Have you ever noticed how children often repeat the sins of their parents? Some of you remember the old 1980’s television commercial where a father confronts his teenage son about using drugs and asks, “Where did you get this? Who taught you how to do this stuff?” and the boy shouts back at his father, “I learned it from watching you dad! I learned it from watching you!” And then a narrator utters the chilling slogan, “Parents who use drugs have children who use drugs.”
It is true—parents who are drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals, fornicators, adulterers, liars and so on…often have children who follow in their footsteps. Fathers who are bullies and abusers often have sons who are bullies and abusers. Mothers who engage in promiscuous behavior often have daughters who engage in promiscuous behavior. We even have slogans to describe this phenomenon of parental influence—“like father like son”, “monkey see monkey do” and “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
In last week’s Country Courier there was a headline that read “Like Father, Like Son, Like Brother.” The article told the story of a 22 year old man who rolled over his car in Fairfax. He was driving with a suspended license and his blood alcohol level was found to be more than three times the legal limit. Soon after authorities arrived on the scene, the young man’s father and brother showed up. The authorities suspected that the father and brother had both been drinking as well. All three men failed sobriety tests were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. It was the brother’s second arrest for DUI in the past two weeks.
Have you ever stopped to think about how your parent’s sins have influenced you? Have you ever thought about how your sins affect your kids? This is one of the reasons why so many families get trapped in generational poverty and criminal activity.
Not only do we see this trend throughout our society, but we also see it throughout the Bible—especially in Judges 9. The seeds of sin that were sown by Gideon bloomed into a harvest of anarchy in his son Abimelech. Last week we learned that Gideon was not the King of Israel, but he acted like it. He took on the power, authority, wealth, ego, vengeance, and immorality of a Canaanite king. He broke God’s law by marrying many wives, having a concubine, and fathering 70 sons. After everything God had done for him and through him, Gideon led the people back into idolatry.
In today’s story, we see Gideon’s son Abimelech, whose name literally means “my father is king”, follow in his father’s footsteps by living the life of a king, but he dives into even deeper duplicity and becomes a son of anarchy.
Sons Slaughtered on the Stone (1-6)
After Gideon died, Abimelech immediately began to devise a sinister plan to become the king of Israel. As an illegitimate son, born out of wedlock to his father’s concubine, he knew that he didn’t have any chance of rising to power with 70 half-brothers outranking him in the social order. So he went to Shechem to conspire with his maternal relatives. It is easy to detect his diabolical deceit as he enlists his relatives to approach the leaders of Shechem and ask, “Which is better for you, that all 70 of the sons of Jerubbal (Gideon) rule you, or that one rule over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” (2) He pulls out the old “blood is thicker than water” line to get them on his side.
Abimelech’s political posturing paid off! His relatives not only succeeded in gaining Shechem’s support, but they also secured 70 pieces of silver from their pagan shrine. He used that money to hire a gang of thugs who went to his father’s house in Ophrah and murdered his 70 brothers. One by one they were slaughtered on a stone that was meant for animal sacrifices.
With his half-brothers out of the way, the power hungry Abimelech got exactly what he wanted; he was coroneted king by the aristocracy of Shechem. This horrific event shows that Gideon sons paid the penalty for him massacring the men of Penuel. It also shows that Abimelech was the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree!
The Thorn Bush that Wants to Rule the Forest (7-21)
Speaking of trees, upon seeing the treachery of Abimelech, his youngest brother Jotham escaped, ascended Mt. Gerizim, and cried for justice from the mountaintop. He began his speech with a fable about trees (which symbolize the people of Israel and of Shechem in particular) seeking a king. One by one, the most likely candidates for royalty—the olive tree, fig tree, and grapevine—turn down the offer. Their main concern is to yield their fruit and benefit the people.
Finally the trees turn in desperation to the thorn bush, which is clearly unqualified to rule the forest. The thorn bush agrees, but emphasizes that the trees must take refuge in its shade, which is absurd because the thorn bush is incapable of casting a shadow. This offer of power has obviously gone to the thorn bush’s head, for it then warns that if the trees do not follow through, it will destroy the grandest trees of all—the cedars of Lebenon—with fire. (Chisholm 314)
Jotham’s fable rebukes Abimelech for his arrogance, lack of qualifications, inability to provide protection, thirst for power, and destructive potential. It also highlights Shechems’ stupidity for believing that a thorn bush could provide shade for the rest of the forest.
After he concludes his fable, Jotham pronounces a curse on Abimelech and the people of Shechem, hoping that God would avenge the sons of Gideon, by causing them to destroy each other. When he finished speaking, he ran away and hid from his brother.
