithful, they were hard-hearted, ungrateful and forgetful of what God had done for them. The idolatry led them to great cruelty and barbarous behaviour. They support a revolt by Abimelech against his own brethren, the sons of Gideon – ³ 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. ⁴ 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.

Brutal Ambition for Self-Exaltation (v1-6)

Abimelech, the son of Gideon of the concubine from Shechem, plotted and killed all the 70 sons of Gideon by the sword. Only Jotham, the youngest son escaped because he hid himself – ⁵ 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.

Matthew Henry observed well, “Abimelech got into authority, and made himself great. His mother perhaps had instilled into his mind some towering ambitious thoughts, and the name his father gave him, carrying royalty in it, might help to blow up these sparks; and now that he has buried his father nothing will serve his proud spirit but he will succeed him in the government of Israel, directly contrary to his father’s will, for he had declared no son of his should rule over them. He had no call from God to this honour as his father had, nor was there any present occasion for a judge to deliver Israel as there was when his father was advanced; but his own ambition must be gratified, and its gratification is all he aims at.

How craftily he got his mother’s relations into his interests. Shechem was a city in the tribe of Ephraim, of great note. Joshua had held his last assembly there. If that city would but appear for him, and set him up, he thought it would go far in his favour. There he had an interest in the family of which his mother was, and by them he made an interest in the leading men of the city. It does not appear that any of them had an eye to him as a man of merit, who had any thing to recommend him to such a choice, but the motion came first from himself. None would have dreamed of making such a one king, if he had not dreamed of it himself.”

³ 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.

None would have dreamed of making such a one king, if he had not dreamed of it himself. And see here, how he wheedled them into the choice (v2-3). He basely suggested that Gideon having left seventy sons, who made a good figure and had a good interest, they were designing to keep the power which their father had in their hands, and by a joint-influence to reign over Israel. “Now,” says he, “you had better have one king than more, than many, than so many. Affairs of state are best managed by a single person,” (v2). We have no reason to think that all or any of Gideon’s sons had the least intention to reign over Israel (they were of their father’s mind, that the Lord should reign over them, and they were not called of him), yet this he insinuates to pave the way to his own pretensions. Those who design ill themselves are commonly most apt to suspect that others design ill.

As for himself, he only puts them in mind of his relation to them (verbum sapienti–A word to the wise is sufficient): Remember that I am your bone and your flesh. The plot took wonderfully. The magistrates of Shechem were pleased to think of their city being a royal city and the metropolis of Israel, and therefore they inclined to follow him; for they said, “He is our brother, and his advancement will be our advantage.”

How he got money from them to bear the charges of his pretensions (v4): They gave him seventy pieces of silver; it is not said what the value of these pieces was; so many shekels are less, and so many talents more, than we can well imagine; therefore it is supposed they were each a pound weight: but they gave this money out of the house of Baal-berith, that is, out of the public treasury, which, out of respect to their idol, they deposited in his temple to be protected by him; or out of the offerings that had been made to that idol, which they hoped would prosper the better in his hands for its having been consecrated to their god. How unfit was he to reign over Israel, because unlikely to defend them, who, instead of restraining and punishing idolatry, thus early made himself a pensioner to an idol!

What soldiers he enlist. He hired into his service vain and light persons, the scum and scoundrels of the country, men of broken fortunes, giddy heads, and profligate lives; none but such would own him, and they were fittest to serve his purpose. Like leaders like followers. [Matthew Henry]

The way being thus made for Abimelech’s election, the men of Shechem proceeded to choose him king (v6). God was not consulted whether they should have any king at all, much less who it should be; here is no advising with the priest or with their brethren of any other city or tribe, though it was designed that he should reign over Israel (v22). But, the Shechemites, as if they were the people and wisdom must die with them, did all; they aided and abetted him in the murder of his brethren (v24), and then they made him king. The men of Shechem (that is, the great men, the chief magistrates of the city), and the house of Millo (that is, the common council, the full house or house of fulness, as the word signifies), those that met in their guildhall (we read often of the house of Millo, or state-house in Jerusalem, or the city of David (2 Sam. 5:9; 2 Kings 12:20), these gathered together, not to prosecute and punish Abimelech for this barbarous murder, as they ought to have done, he being one of their citizens, but to make him king. His wickedness was rewarded with a diadem. What could they promise themselves from a king that laid the foundation of his kingdom in blood? [Matthew Henry]

Abimelech rose to power by the shedding of much blood. When a man depart from God, there is no telling the evil one could do.

