Thus, God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. Judges 9:56 (Chapters 9-12)
The era of the Judges is a time of spiritual decline, but two things are obvious. 1.The stories record failures and weaknesses in brutal honesty. 2.Their presence does not condone or glorify any behavior, but shows that God never turns a deaf ear to a cry for help.
Dynasties are not what God ordains. Gideon refused a kingship, but his son Abimelech felt entitled to such status so much that he had his brothers (all 70) murdered. God did not choose him, he chose himself and through manipulation, found a following. Things didn’t end well. During a siege, a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech’s head, but he didn’t want to die at the hands of a woman so he had his servant run him through with a sword.
For his wickedness God repaid Abimelech with shame and death. God and justice will have the last word every time!
Happy Weekend,
Gretchen