"Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, 'Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?' Remember that I am your own flesh and blood." “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem,Shechem was an influential city in the hill country of Ephraim, and its leaders held authority over the surrounding population. Abimelech sought their support because his mother’s family belonged to Shechem, giving him a political base from which to pursue power.
Jos 24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem.…
1Ki 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there…
2Ch 10:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there…
‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Abimelech presented Gideon’s many sons as a threat of divided rule, though they had not claimed authority over Shechem. His argument was calculated to stir fear and persuade the city to prefer him as a single ruler.
Jdg 8:30-31 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.…
Deu 17:14-15 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you…
1Sa 8:5-7 “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons”…
Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.” By appealing to his maternal relatives, Abimelech turned family loyalty into a means of gaining support. The leaders of Shechem accepted his claim, setting in motion his violent seizure of power.
2Sa 5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron…
Gen 29:14 Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.…
2Sa 19:12-13 You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood.…
Persons / Places / Events 1. AbimelechThe son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal) and a concubine from Shechem. He seeks to become the sole ruler by eliminating his brothers. 2. Gideon (Jerubbaal)A judge of Israel who had seventy sons. His legacy and influence are central to the events in Judges 9. 3. ShechemAn ancient city in Israel, significant for its historical and religious importance. It is the place where Abimelech seeks support for his rule. 4. Leaders of ShechemThe local rulers or elders whom Abimelech approaches to gain political support for his claim to leadership. 5. Seventy Sons of GideonThe legitimate sons of Gideon, representing the potential rulers of Israel, whom Abimelech sees as rivals. Teaching Points The Dangers of AmbitionAbimelech's desire for power leads to destructive actions. Ambition, when unchecked by godly principles, can result in harm to oneself and others. The Importance of Godly LeadershipThe account highlights the need for leaders who are chosen by God and who lead with integrity and humility, rather than through manipulation and self-interest. Family and Community DynamicsAbimelech's appeal to his kinship with the leaders of Shechem underscores the influence of family and community ties. Believers are called to foster unity and peace within their families and communities. The Consequences of SinAbimelech's actions set off a chain of events that lead to violence and destruction. Sin often has far-reaching consequences that affect more than just the individual. Seeking God's WillThe absence of seeking God's guidance in Abimelech's quest for power serves as a cautionary tale. Believers are encouraged to seek God's will in all decisions, especially those involving leadership and authority. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Abimelech's approach to leadership contrast with the biblical model of servant leadership as taught by Jesus? 2. In what ways can unchecked ambition manifest in our lives today, and how can we guard against it? 3. How do family and community relationships influence our decisions, and how can we ensure these influences align with God's will? 4. What are some modern examples of the consequences of sin affecting communities, and how can believers work to bring healing and restoration? 5. How can we actively seek God's guidance in our personal and communal decision-making processes? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 29-30The account of Jacob and his sons, highlighting the complexities of family dynamics and favoritism, which can lead to conflict and division. 1 Samuel 8The Israelites' request for a king, showing the tension between human leadership and divine guidance. Matthew 20:25-28Jesus' teaching on servant leadership, contrasting worldly power with the call to serve others. | Ambitious Usurpation | A.F. Muir | Judges 9:1-6 | | Abimelech, the Adventurer | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Ambition Destroys the Finer Feelings of Men | H. E. Channing. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Bramble Rule; Or, the People and Their Leaders | Homilist | Judges 9:1-22 | | Forms of Usefulness in Life | Marcus Dods, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Jotham's Parable | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | King Bramble and His Subjects | A. F. Vedder. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Misleading Self-Judgments | A. Rowland, B. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Pulpit Brambles | Homilist | Judges 9:1-22 | | Self-Fulfilment | E. G. Murphy. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Bramble | H. Whittaker. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Election of the Usurper to be King | J. P. Millar. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Faithful Olive-Tree | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of Jotham | A London Minister | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of the Trees | J. Bayley, Ph. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of the Trees | A. Raleigh, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Refusing of Leadership | W. Morison, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Unrighteous Claims of Kindred | A.F. Muir | Judges 9:2, 3 |
People Abimelech, Ebed, Gaal, Hamor, Jerubbaal, Jotham, Ophrah, Zalmon, ZebulPlaces Arumah, Beer, Beth-millo, Diviners' Oak, Lebanon, Midian, Mount Gerizim, Mount Zalmon, Ophrah, Shechem, Thebez, Tower of ShechemTopics Better, Blood, Bone, Citizens, Ears, Either, Flesh, Hearing, Jerubbaal, Jerubba'al, Jerub-baal's, Leaders, Masters, Mind, Persons, Please, Reign, Remember, Remembered, Rule, Ruled, Ruling, Seventy, Shechem, Sons, Speak, Ten, Threescore, Townsmen, WhetherDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 9:2 1654 numbers, 11-99
5136 body
5137 bones Judges 9:1-6 5040 murder
5661 brothers Judges 9:1-21 5356 irony Library Here, by Way of Objection, Several Questions are Raised. ...
Here, by way of objection, several questions are raised. Scripture relates that God sometimes complied with certain prayers which had been dictated by minds not duly calmed or regulated. It is true, that the cause for which Jotham imprecated on the inhabitants of Shechem the disaster which afterwards befell them was well founded; but still he was inflamed with anger and revenge (Judges 9:20); and hence God, by complying with the execration, seems to approve of passionate impulses. Similar fervour …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of FaithTrials of the Christian
AFFLICTION--ITS NATURE AND BENEFITS. The school of the cross is the school of light; it discovers the world's vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God's mind. Out of dark afflictions comes a spiritual light. In times of affliction, we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of that, to bring us to a Saviour. Doth not God ofttimes even take occasion, by the hardest of things that come upon us, to visit …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Hence is Also that which Thou Hast Mentioned that they Speak Of...
28. Hence is also that which thou hast mentioned that they speak of, that the Lord Jesus, after He was risen, walked in the way with two disciples; and upon their drawing near to the village whither they were going, He made as though He would have gone farther: where the Evangelist, saying, "But He Himself feigned that He would go further," [2435] hath put that very word in which liars too greatly delight, that they may with impunity lie: as if every thing that is feigned is a lie, whereas in a truthful …
St. Augustine—Against Lying The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits Derived from It.
1. A general summary of what is contained in the previous part of the work. A transition to the doctrine of prayer. Its connection with the subject of faith. 2. Prayer defined. Its necessity and use. 3. Objection, that prayer seems useless, because God already knows our wants. Answer, from the institution and end of prayer. Confirmation by example. Its necessity and propriety. Perpetually reminds us of our duty, and leads to meditation on divine providence. Conclusion. Prayer a most useful exercise. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 9:2 NIVJudges 9:2 NLTJudges 9:2 ESVJudges 9:2 NASBJudges 9:2 KJV
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