Tuesday, January 4, 2022

The curse of Jotham

 

 

Judges 9:46-57

 

When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith.   Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together.  And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.”   So, every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

 

Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it.   But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower.   And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.   And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.   Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.   And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home.  Thus, God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.   And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

The revenge of Abimelech against the leaders of Shechem, who put their faith in the tower of Shechem.  It proved to be a very misguided faith, for Abimelech set the stronghold on fire and killed about 1000 men and women.  What a lesson for you and me who have often placed our trust and hopes on things just as foolish.

 

But Abimelech then went to Thebez and encamp0ed against Thebez and captured it, all but a very strong tower within the city, and just about everyone had gathered there.  So Abimelech used the same plan, to burn it to the ground, but this time a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull.  The Bible refers to her as “a certain woman” and I told you this guy was prideful. He asked his armor-bearer to kill him so that no one could say a woman had done so.  

 

Thus, God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers.   And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

God used many men to prophesy and if you go back and read Jotham the son of Gideon's words, they all came to pass.  It matters not where Jotham knew he had been used by God to proclaim a curse on these evil people, God did all that he stated in his curse.

 


From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

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