Abimelech

Judges 9

Gideon, who was also called Jerubbaal, had 70 sons, and one of them was named Abimelech. One day Abimelech spoke to his brothers and asked them to speak to the men of (the city of) Shechem and ask them whether it would be better to have one man rule over them or 70 men rule over them. And so the men of Shechem thought it would be good to follow Abimelech. And they gave him 70 pieces of silver and Abimelech hired foolish people to follow him, and he went into his father's house and murdered his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon), but one of them named Jotham who was the youngest son, escaped by hiding himself.

When Abimelech had reigned for three years over Israel, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem set men in the top of the mountains and robbed everyone that came by, and Abimelech was told about it.

Now there was a man named Gaal and he said "Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we should serve him?....I wish this people were under my hand! I would remove Abimelech" and he told Abimelech to make his army larger and come against him, and they made the city very strong. But Zebul, the ruler of the city, sent messengers to Abimelech privately and told him that they were strengthening the city against him and he told Abimelech that he should bring his people and come up to the city at night so that in the morning as soon as the sun was up they could rise early and set against the city.

And so Abimelech and all the people went by night and they were in four companies against Shechem. And when Gaal saw the people, he went out before the men of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech chased him, and he ran away and many were wounded, even up to the gate of the city.

So Gaal and his brothers were thrown out so that they could not live in the city of Shechem.

But the next day Abimelech was told that Gaal was gone, so he took the people and divided them into three companies and laid wait in the field, and saw the people coming our of the city, and he rose up against them and killed them. And Abimelech fought aginst the city all that day, and he took the city and killed the people inside it. And then Abimelech was told that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

So Abimelech and all the people that were with him went to mount Zalmon and Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and laid it on his shoulder and told the people with him to do the same thing, so everyone cut down a branch and followed Abimelech, and the branches were put to the hold and so all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about 1,000 men and women.

Then Abimelech went to Thebez and took it, but there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women of the city fled to the tower and shut it against Abimelech, and he came to the tower and fought againt it and wanted to burn the door of the tower with fire.

But a certain woman threw a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then Abimelech called his armourbearer, and said to him "Draw your sword and kill me, so men do not say of me that a women killed him. And his young man thrust the sword and Abimelech died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they went to their own place.

And so that was how God dealt with the wickedness of Abimelech which he did to his father in murdering his 70 brothers..

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Memory Verse: Judges 9:23 "God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem....."

Questions:
1 What did Abimelech do when the people of Shechem gave him 70 pieces of silver?
2 What did God do after Abimelech had reigned for three years
3 Who was the man who wanted to fight against Abimelech?
4 What did Abimelech do to take the tower where the men of Shechem were?
5 Who caused the death of Abimelech

Answers:
1he hired foolish men to follow him and went and killed all of his brothers except for Jotham who hid himself.
2 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem
3 Gaal
4 He and all his men cut branches from trees and put them against the tower and the fire killed everyone.
5 the women in the strong tower that dropped a millstone on Abimelech's head

Note: just as the men and women hid themselves in the strong tower, so Christians hide themselves in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our strong tower.

Vicki Gross/Oct'04