Judges 9:1 - Meaning and Application

We are told here by what tricks Abimelech gained power and made himself great. His mother may have planted proud, ambitious thoughts in him, and his name, which carried a royal sense, may have fed those thoughts. Now that his father is dead, nothing will satisfy his proud spirit except taking over his father’s place in the rule of Israel, even though Gideon had made it clear that none of his sons should rule over them.

He had no calling from God to this honor, as his father had. There was also no present need for a judge to rescue Israel, as there had been when Gideon was raised up. But Abimelech wanted what he wanted, and that is all he was after. Notice how he worked.

First, he cleverly won over his mother’s relatives. Shechem was an important city in the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua had held his last public meeting there. Abimelech thought that if that city would support him and set him up, it would give him a strong advantage. Through his mother’s family, he gained influence among the leading men of the city.

It does not seem that any of them saw him as especially worthy or fit for such a choice. The idea came from him first. No one would have thought of making such a man king if he had not dreamed it himself. He won them over by suggesting, in a sly and dishonest way, that Gideon had left seventy sons who were trying to hold power in their hands and rule Israel together. So, he said, it would be better to have one king than many, and better for public affairs to be managed by one person. He had no reason to think Gideon’s sons were trying to rule. They had their father’s mind, that the Lord should rule over them, and God had not called them to rule. But Abimelech spread this suspicion to clear the way for his own claim.

This shows that those who mean harm themselves are often the quickest to suspect harm in others. As for himself, he simply reminded them of his family tie, saying, “Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.” The plan worked well. The leaders of Shechem were pleased by the thought of their city becoming a royal city, even the center of Israel. So they leaned toward Abimelech, saying, “He is our brother, and if he rises, we will benefit too.”

Second, he got money from them to cover the cost of his claim. They gave him seventy pieces of silver. The exact value is not certain. They took the money from the house of Baal-berith, that is, from the public treasury kept in the temple of their idol, or from offerings given to that false god. They hoped that money dedicated to their idol would prosper in Abimelech’s hands. How unfit he was to rule over Israel, since instead of restraining idolatry and punishing it, he made himself a servant of an idol so early in the process.

Third, he hired soldiers for his cause. He recruited worthless and reckless men, the scum of the country, men with ruined fortunes, unstable minds, and sinful lives. Only such men would follow him, and they were just the sort he needed. Like leader, like followers.

Next, we see how cruelly he cleared his father’s sons out of the way. The first thing he did with the mob he led was to kill all his brothers at once, openly and in cold blood, seventy men in all, with only one escaping. They were all killed on one stone. In this bloody act, we see the power of ambition. It can turn men into beasts. It can break through every tie of natural love and conscience, and sacrifice what is most sacred, dear, and valuable to its own designs. It is shocking that such barbarity could ever enter a human heart.

We also see the danger that often comes with honor and high birth. Being the sons of such a great man as Gideon made them a threat in Abimelech’s eyes. The same number of Ahab’s sons later were killed together at Samaria (2 Kings 10:1, 2 Kings 10:7). Powerful rulers have rarely felt safe while any of their own brothers were alive. So no one should envy those of high birth or complain about being lowly and unknown. The lower place is often the safer one.

With the way cleared by this murder, the men of Shechem went on to make Abimelech king. God was not asked whether they should have a king at all, much less who it should be. No priest was consulted, and no other tribe or city was brought into the decision, even though he was meant to rule over Israel (Judges 9:22). The men of Shechem, meaning the city leaders, and the house of Millo, meaning the common council, gathered together. Instead of bringing Abimelech to justice for his cruel murder, as they should have done, they made him king.

His crime was rewarded with a crown. What could they expect from a king who built his throne on blood? The rest of Israel was also deeply foolish. They stood by without concern. They did nothing to stop this takeover, protect Gideon’s sons, or avenge their deaths. They quietly submitted to this bloody ruler, as people who had lost their religion, along with all sense of honor, freedom, justice, and gratitude.

Their fathers had once acted strongly to avenge the death of the Levite’s concubine. Yet this generation had become so corrupt that they did nothing to avenge the deaths of Gideon’s sons. That is why they are blamed for their lack of gratitude (Judges 8:35): “They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal.”