What is the meaning of Judges 9:24? The crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal Judges 9:5 recounts that “Abimelech went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone”. Jerubbaal is Gideon (Judges 6:32). The verse in focus calls this act a “crime,” underscoring its deliberate, wholesale slaughter. • Gideon’s earlier faithfulness (Judges 7) contrasts sharply with the faithlessness of his son. • The magnitude of the offense echoes Cain’s murder of Abel (Genesis 4:8-10) and sets the stage for divine intervention. …might come to justice God’s purpose is to ensure the crime does not remain unpunished. The phrase “might come to justice” points to the Lord’s commitment to righteous retribution: • Genesis 9:6—“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed.” • Deuteronomy 32:35—“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” What human courts ignore, heaven will prosecute (Ecclesiastes 12:14). …and their blood be avenged Blood guilt cries out (Numbers 35:33; Psalm 9:12). In Scripture, innocent blood pollutes the land until atonement occurs. Judges 9:24 signals that God Himself will see to that avenging, foreshadowing the downfall of both Abimelech and Shechem (Judges 9:56-57). …on their brother Abimelech Calling Abimelech “their brother” intensifies the treachery (Psalm 55:12-14). • Family bonds are sacred (Exodus 20:12). • Betrayal within the covenant family invites severe judgment, as seen later when Absalom dies for revolting against his father David (2 Samuel 18:14-15). Abimelech’s end—struck by a millstone and finished off by his own sword-bearer (Judges 9:53-54)—mirrors the violence he unleashed. …and on the leaders of Shechem Shechem’s elders financed the massacre (Judges 9:2-4). Their partnership makes them co-guilty (Proverbs 11:21). God’s justice targets institutions as well as individuals; entire cities have suffered for collective sin (Joshua 7:24-26; Revelation 18:4-8). Shechem later burns under Abimelech’s assault (Judges 9:45, 49), proving that human alliances in sin are fragile and self-destructive. …who had helped him murder his brothers Scripture never softens complicity: • Psalm 50:18—“When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers.” • Romans 1:32—approving of evil is itself evil. The leaders’ “help”—financing, endorsing, remaining silent—sealed their fate alongside Abimelech. God’s justice differentiates roles yet encompasses every participant (Acts 5:1-10). summary Judges 9:24 explains why God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and Shechem (Judges 9:23): to repay the wholesale, fratricidal murder of Gideon’s seventy sons. The verse underscores four truths: • God keeps meticulous records of wrongs (Malachi 3:16). • Innocent blood demands divine vindication (Revelation 6:10). • Perpetrators and enablers share equal accountability (Proverbs 1:10-19). • Judgment eventually fits the crime (Galatians 6:7). Abimelech and Shechem illustrate that sin may prosper briefly, but God’s justice—orchestrated in His timing—will always prevail. |
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