God And Crooked Politicians

By John Stallings


People who want power always seem to outnumber the people who’re able to use the power wisely when they get it.

This is probably because power has a way of taking control of a person’s life. It can then be rightly said that the power now has the person rather than the person having the power. This seems to especially be true when the power is inherited but not merited.

We see people like this frequently, especially around the halls of power, like Wall Street & Washington D.C. I discussed abuse of power in a recent blog using King David as the “poster boy” for power run amuck. The man we’ll look at in this piece is a lesser light but his actions are almost beyond belief.

It’s also true that in the case of many, the thirst for power isn’t satisfied when people get power, it only becomes more intense.

ABIMELECH

In Judges 9:22-57 we meet a man to whom the aforementioned words aptly apply. His name is Abimelech, the son of Gideon, the great warrior & judge of Israel. Abimelech’s position placed him in the environment of power & it wasn’t long before power had him.

Abimelech’s story is a vivid illustration of how power wrongly attained & used ruthlessly ends with predictably disastrous result. Gideon’s death provided an opportunity for his son to seize power. This man took over Israel for three years & he was a classic example of someone didn’t have power, power had him. His lust for power caused him to wipe out not only his 70 brothers but whole cities, killing his own people when they wouldn’t submit to him.

Let’s unpack this somewhat obscure Bible story that can give us answers regarding what we can expect from God when powerful/crooked people become driven by blind ambition. The burden of this article is to track the unseen hand of God, bringing about the fulfillment of His plans & purposes. God is sovereign & the story before us is an excellent illustration of how, after we’ve done our duty, we can put things in His hands & leave the battle to Him.

PRECISION

I love precision & not because I’m precise in everything I do. I get great pleasure watching people do their tasks with skill & accuracy. Another way to say it would be- I love excellence. I admire a person who can make a beautiful cabinet, write a computer program or set up a network. My hat is off to mechanics, cooks, carpenters, or even plumbers who do their work wasting little time & material & making it all look so easy.

The ancient book of Judges is almost a forgotten book but the story of Abimelech could be ripped from today’s headlines. In it we see the precision with which God goes about His work. There are many obstacles & difficulties in the story but God works through all different kinds of people, with few of them being godly or wise. He will work in this story with people who strongly oppose Him, but His goal is to preserve His people & fulfill His covenant promises all the while bringing punishment down on the heads of those who’ve played a part in the slaughter of 70 sons of Jerub-Baal [Gideon.]

The action must be carried out in such a way as to destroy the guilty & yet secure the safety of the innocent. God’s skill & efficiency are always consistent with His character & is a wonder to behold.

Gideon had many wives & 70 sons. You’ll remember that Gideon at one time had taken 300 men & defeated the Midianite forces. After this great victory the people had wanted to proclaim Gideon king of Israel but he refused, saying neither he nor one of his sons would be king.

This story takes place in a troubled time in the history of Israel. The great leaders like Moses & Joshua were dead & the kingdom hadn’t as yet been established. We read in the book itself that there was no king in Israel & every man did what was right in his own eyes.

Abimelech was born to Gideon by his concubine but he didn’t inherit the “humble gene” his father had. He wanted to rule as king. Abimelech went to Shechem where he appealed to his relatives for support. He asked them to use their influence with the city leaders to appoint him as king, reasoning that it was better to have one king than 70, especially one well connected in Shechem. Also they would get preferential treatment from him rather than a more legitimate son of Gideon whose loyalties would lie more with the people of Ophrah where they lived.

You’ll remember that the city of Shechem had a great & historical past. It was an important city in central Canaan. When God called Abram to the land of Canaan, Shechem was the first place he came & built an alter to the Lord.

The people of Shechem had a precious spiritual heritage to live up to & a lot to lose by swearing allegiance to Abimelech. They had represented spiritual light & with this decision they deliberately chose to place themselves in shadow.

BLOODSHED

As the plot begins to thicken, it gets much bloodier because if the people decide on Abimelech, the 70 other brothers had to be eliminated. The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech 70 pieces of silver from their “church treasury.” He then hired some mercenaries who could assist him in rounding up & murdering all his brothers save one—Jotham, who had the presence of mind to hide from the murderers & stay alive. Abimelech wanted no rivals. After the bloodbath, the people of Shechem inaugurated Abimelech as their king.

GOD’S JUDGMENT

When Jotham learned that Abimelech had been appointed as king, he stood on Mount Gerizim [he couldn’t go into town] & called the people of this city to account by telling them a parable & then interpreting its meaning & application. In essence he told them that God would bring judgment on them & Abimelech for the evil they’d committed in the killing of Gideon’s 70 sons.

Next we see how God will work providentially through wicked men to bring about His judgment.

THE MIX OF CROOKED PLAYERS IN THIS STORY ISN’T ALL THAT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SEE IN OUR DAY.

