In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers. In this wayThis phrase indicates the culmination of events leading to divine justice. It suggests a specific method or manner in which God's judgment is executed. The context of Judges 9 reveals a series of events orchestrated by God to bring about justice, emphasizing His sovereignty and the certainty of divine retribution. God repaid
The concept of divine retribution is central here. It underscores the biblical principle that God is just and will repay evil according to His righteousness. This reflects the broader biblical theme found in passages like Romans 12:19, where believers are reminded that vengeance belongs to the Lord. the wickedness that Abimelech had done
Abimelech's actions are characterized as wickedness, highlighting the moral depravity of his deeds. His ambition led him to commit fratricide, a grave sin in biblical terms. This wickedness is not only a personal sin but also a violation of familial and societal norms, reflecting the broader theme of sin's destructive impact. to his father
This phrase refers to Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal, Abimelech's father. The mention of his father emphasizes the betrayal and the violation of familial loyalty. It also serves as a reminder of Gideon's legacy and the tragic consequences of his son’s actions, contrasting Gideon's role as a judge with Abimelech's usurpation. in murdering his seventy brothers
The murder of his seventy brothers is a heinous act of fratricide, illustrating the extent of Abimelech's ambition and moral corruption. This act is reminiscent of other biblical accounts of sibling rivalry and murder, such as Cain and Abel, and serves as a stark warning against the destructive power of unchecked ambition and sin. The number seventy may symbolize completeness, indicating the totality of Abimelech's crime. Persons / Places / Events 1. AbimelechThe son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal) and a concubine from Shechem. He sought power and killed his seventy brothers to establish himself as king. 2. Gideon (Jerubbaal)A judge of Israel who led the Israelites to victory over the Midianites. He had many sons, including Abimelech. 3. ShechemA significant city in the hill country of Ephraim, where Abimelech was made king by the men of Shechem. 4. Seventy BrothersThe sons of Gideon, who were murdered by Abimelech in his quest for power, except for Jotham, who escaped. 5. God's JusticeThe divine retribution that comes upon Abimelech for his wicked actions, as seen in the events leading to his downfall. Teaching Points The Consequences of SinAbimelech's account is a stark reminder that sin, especially grave sins like murder and betrayal, leads to severe consequences. God's justice prevails, and wickedness does not go unpunished. The Dangers of AmbitionAbimelech's ambition led him to commit heinous acts. This serves as a warning against unchecked ambition and the pursuit of power at any cost. God's Sovereignty in JusticeDespite human actions, God's sovereignty ensures that justice is ultimately served. Believers can trust in God's timing and justice. The Importance of Family and BrotherhoodThe destruction of family ties for personal gain leads to ruin. Maintaining integrity and love within family relationships is crucial. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the account of Abimelech illustrate the principle of sowing and reaping found in Galatians 6:7? 2. In what ways can unchecked ambition lead to destructive outcomes in our lives today? 3. How does God's justice in the account of Abimelech encourage us to trust in His sovereignty over our circumstances? 4. What lessons can we learn from the relationship between Abimelech and his brothers about the importance of family unity? 5. How can we apply the warning against shedding innocent blood from Proverbs 6:16-19 in our daily interactions and decisions? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 4The account of Cain and Abel, where Cain's murder of his brother Abel leads to divine judgment, parallels the fratricide committed by Abimelech. Proverbs 6:16-19Lists things the Lord hates, including "hands that shed innocent blood," which directly relates to Abimelech's actions. Galatians 6:7The principle of sowing and reaping, where one reaps what they sow, is evident in the outcome of Abimelech's life. 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 Abimelech, Abim'elech, Brethren, Brothers, Committed, Crime, Death, Evil, Killing, Murdering, Putting, Rendered, Repaid, Requited, Rewarded, Seventy, Slay, Slaying, Thus, Turneth, WickednessDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 9:56-57 5493 retribution 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 9:56 NIVJudges 9:56 NLTJudges 9:56 ESVJudges 9:56 NASBJudges 9:56 KJV
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