Some want to grow up to be a sports star, a policeman, a business mogul, a doctor, a lawyer or some other profession. Abimelech, he dreamed big. He wanted to be King of Israel! He was one of the sons of Gideon, born to a slave-woman concubine in the town of Shechem. Abimelech got the support of his fellow Shechemites, and got the crown he always wanted. This was after killing all but one of his brothers, Jotham, who escaped by hiding. For those who forget, Gideon had 70 sons! Much blood was on Abimelech’s hands. Obviously, he wasn’t much of a family man or father. He was just a killing machine on his way to the top.
God doesn't let that kind of crime go unpunished.
He had something special in mind for Abimelech. The Lord caused some residents of Shechem to turn against Abimelech, causing a minor civil war. In one battle, Abimelech chased people from every town of Thebez into a city tower. His plan was to burn the tower and everyone in it to the ground! Then something strange happened, a “God Thing” if you will. Abimelech was carrying a torch to set fire to the tower, while at the same time a woman on the roof dropped a millstone on his head! Ouch! It didn’t kill him though, but it cracked his skull!
Knowing he would die, he asked his armor-bearer to draw his sword and finish him off, so they wouldn’t say, ‘A woman killed him!’ His servant ran him through, and he died. This poignant story is found in Judges 8 and 9.
Gideon’s position as warrior and judge had placed Abimelech in an environment of power. But once the process began, the disastrous results were inevitable. A person’s thirst for power is never satisfied when he gets power—it only becomes more intense. Abimelech no longer had power—power had him! You can have big dreams, but don’t keep your head in the clouds…it may be raining millstones!
Bottom line
It’s good to be known for milestones and legacy but not millstones and lunacy.
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