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WHEN GOD GETS A BELLY FULL (22 OF 42)

by Mike Stone

Scripture: Judges 9:25-57
This content is part of a series.


When God Gets a Belly Full (22 of 42)
Series: The Coming King: Finding Jesus in Judges
Mike Stone
Judges 9:25-57

In those days there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Our study of Judges is the story of Israel's rebellion and their longing for a king. But this book, like the whole of Scripture, is ultimately about the Lord Jesus.

While there are a few bright spots along the way, most of this book should be painted in yellow and wrapped in caution tape. Because most of the light in this book is a caution light. It blinks in brilliant lumens to tell us WHAT not to do, WHERE not to go, and WHO not to become.

Such is the case in Judges 9 as we see the rise and fall of Abimelech. And it's a case of civil war among God's people. The civil war did not come primarily because Gaal had his fill of Abimelech. The war came because God had a belly full of all of them. And by the end of the chapter, Abimelech's adversaries are dead by his hand, and he is dead by theirs.

It's a bloody reminder that other than God Himself, there will be no winners on either side of the war when God gets a belly full. (Judges 9:25-57)

As we dive into this lengthy narrative, let me quickly remind you of the context.

There was a bloody scene in verses 1-6. I remind you that following the death of Gideon, Abimelech, his son by a concubine, conspired to murder 70 of his own brothers. He wanted to be king in Shechem. And in verses 1-6, his lust for power and influence led him to approach the city leaders with a plan that led to the extermination of his whole family.

There was a bitter scene in verses 7-21. Following the murder of his brothers, Abimilech was installed as the king in the city of Shechem. But according to the fable offered by Jotham, he was at best a "bramble bush king."

Jotham's parable became a prophecy as he stated in verse 20, that if the coronation of Abimelech was a sin against God, and they all knew it was, he ho ...

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