“Anti-judge Abimelech” Judges Chapter 9
Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Politics is often a quest for power, and power can corrupt. We all know of individuals who’ve been seduced by power and do whatever it takes to get to the top. It’s been said that politicians are only concerned about the next election, whereas statesmen are concerned about the welfare of the next generation.
Abilelech was one of Gideon’s 70 sons, from a harem of wives and concubines. He was not a judge appointed by God, and he did not deliver Israel from invaders as did previous leaders. Abimelech was an opportunist who usurped power through violence and treachery. He is the “anti-judge”. Nowhere does he even acknowledge God as Lord of Israel. The Jews had been fighting external enemies; now they’re burdened from internal corruption, far more insidious than invading armies.
We hear of sibling rivalry from the beginning of time—Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers—and now Abilelech against his 70 siblings. He convinced the people of Shechem, his hometown, to crown him king. He promised to look out for their best interests when he consolidates power; what we call “political favors”. The Shechemites certainly knew this local son, but they did not know God. Their religion had devolved into a hybrid-fusion of theism and idolatry, the Jewish Law coupled with pagan practice. They worshipped baal-berith, “the baal of the covenant”. The outcome of allowing the ungodly to assume public office is aptly described by William Penn: “If we are not willing to be governed by God, we shall be ruled by tyrants.”
Abimelech’s claim to the throne was on the basis of being a son of Gideon, who had been offered kingship. The motive for his ambition was not to serve his people, but to gain power. As a son of Gideon, his name meant “my father is king”, and Abimelech felt he might take the throne his father declined. But there were many other potential contenders. With ruthless efficiency, Abimelech rounded up his 70 brothers, and had them brutally and publicly executed. He was inspired by his father to lead Israel, yet revealed hatred toward his father by murdering his brethren. His atrocity went far beyond what we might categorize as “dirty politics”.
Of the 70 brothers, Jotham alone escaped, and he addressed the people of Shechem safe atop Mount Gerizim. He denounced Abimelech with a fable and a curse. Jotham’s name means, “God is blameless, honest, and filled with integrity”; the very antithesis of Abilelech, who rejected all that is holy.
Jotham’s fable is about 3 valuable trees, native to Israel, which are offered kingship but refuse—however, the thornbush accepts with a provision, vs 15: “If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade.” That would be quite impossible—there is no shade, comfort or protection from a thornbush, which is Abimelech. Jotham drove home the point of his fable with a curse, vs 20—fire will come from Abimelech, who will also be consumed. It was folly for the people to make such a wicked man their king—they would reap consequences and suffer ruin under his rule.
Why did the people let this happen? God’s people had become Canaanite in their character; rather than stand for God, they broke their covenant and adjusted to the values of the godless culture. We have to guard against being shaped by our culture, especially when leaders do not model godly behavior.
Do Abimelechs continue to reign today? Throughout history we have had to contend with the “sons of Abilelech”. One example from the 20th Century is Adolph Hitler. Like Abimelech, he hated his father and rose to political power by eliminating opponents and by making deals with power structures. Only after he attained control did the people gradually realize how evil he was. He brought devastation to his country and died an ignoble death. Hitler is only one of many graduates of the “Abimelech School of Leadership”. When leaders serve self and reject good, it feels like evil is in control and God is absent. We wonder if and when we will be delivered, and how we will ever recover. We may even wonder why God seems to be doing nothing. In such times we cannot lose hope. God is still sovereign over human events which move according to His pre-determined outcome and timetable.
In the days preceding the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin declared, “Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.” God raised up opposition to Abimelech, and He can use human means to oppose all leaders who refuse to live for Him. In Jotham’s prophetic fable, he stated that fire will come from the thornbush and consume the people—when the people of Shechem finally had enough of Abimelech and rebelled against him, he and his forces took branches and set fire to the walls of the city temple, and a thousand men and women perished in the flames.
I recently read about the death of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin (Chaim Potok’s Old Men at Midnight). He was a sick man--mentally, physically, and spiritually. In his paranoia, Stalin executed many skilled physicians, who could have cured him; Stalin’s death was in part due to his own malevolence. In the case of Abimelech, his death came from the hand of a woman, a non-combatant, using a farming implement. Similar to Sisera being slain by Jael (ch 4), a woman drops a millstone from a tower on Abimelech, crushing his skull. It was a fitting and humiliating end to an evil man. Scripture assures us, “the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord” (Prov 21:1). God allows people to attain public office, and He can remove them.
Political historian William Shirer has observed the baffling tendency of nations to accept (and put up with) corrupt leaders. Perhaps people identify with flawed candidates, which is why they don’t tend to elect saints to public office. The main issue for Israel is that they refused to be governed by God, so they turned to Abimelech, who turned out to be the natural consequence of their apostasy. There may be times when we are ruled by Abimelechs, or find ourselves in an “Abimelech Age” of moral ambiguity. We may wonder how we’ll survive. What do we do when leaders show they are not persons of integrity?
Our first response is to go “over their heads” and pray for them—Scripture commands us to uphold our elected officials in prayer, regardless of how corrupt they may be. We should pray that God would protect our nation, in spite of flawed leaders, and lead us to repentance and revival. Next is to respect the office, even if we cannot respect the person. We are then obliged to appeal to authority—to contact our officials in an attempt to influence their thinking and decisions. We enjoy the freedom to participate in the political process, meaning we can be a voice within political parties, even agents of change. With freedom of expression, we can articulate our views through letters to the media. We can help campaign for issues, supporting individuals and political parties we believe will be positive agents of change. Ultimately we can vote, a tangible means letting our desire for change be known.
What happens when church leaders fall? There must be accountability—they are not above answering for their actions. There should be consequences for clergy misconduct, and if possible, restoration. Removal may be necessary when pastors abuse their position and fail to ethically shepherd their flock. Political and church leaders should be appraised by higher standards, as they are (like it or not) role models for all. Politicians reflect on their office, and Clergy on their faith. Nation and churches have been stained by misconduct.
However we may feel about a leader, it is not appropriate to use scorn, ridicule, or anger in response to a leader’s failings. We may engage in dialogue, but we must be careful to not be guilty of showing disrespect. Talk show hosts and comedians make ridicule of leaders appear appropriate. It’s very tempting to repeat the mean spirited political jokes we hear.
Prophets have spoken against kings, and at times it may be appropriate to speak out against issues. It is wrong to be silent in the face of injustice—yet we must be careful as to how we respond. Frustration over corrupt leadership can result in unchristian hate-speech. We are compelled to speak the truth—in love, even when we’re riled up by something a politician has said or done.
God promises to deal with evil, but in His timeframe, not ours. Abimelech eventually got his “just deserts”, yet we might wonder why God allowed him to take office in the first place? Perhaps to persuade the people that character counts. To elect leaders lacking in moral integrity is disastrous for any nation. The worldview of our leaders will influence how they govern, which will, in turn, affect our lives. May God bless us with leaders of moral courage, whose foremost desire is to provide righteous leadership.