A Curse Torches a Tower and Cracks a Skull (22-57)
Abimelech enjoyed his reign of glory in Israel for three years, but Jotham’s curse would soon come to pass. God, in his divine sovereignty and providence, sent an evil spirit to stir up hostility between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. The spirit incited a series of events where Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem deal treacherously with each other. The men of Shechem ambushed Abimelech’s men and stole from them. When Abimelech found out about this, he sent his men down from the mountains to attack Shechem. He eventually captured the city and massacred all of its citizens.
When the leaders of Shechem, the same ones who had originally financed Abimelech’s cruel campaign to become king, saw that their defenses were failing, they ran into the Tower of Shechem. They thought that they would find safety in the stronghold, but Abimelech and his men cut down brushwood, laid it against the tower, and set it on fire—about 1000 men and women were burned alive in the torched tower. And so, Jotham’s prophetic fable came to pass—the bramble set the whole forest on fire!
Hot off his victory over Shechem, Abimelech sought to extend his power by marching against the neighboring city of Thebez. He easily penetrated the city gate, forcing the city’s inhabitants to flee for safety in its strong tower. Hoping to duplicate the scene at Shechem, Abimelech attacked the tower and tried to burn it down. Just as the flames started to rise through the smoke, an unnamed woman on top of the tower picked-up an upper millstone and dropped it on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull. With his brains bashed in on the ground, he retained consciousness just long enough to command his armor bearer to strike him with a sword, thus avoiding the embarrassment of bearing a legacy that he was killed by a woman. Fitting to his character, he breathed his last breath in the agony of arrogance. Seeing their leader slain, Abimelech’s men abandon the siege of the tower and returned to their homes.
Now that we have heard the story Abimelech, the son of anarchy, I would like for us to reflect on some the key spiritual lessons that are embedded in this narrative.
1.) Generational Sin
First, this story reveals the reality of generational sin. As I mentioned before, in Abimelech, we see that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He repeated the sins of his father Gideon and fell even further away from God. You know your parent’s sins! If you find yourself following in their footsteps, change direction before it is too late! If you see yourself developing similar habits and patterns, follow a different path! May the cycles of sin that have plagued your family history end with you!
Likewise, I hope you know that you are the single greatest influence in your children’s lives. The seeds of our own sin often bloom in the lives of our children. They hear your words, they see your actions, and they pick up on your attitudes! The best thing you can do for your kids is to repent from your own sins, ask for forgiveness, and pray for Jesus to help you follow him and set a good example for your kids.
2.) The Corrupting Influence of Power
Second, this story shows us the corrupting influence of power. Think about what Abimelech had to do to gain power—he manipulated his mother’s family, connived with the leaders of Shechem, and hired hit-men to murder his own brothers. Then he massacred the people of Shechem and burned the leaders to maintain his power.
Not much has changed since the days of Judges. There are still many people today who thirst for power and will do anything to get it. Politics and power are dirty games to play. I don’t know many people who rise to the top of anything without stepping on someone else along the way. God is never pleased with this path!
Contrarily, think about the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. He willingly gave up the power and glory of heaven to come to earth. He refused to use his divine power to deliver himself from the cross. He allowed himself to be stepped on by wicked men so he could deliver us from our sins. Consider this before you pursue power!
3.) God’s Retributive Justice (56-57)
Third, this story clearly highlights the irony of God’s retributive justice. It is really interesting that after Abimelech had his brothers murdered on a stone that he himself would be mortally wounded by a stone. Just as he wielded the sword to kill others, he would be cut down by the sword. So, the old cliché is true—“Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” Or in this case—“Those who live by the stone die by the stone.” Notice the epilogue of this story in verses 56-57—God is the one who made sure that Abimelech and Shechem experienced the same evil as they had dealt to others.
We must always remember that our evil actions have a boomerang effect. If you lie or cheat, expect to be deceived and cheated! If you treat people cruelly, expect to be treated cruelly. Sin has a way of coming back to bite us in the…behind! God is a God of justice!
4.) God’s Sovereignty and Providence (23-24)
Fourth and finally, this story showcases God’s sovereignty and providence over human affairs. We may ask the question, “Where was God when Abimelech murdered his 70 brothers and the people of Shechem.” He was right there! Why did he permit this to happen? Because his plan was much larger than the individual—he was trying to teach the nation of Israel what would happen if they continued to persist in their idolatry and try to govern themselves independently. He wanted them to get a taste of what life would be like without his intervention—it would degenerate into complete anarchy. But thankfully, God intervened on behalf of the nation when he sent the evil spirit to cause dissension between Abimelech and Shechem and orchestrated the immediate end of Abimelech’s reign.
When things happen to us that we don’t understand, we have to trust in God’s sovereignty and providence. He is all-powerful and good, and he is often doing things that are much bigger and far beyond our capacity to understand. As with Israel in this story, God often allows us to endure evil, pain, and suffering because he is either saving us from a worse consequences or he is accomplishing a greater plan. He allowed his own son to face evil, pain, and suffering because he was saving us from the consequences of hell and securing our place in heaven.