Abimelech -- Who’s in Charge
Lessons on Having It Your Way with God
Judges 9
8/2/09
INTRODUCTION
James Trafficant
Born into a working-class, Catholic family in Youngstown, Ohio, He graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1959 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1963 (where he was a standout in football), was drafted into the NFL at number 276 by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963, and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and another from Youngstown State University. He was the executive director of the Mahoning County Drug Program from 1971 to 1981 and sheriff of Mahoning County from 1981 to 1985. While serving as sheriff, Traficant made national headlines by refusing to execute foreclosure orders on several unemployed homeowners, many of whom had been left unemployed by the recent closures of steel mills. This endeared him to the local population, which had long derived its wealth from steel and steel-associated businesses.
In 1983, he was charged with racketeering for accepting bribes. Traficant, who represented himself in the criminal trial, argued that he accepted the bribes only as part of an undercover investigation into corruption. Traficant was acquitted of the charges, becoming the only person ever to win a RICO case while representing himself.
Publicity from the RICO trial increased Traficant’s local visibility. He was elected as a Democrat to Congress from Ohio’s 17th District, defeating Lyle Williams, a three-term Republican incumbent. He was reelected eight times without serious opposition.
On April 12, 2002, after a two-month federal trial, a jury found Traficant guilty of bribery and other charges. He was sentenced to a federal prison, where he is currently serving eight years. He was expelled from the U.S. Congress on July 24, 2002.
ABIMELECH TYPIFIES THE PURSUIT OUR WAY RATHER THAN GOD’S WAY.
I. I have a dream--Develop a fixation on what you want.
There is a tendency for us to want to dictate to God what his role in our lives should. We want to tell God how to write His deliverance story.
9:1 Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, 2 "Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ’Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood."
8:22-23 The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son and your grandson--because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian." But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you."
Abimelech wants to be made king. Abimelech seeks to write his own story.
Common struggle: James and John Struggled with it.
Mark 10:35-37
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." NIV
II. Help me make my dream come true--Depend on self-promotion.
I’m a fan of Bravo TV’s "Top Chef." I like the competition, I like the recipes, but I am also fascinated by shameless self promotion on the show. Every contestant has individual camera time toe talk about how good they are, how good their dishes are and often it becomes how terrible the other contestants are. For many the way to their dreams seems to be through shameless self promotion. During season 5, Stephan Ritcher, made it all the way to the finals not just on his cooking skills but on his shameless self promotion.
3 When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." 4 They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers (unimportant vain men), who became his followers.
III. Make the dream reality--Succeed at any cost.
„X Five Athletes Banned from Olympics on Doping Charges
„X 5 Jamaica track athletes test positive for doping
„X 6 Olympic athletes test positive for doping
„X 6 Austrian athletes get lifetime Olympic ban
„X 10 athletes test positive for banned substances
5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. 6 Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
IV. Lesson of the Trees--Ignore the consequences.
A Cuban taekwondo athlete and his coach were banned for life after Angel Matos kicked the referee in the face following his bronze-medal match disqualification.
7 When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8 One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ’Be our king.’
9 "But the olive tree answered, ’Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
10 "Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ’Come and be our king.’
11 "But the fig tree replied, ’Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’
12 "Then the trees said to the vine, ’Come and be our king.’
13 "But the vine answered, ’Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?’
14 "Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ’Come and be our king.’
15 "The thornbush said to the trees, ’If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 "Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves- 17 and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian 18(but today you have revolted against my father’s family, murdered his seventy sons on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother)- 19 if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too! 20 But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!"
21 Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
V. When the tables are turned--Fight to stay in control.
Ill: I remember watching the News during the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi government. At that time all I could think of was the here are the last days and the last desperate speeches of a man fighting to stay in control of what he had built for himself.
22 After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, 23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech. 24 God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers. 25 In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. 27 After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Isn’t he Jerub-Baal’s son, and isn’t Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem’s father! Why should we serve Abimelech? 29 If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, ’Call out your whole army!’"
30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. 31 Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. 33 In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do."
34 So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. 35 Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place.
36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!"
Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."
37 But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers’ tree."
38 Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, ’Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?’ Aren’t these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"
39 So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight-all the way to the entrance to the gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. 44 Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down. 45 All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.
46 On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. 47 When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, 48 he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!" 49 So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
VI. Facing defeat--Refuse to repent.
Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was impeached by the state House by a 114 to one vote. After racing back to his Chicago home before the vote could deprive him of a ride home on the state plane, Blagojevich once again said he was the victim of a rush to judgment.
"And the fight goes on," he told a phalanx of reporters outside his house. "Just because I’m not the governor anymore doesn’t mean I’m going to stop fighting."
50 Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. 51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women-all the people of the city-fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
54 Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ’A woman killed him.’" So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
NIV