Special interest groups abound in this drama. Abimelech’s mother’s relatives are a special interest group. They have much to gain by the “election” of Abimelech.

Lobbying. Abimelech’s relatives will use every trick at their disposal to bring about what they want to see even though it benefits them at the expense of others.

Money. The money is necessary to achieve the death of Abimelech’s brothers. Abimelech didn’t want his fingerprints on this caper. Isn’t it interesting how little has changed through the centuries? In our day money is a common commodity used in getting what people want & it’s raised from people who believe their contribution will benefit them in the final outcome.

Political hatchet-men. These folk are willing to get their hands dirty & do any low-down deed that will destroy the competition. [Sounding familiar?] The trail may be winding & it may be smokey but if you follow the money these people are rewarded in one way or another for their faithful service. Crooks don’t change much do they?

The people. Then there’s the general population -who are so interested in their own personal benefits from government that they will look the other way when evils are committed by those seeking to gain power over them. We’ve all heard the truism that a society is circling the drain when the people learn they can vote themselves money out of the general treasury.

Again, some things never change!

GOD WILL JUDGE ABIMELECH IN HIS OWN WAY-IN HIS OWN TIME

Now we see how the destruction of Abimelech is orchestrated through a divine sequence of events. After Abimelech had ruled Israel for three years God sent a spirit to stir-up hostility between Abimelech & the leaders of Shechem. A spirit of disloyalty came into the hearts of the leaders of Shechem for Abimelech.

It’s dangerous to oppose God. The Bible declares that vengeance is God’s & He will repay. The verse makes it clear that it’s a fearful thing for flagrant wrong-doers to fall into the hands of God.
God of course does things according to His time-table & not ours but He will take care of business. This act of judgment against Abimelech & Shechem is the fastest one in the whole book of Judges. God’s judgment came quickly here, only taking three years.

As the leaders of Shechem turn on Abimelech after they’d committed murder for him we see the principle; “There’s no honor among crooks.” If a person is low enough to collaborate with you & me to do something dishonest [God forbid,] at some point down the line they won’t think twice in selling us out. This also applies to people who gossip. If you’re sitting in a gossip session with someone & the sharp knives are out, just keep in mind that the person or person’s you’re talking to will give you the same treatment when you no longer amuse them or fill their needs. They’ll give you up in a heartbeat. Why are we so slow to learn that?

Just three years earlier Abimelech had joined forces to exterminate & eliminate his brothers & bring about his rise to power over Shechem. Now these same folk were at each others throats. The leaders who once helped Abimelech become king by slaughtering his brothers, now sought to undermine his authority & be rid of him. It makes you wonder why they didn’t try to have him killed. Surely there was still enough money in the temple treasury to accomplish this.

We should keep in mind that the destruction of Abimelech & the leaders of Shechem is God’s doing. Divine retribution imposed for the treachery in slaughtering 70 sons of Gideon. This didn’t happen by chance.

The leaders of Shechem had an idea. They’d hire bandits to hide in the hills & rob people passing by. Word of this would reach Abimelech & he’d be prompted to retaliate. After all, he was king & it was his job to provide police protection for his citizens as well as those passing through. And by the way, if Abimelech passed by this area, these bandits could kill him & Shechem would be rid of its king.

GOD HAD A BETTER PLAN

Remember Jotham’s earlier prophecy or curse? Not only must Abimelech die, the leaders of Shechem must die as well. God had a better plan. As hoped, word of the bandits & their ambushes reached Abimelech & he hit the ceiling over it. The text doesn’t exactly explain it but we can be sure he wasn’t happy about what was happening in his kingdom. While it wasn’t yet time for God’s judgment to fall on Abimelech & Shechem, these bandits certainly stirred things up. Something was going to happen & soon.

A NEW GUNSLINGER HITS TOWN-HIS NAME IS….GAAL!

Gaal & his brothers come to town. Can we say- “High Noon”? This is really just an old western plot wouldn’t you say? The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalties to Gaal. They went out into the fields, harvested grapes, drank, got loaded, celebrated & cursed Abimelech. The bar is now open.

Gaal, the son of Ebed cursed Abimelech & said “Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?” I can almost see Gaal in the town bar, after having bent his elbow a few times & gotten a little belligerent saying, “Abimelech, get your army together & come out for battle.”

NOW THE STORY GETS REALLY INTERESTING

Now a little more pepper is sprinkled in the Gumbo. Earlier it was Abimelech who’d reasoned that he was the best candidate for king because he had “roots” in Shechem. But something else comes to light here; in spite of the fact of all the promises Abimelech made, he hadn’t been all that loyal. His headquarters or capitol seems to be in Arumah & not Sheckem. Gaal uses the same argument as Abimelech but he reminds the people of Shechem that their roots go back to Hamor, Shechem’s founding father. It’s clear to me that Abimelech can’t trace his roots back to Hamor. Why should the people submit to a relative newcomer like Abimelech when the “old guard” is standing right in front of them?

