Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Judges 9 - Treachery of Abimelech

LINK: Judges 9

BACKGROUND:
Abimelech was Gideon's son by a concubine, and he decided he should rule over Shechem, his mother's home town. This chapter is the story of his scheming and treachery.

REFLECTION:
Abimelech was a Godless man. He pursued only his own greedy desires, and many people died as a result of his actions. But God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that is what he reaps. It is very difficult for us to see the injustice in our world. We sometimes wonder, "Where is God?" But God is always there. He always sees it all. Regardless of whether we see it in this life, justice will eventually be served by God.

APPLICATION:
How we treat people usually comes back to us as the way we are treated. We will reap what we sow. Galatians 6:7-8 says, "Do not be decieved, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life." Is my treatment of others based on my own fleshly desires? Or am I doing good to those around me? For the passage in Galatians goes on, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." (Galatians 6:9-10)

PRAYER:
Father, let me not be greedy but help me to see the good I can do for others in service to you. And let me not lose heart or grow weary of doing good. Because of the good you have done for me in Jesus, Amen.

2 comments:

Carol Ann Weaver said...

Thanks Katrina! This is such a sad story. It is our nature to always be grasping for more, isn't it. I see him listed as "judge" in my Bible dictionaries, but does he really fit that category? He wasn't called by God to save Israel. So, I wonder why he would be listed. I noticed he was not listed in my Bible time line though.

Katrina said...

It is sad, and greed is such a universal problem that man has!

I don't think Abimelech qualifies very well as a judge either. His story is kinda stuck between two judges in the list, and verse 22 says he "ruled over Israel three years," so that might be why he shows up in the Bible dictionaries as a judge. He sure wasn't a good one! Maybe he was an oppressor-judge, playing both roles at the same time. :)