abimelech - the power of power

Judges 9:1-6

"Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to his uncles and all his mother’s relatives and said to them, “Ask all the leading men of Shechem, ‘What do you think is best, that seventy men rule you—all those sons of Jerub-Baal—or that one man rule? You’ll remember that I am your own flesh and blood.’” His mother’s relatives reported the proposal to the leaders of Shechem. They were inclined to take Abimelech. “Because,” they said, “he is, after all, one of us.” They gave him seventy silver pieces from the shrine of Baal-of-the-Covenant. With the money he hired some reckless riffraff soldiers and they followed along after him. He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his half brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal—seventy men! And on one stone! The youngest, Jotham son of Jerub-Baal, managed to hide, the only survivor. Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered at the Oak by the Standing Stone at Shechem and crowned Abimelech king."

Back when Gideon was obsessed with women, he became father to an illegitimate son - Abimelech. All of his life he was known as the "son of a concubine" amongst the rest of his family, and the 70 half-brothers he had. I am sure that caused some tension, resentment, anger, and bitterness. Since Gideon was a famous warrior and judge, this set his children up in a place of success, and Abimelech let all of the hurt in his heart conspire into something so terrible after his fathers death, to destroy that legacy.

He wanted power. He wanted authority. He wanted revenge.

The King of Israel was God, not man, but Abimelech wanted to take that throne instead. In his thirst for selfish power, he killed all of his brothers, except for one that managed to escape. His way of coping with some hard things in life was to get ruthless and destructive. Power has a way of taking over us when we let it corrupt our judgement.

What are our ambitions when he have deep rooted hurts? Are we self-centered, seeking revenge, or are we God-centered and choose forgiveness and freedom. When we let the power of pride take over, it starts a disastrous cycle. The thirst for power is not satisfied with power, it only becomes more intense for it.

Abimelech was to that point. His life was consumed with the thirst for power, and eventually he no longer had power - power had him.

I have seen this on two different spectrums of culture here in Jackson. The need for power, and destroying anything in your way to achieve it. It may look different on the outside, but the deceitful heart behind both is the same.

Sometimes I carry so many burdens, so much weight of others hurts and problems. It makes me really tired and weary. I was driving down the road, feeling the heaviness today, praying, trying to let him take these loads off my shoulders and place them on His.....because that is where they belong anyway. The Lord said to me, "I feel the same weight you do, the only difference is that I can carry them with a love greater than you can ever understand, so just give them to me so I can do that."

Just to hear his voice. The weight was gone. The problems and tangible things are still here, but I didn't have to spend the rest of my day dragging my feet under them. Thank you Jesus.

I started my day out with this song, and I am ending with it too. Praying for all the Abimelech's out there, that they would know love like this.