ENTER ZEBUL

Gaal has beaten Abimelech at his own game. If one wants to make a claim to the throne based on one’s heritage, Gaal has the most impressive resume’. Every politician has his henchmen & Abimelech has Zebul. Zebul has friends in low places. He was having a few drinks at the Oasis bar when he heard what Gaal is up to. He’s not a happy camper now. Zebul sends word to Abimelech about all Gaal is saying & doing & recommending that he attack Shechem soon, - at morning light. Abimelech decides to take Zebul’s advice & his attack will be swift.

Abimelech surrounds the city & prepares to attack. Gaal hears about the coming invasion & makes his way to the city gate to lead the attack against Abimelech. Abimelech starts to prevail over Gaal & inflicts many casualties on him. Gaal proves to be a coward & turns & runs inside the city gates with Abimelech in hot pursuit.

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

It seems that Gaal & his men were able to keep Abimelech from gaining entrance to the city so he finally gave up & returned to his headquarters in Arumah. It appeared that Abimelech had given up. But in reality he was getting ready for another run on Shechem. Humiliated by defeat, Gaal “got outta Dodge.” Even though Gaal wasn’t exactly a prize, God seems not to want him to stay around for the judgment that was to fall on the city the next day. Gaal now sees Shechem in his rearview mirror.

When the Sun came up the next day, Gaal & his relatives had saturated Shechem with their absence, having been run off by Zebul. And Abimelech was nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed normal as people went about their lives. Unbeknownst to them divine judgment was going to fall suddenly & unexpectedly. Abimelech’s wrath wasn’t as yet satisfied so his objective was to attack the city, kill all the people & turn the town into a gravel-plain. Which he did!

In one way Abimelech is like his father Gideon in that he seemed to be determined to get revenge on his enemies. He found out that the city leaders had run to the temple, a place representing their God [false god.] These men had gotten into a high tower of the temple making it hard for Abimelech to get to them.

The leaders of Shechem, the ones Jotham had pronounced judgment on -huddled in their temple. So what does Abimelech do? He sets fire to the temple & either the smoke or the fire did its job. Abimelech had destroyed the leaders of Shechem.

There was a small city near Shechem called Thebez & evidently it had resisted Abimelech in some way & his nose was out of joint with its people. Crooked politicians always have an “enemies list.”

Now that Abimelech was nearby, it seemed like a good idea to settle things with this little town. Can we say-“Gunsmoke?” Thebez had a fortified tower in the center of the city. When Abimelech approached, the townspeople crowded into the tower for refuge. Abimelech had just had success in setting fire to the temple in Shechem so he thought it a good idea to do the same here.

One of the women who ran into the tower brought a millstone with her. It made good sense for her to do this because if Abimelech laid siege to the tower, they could take that heavy stone & grind some grain & make flour. With the idea of a siege in mind, the townspeople would put bags of grain & containers of water in the top of the tower so if they were forced into it they could survive until their enemy gave up & went home. This millstone could have weighed over twenty pounds.

In his arrogance Abimelech drew a little too close to the walls of the tower so that he was within reach of a projectile from above. When this woman looked down & saw Abimelech, it was a no-brainer for her to drop the stone, or a piece of it on his head crushing his skull. How ironic was it that this big bad man was mortally wounded by a woman?

It was one thing for a soldier to be mortally wounded on the battle field but it was unacceptable to die after being hit by a stone cast down by a women. To die this way was too humiliating for a military commander like Abimelech so he ordered his armor-bearer to draw his sword & run him through- so his death could be as a result of a manly blow.

The way Abimelech died was appropriate because of the treatment of his brothers. Seeing their leader was dead, the followers of Abimelech gave up the fight & went home leaving the people in the tower unharmed.

So ends a dark chapter in the history of Israel. Once again, God sovereignly directed the course of events so that the wicked were punished, as promised, & the innocent were unharmed.

This story out of Judges & its outcome wasn’t accidental or coincidental but rather it was providentially orchestrated by God keeping his word spoken through Jotham -that the death of Gideon’s sons would be avenged. It’s clear that what Jotham spoke from Mount Gerizim was a prophecy of divine judgment.

Can you see America in this story? America was raised up by God to spread the gospel to the nations. We like Shechem, were & remain the repositories of light. All we need to do to prove that is look at our origins.

Is it possible that like the people of Shechem, we’ve made tragic mistakes hoping for some favor or benefit?

One undeniable truth is evident in this story. We should keep it in mind & anyone who comes against God’s people & His objectives should keep it in mind also.

God will allow His people to be chastened & reap the consequences of their sin, but He will not allow a thug like Abimelech to thwart His redemptive purposes.


I can’t help but think of 2 Peter 2:9;

So you see the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the final Day of Judgment.


Blessings,


John