What lessons can we learn from Abimelech's use of "seventy shekels of silver"? Setting the Scene – Judges 9:1-6 “Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.” (Judges 9:4) A Small Sum, a Huge Cost • Seventy shekels weighed a little over a pound and a half—hardly a kingly fortune. • Yet it financed the murder of seventy brothers and plunged Shechem into civil war (Judges 9:5, 45). • Scripture repeatedly shows how little money it can take to betray enormous trust—Joseph was sold for twenty shekels (Genesis 37:28), Judas for thirty (Matthew 26:15). Lessons on Money and Motive • Money itself is neutral; motive determines whether it blesses or destroys (1 Timothy 6:10). • Funds taken from an idol’s treasury will advance idolatrous ends. What begins in compromise rarely ends in righteousness (2 Corinthians 6:15-16). • When God’s people tolerate corrupt funding, they share in the guilt (Romans 1:32). Lessons on Leadership • Abimelech bought followers instead of earning them—leadership by coercion, not character (Judges 9:4). • God’s design is servant leadership, using resources to protect life, not destroy it (Mark 10:42-45). • When authority is seized by violence, it collapses under God’s judgment (Judges 9:22-24, 57). Lessons on the Value of Life • Seventy human lives were considered worth one shekel each. Idolatry always cheapens life (Psalm 106:38). • God’s valuation is the opposite: one life is worth the blood of His Son (1 Peter 1:18-19). Lessons on Sowing and Reaping • Abimelech sowed bloodshed with 70 shekels and reaped death by a millstone (Judges 9:53-56). • “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.” (Galatians 6:7) Stewarding God’s Silver Today • Ask where our resources come from and where they go—are they tied to idolatry or integrity? • Invest in works that honor the Lord—missions, mercy, justice—so silver becomes seed for eternal fruit (Matthew 6:19-21). • Refuse to be “worthless and reckless” followers; instead, be disciples formed by truth, not bought by cash (John 8:31-32). Seventy shekels show how quickly money can destroy when detached from God’s purposes—and how vital it is to steward every coin for His glory. |
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