Judges 9:1-3 (KJV)
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
Israel’s first king was not:
- David, whom God anointed or
- Saul, upon whom the people insisted or
- Gideon, who was first approached by them to rule over them
Israel’s first king was Abimelech, Gideon’s son by a concubine.
- It was not God who chose him or
- A prophet who anointed him.
- It was not the people who appointed him.
Abimelech approached them first.
Seeing their scattered and vulnerable state, sensing his own opportunity for advancement, he swayed them and them destroyed those he viewed as his only threat, his brothers.
Gill calls this, “a most bold and daring action;” and explains, “being done without asking counsel of God, without which no king was to be set over Israel, and by a single city, without the knowledge, advice, and consent of the body of the people of Israel…”
Nothing good could possibly have come out of this “daring action” and nothing good did. After three years the very people who had made him king revolted against him. Before it was said and done, Abimelech had devastated Shechem and Shechem had succeeded in killing Abimelech.
We do not need:
- The one who climbs his own ladder or
- The one who seems best to the majority
to rule over us. We need God to be our authority and seek His guidance in appointing our leaders.
Anything else will come to ruin.
For this and more than 3000 earlier Daily Visits with God visit Marvin McKenzie’s blogger page. There you will find daily visits going back to 2007.
Judges 9:1-3 (KJV) Come to Ruin
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