The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Bramble” it comes from the Hebrew Word “atad” which means “bramble, thornbush.”
One of Gideon’s sons murders his own brothers to seize power, and it ends in disaster. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Judges 9.
Abimelech, Gideon’s son by a concubine, persuades the men of Shechem to support him as king instead of Gideon’s seventy legitimate sons, and with money from Baal’s temple, hires reckless men to help him murder sixty-nine of his own brothers on a single stone, all except Jotham, the youngest, who escapes and hides. Jotham confronts the men of Shechem from atop Mount Gerizim with a pointed parable, trees seeking a king among themselves, being refused by the olive, fig, and vine, who are all too productive to abandon their purpose, until finally the useless bramble, “atad” in Hebrew, agrees to rule, warning that if their choice is not genuine, fire will come out from the bramble and devour even the cedars of Lebanon.
After three years, God sends an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, causing them to deal treacherously with him. Gaal, a rival, stirs up rebellion against Abimelech, but Abimelech defeats him and destroys the city of Shechem itself, sowing it with salt. He then attacks the tower of Thebez, where the people have taken refuge, but as he approaches to burn its door, a woman drops a millstone from above, crushing his skull.
Mortally wounded, Abimelech, unwilling to have it said he was killed by a woman, orders his armorbearer to finish him with a sword instead. The chapter closes explaining that this entire disaster, both the murder of Gideon’s seventy sons and Abimelech’s own violent death, fulfilled exactly the curse Jotham had pronounced from Mount Gerizim, God rendering their wickedness back upon their own heads.
Jotham’s parable about trees seeking a king contains real wisdom, that the most capable, productive people are often reluctant to seek power, while the least qualified are frequently the most eager to grab it. Abimelech’s bloody rise and equally bloody fall plays out exactly as that warning predicted, a cautionary tale about ambition seized through violence rather than legitimate calling.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics