Judges 9

As soon as Gideon died, the people were back to the same idolatry that had poisoned the nation in the past. Gideon was gone, but he had many descendants by his wives. He also had been intimate with a woman who was not his wife, who bore him another son. This baby was named by his father “Abimelech,” which means “my father is king.”

That name can be taken in two ways. Gideon had insisted to those who wanted to make him king that the Lord would rule over them. In that case the Lord was King, and the name Abimelech was a statement of relationship to God, that the young one was a child of God, a child of the King. The second way of understanding the Name was in a purely human way. Gideon, my father, was the king, and as his son with this name of royalty, I assert my right to rule in his place as a designated heir. In that case the claim of the name goes beyond, “my father is king,” to something more: “my father is king and I am his designated successor.”

Abimlelch, the son of Gideon and his Shechemite concubine, set out to be a ruler over men. His plan was to use his mother's people as his power base, and to expand his realm from that foundation. This was a direct attack against his father's statement of faith, that the Lord would rule over Israel.

This plan seemed to be successful for a time. Abimelech gathered a band of thugs who murdered all the other sons of Gideon except one that escaped, Jotham. Jotham spoke prophetically against Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem who had supposed that it was in their interest to support Abimelech. Here was one son of Gideon, Jotham, who was not afraid to speak a word in the Name of the Lord when the whole land had returned to the worship of false gods.

Though Abimelech was able to play the mighty man for some time, the Lord was against him. Eventually both he and the leaders of Shechem who had once been his allies were destroyed.

The world is full of stories like this one, where one man asserts himself over others, and seems to win. Some tyrants have even done their murderous deeds under the claim that they represented God, and that they ruled by divine right. But every proud man must one day face the King of kings.

Jesus is the only Man who is the Son of God according to His eternal nature. He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. To all who receive Him, who believe in His Name, He gave the right to be called children of God. We have been born of God. Our Father is King. We need not be afraid of proud imposters. Our Father in heaven reigns.