Prediction of Downfall (v7-21)

God sent Jotham to rebuke his half-brother. He did so by a parable. His parable is very ingenious – that when the trees were disposed to choose a king the government was offered to those valuable trees the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine, but they refused it, choosing rather to serve than rule, to do good than bear sway. But the same tender being made to the bramble he accepted it with vain-glorious exultation. The way of instruction by parables is an ancient way, and very useful, especially to give reproofs by. In this parable, Abimelech is called the bramble king. It was explained by Jotham in the parable that the trees were looking for a king.

They approached the olive tree with its valuable, the fig tree with its sweet fruit, and the vine with its clusters that could be made into wine; but all of them refused to accept the honour. They would each have to sacrifice something in order to reign, and they weren’t prepared to make that sacrifice. All that remained was the bramble, a thornbush that was a useless nuisance in the land, good only for fuel for the fire. This, was a symbol of Abimelech, the new king. Often in the summer, fires would break out in the bramble bushes; and these fires would spread and threaten the safety of the trees. Jotham had made his point: Abimelech “the bramble king” would be unable to protect the people, but he would cause judgment to come that would destroy those who trusted him. The men of Shechem should have been ashamed of the way they rejected the house of Gideon and honoured a worthless opportunist like Abimelech. Eventually, both Abimelech and his followers would destroy one another. [Warren Wiersbe]

God’s Judgment (v22-56)

²² When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, ²³ Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: ²⁴ 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’s judgment came as predicted by Jotham – Genesis 9:6 (KJV) Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

The innocent cry out to God for vengeance and justice – Revelation 6:10 (KJV) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Genesis 4:10 (KJV) And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

²⁵ 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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. ²⁸ 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? ²⁹ 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.

The people of Shechem who crowned him king began to turn against Abimelech to give him trouble. There was an outsider called Gaal, who instigated the men of Shechem to turn against Abimelech.

²⁹ 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. ³⁰ And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. ³¹ 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. ³² Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: ³³ 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.

The Shechemites’ counsels were betrayed to Abimelech by Zebul his confidant, the ruler of the city, who continued hearty for him. His anger was kindled (v30), and the more because Gaal had spoken slightly of him (v28), for perhaps, if he had complimented and caressed him now that things were in this ferment, he might have gained him to his interest; but he, being disobliged, sends notice to Abimelech of all that was said and done in Shechem against him (v31). Betrayers are often betrayed by some among themselves, and the cursing of the king is sometimes strangely carried by a bird of the air. He prudently advises him to come against the city immediately, and lose no time (v32-33). He thinks it best that he should march his forces by night into the neighbourhood, surprise the city in the morning, and then make the best of his advantages. How could the Shechemites hope to speed in their attempt when the ruler of their city was in the interests of their enemy? They knew it, and yet took no care to secure him. [Matthew Henry]

⁴⁹ 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. ⁵⁰ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. ⁵¹ 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. ⁵² And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³ And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.⁵⁴ 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. ⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. ⁵⁶ Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: ⁵⁷ 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.

Those that retired into a strong hold of their idol temple were all destroyed there. These are called the men of the tower of Shechem (v46-47), some castle that belonged to the city, but lay at some distance from it.

Abimelech was gravely hurt when a woman threw a stone upon him. He asked his armour-bearer to thrust him with the sword. He died a tragic death.

CONCLUSION

God’s judgment came as Longfellow said, “Though the mill of God grinds slowly, yet they grind exceeding small.” Amen.

15. Staying on Higher Ground: Abimelech – The Bramble King

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