November 4, 2026, 7–10 minutes to read

To read: Judges 9:22–57 (NIV)

Suggested Praise Songs:

• I Give You My Heart — Hillsong Worship & Delirious
• O Come to the Altar — Elevation Worship

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• I Have Decided to Follow Jesus — Lifetree Kids (Kids Worship)
• Moses and the Ten Commandments — My First Bible (Animated Bible Story)

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Scripture:

Abimelek ruled Israel for three years. Then God sent an evil spirit that stirred up hostility between Abimelek and the people of Shechem, and the people of Shechem betrayed him. In this way, God repaid Abimelek for the violent crime he had committed against Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons. He brought the guilt for shedding his brothers’ blood upon Abimelek and upon the people of Shechem, who had helped him murder them. To cause trouble for Abimelek, the people of Shechem stationed men in ambush on the hilltops to rob everyone who passed that way. Abimelek was told about this. (Verses 22–25)

(The middle portion is omitted.)

Afterward, Abimelek went to Thebez. He camped against it and captured it. Inside the city, however, stood a strong tower. All the townspeople, men and women alike, fled into it, locked the entrance, and climbed to the roof. Abimelek came to the tower and attacked it. He approached the entrance to set it on fire. But at that moment, a woman dropped an upper millstone onto Abimelek’s head and crushed his skull. He quickly called the young soldier who carried his weapons and ordered him, “Draw your sword and kill me! I am afraid people will say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young soldier stabbed him, and he died. When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they each returned home. In this way, God repaid Abimelek for the evil he had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also brought all the wickedness of the people of Shechem back upon them. Thus the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal was fulfilled against them. (Verses 50–57)

Explanation:

Abimelek rules Israel as king for three years (verse 22). During that time, discord develops between Abimelek and the people of Shechem, and they become hostile toward one another (verses 23–25).

Around that time, a man named Gaal moves to Shechem and gains the residents’ trust. While drunk, Gaal reveals his true intentions to the people of Shechem. He stirs them up, saying that if they support him, he can free them from Abimelek’s tyranny (verses 26–29). Zebul, Abimelek’s trusted subordinate, hears about this and reports it to Abimelek, urging him to suppress the rebellion in Shechem (verses 30–33).

Following Zebul’s suggestion, Abimelek attacks Shechem and defeats Gaal (verses 34–41). He pursues the fleeing residents of Shechem and kills them all, destroys the city, and scatters salt over it so that it cannot be rebuilt (verses 42–45). When the residents watching from the tower of Shechem take refuge in a cave, Abimelek sets fire to its entrance, suffocating everyone who has taken shelter there (verses 46–49).

Carrying his momentum forward, Abimelek goes to Thebez and camps there. The city has a high tower, and when the residents take refuge in it, Abimelek tries to set it on fire. As he approaches the tower, a woman drops a millstone on him, fatally wounding him. Not wanting the disgrace of having been killed by a woman, Abimelek orders his attendant to kill him (verses 50–54).

When Abimelek dies, all the soldiers who followed him return to their hometowns (verse 55). In this way, God judges Abimelek’s wicked deeds, and Jotham’s curse is fulfilled exactly as spoken (verses 56–57).

Meditation:

The people of Shechem were deeply involved both in the tragedy Abimelek caused and in the tragedy that befell him. Shechem was the place where Abram first heard God’s voice and built an altar after entering Canaan (Genesis 12:6–7). It was where Jacob, after experiencing tragedy, burned all his household’s idols and buried them in the ground (Genesis 33:18–20). It was the first land they owned in Canaan, and it was where Joshua left his final words to the Israelites (Joshua 24). Shechem was a historic place steeped in the patriarchs’ sweat, tears, and prayers.

By the time Abimelek was preparing to launch his rebellion against the other sons, Shechem had fallen deeply into idol worship. We see this in the account that, when Abimelek incited them to rebellion, the people of Shechem took seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith and supplied him with military funds (verse 4). This demonstrates how idol worship clouds spiritual discernment and leads people into sin. Believing that Abimelek would fulfill their desires, they backed his rebellion. He targeted the people of Shechem because it was his mother’s hometown. They supported him, saying, “He is our own flesh and blood” (verse 3).

Using the military funds supplied by the residents of Shechem, Abimelek gathered scoundrels into a rebel force and murdered all his half brothers. The people of Shechem then took the lead in proclaiming him king. Jotham, who barely survived the rebellion among the sons, foretold the tragedy that the people’s wrong choice would bring. As he had prophesied, the people of Shechem turned against Abimelek within three years. They had expected him to treat them well, but Abimelek had no intention of doing so. He probably surpassed his father Gideon in his pursuit of pleasure. The people of Shechem fell for the agitation of a man named Gaal and backed another rebellion. As a result, all the residents of Shechem were annihilated by Abimelek.

Gideon lived comfortably and ate well during his lifetime, but the consequences of his idol worship fell upon his children. The disaster that befell the people of Shechem also arose from their idol worship. Because the ground on which they stood was holy, their idol worship brought even more devastating consequences.

Questions for Elementary Students:

1. Why is it important to ask whether a choice is right instead of simply following someone we know or like?
2. What can help you remember God and choose his way each day?

Questions for Youth:

1. How can loyalty to family, friends, or a group cloud our judgment about someone’s actions?
2. What might compete with God for first place in your life, and how could it affect the choices you make?

Prayer:

As we read about the disaster that befell Gideon’s family, we feel a holy trembling. As we look at the foolish choices of the people of Shechem, we think about our own times. Keep us from forgetting how dangerous it is to live apart from you and how blessed it is to serve you faithfully. Help us live steadfastly in you. Amen.

This post is an English translation of “The Sound of Whisper” by Young Bong Kim.