Sermon Title: Consequences and Contrasts
Scripture: Judges 9:1-10:2 (NIV)
Contributed by Wade Pursell
He went to his father’s home at Ophrah, and there, on one stone, they killed all seventy of his half brothers, the sons of Gideon. But the youngest brother, Jotham, escaped and hid. —Judges 9:5
And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. —Judges 9:53
As we move to Judges 9, admittedly, much of the text in this part of Holy Scripture is difficult reading. This week is no exception! Prayerfully read Judges 8:28-9:57, asking the Holy Spirit to show you timeless truths regarding humanity, God, and the Gospel.
First, the story. Abimelech was a son of Gideon and his concubine. Gideon also had 70 sons with his many wives. His son Abimelech seized power through treachery and violence. He convinced the men of Shechem to support him as their ruler and then murdered his half-brothers—though one of the 70 survived—to eliminate potential rivals. This act was condemned by Jotham, the one who managed to escape, who prophesied that Abimelech and Shechem ultimately would destroy each other. And that is exactly what happened. Abimelech would lay waste to the people and the land of Shechem, but he would then be killed by an unnamed woman dropping a stone on his head and crushing his skull.
Humanity: Until now in Judges, God helped His people defeat oppressors. Now the problem is within. Abimelech is self-centered and comes to power not by being called by God but through murderous force. The depravity of fallen humanity is on full display. We should always pause when we see this kind of evil behavior in Scripture. Pride is the root of all evil, of all sin (Prov. 16:18). We are all sinners (Rom. 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Pride is still the root of all evil.
God: God is holy and righteous, and his justice is always holy and righteous. Evil will be punished, either here on earth or in eternity. In God’s sovereignty and in His time, He can use people (Judg. 9:53, 56 & 57) and even evil spirits (9:23) to complete His purposes. If we are in fact sinners like Abimelech, and God, being the holy, righteous judge always punishes sin, what hope do we have? Here comes the Good News.
The Gospel: The story of Abimelech began with him killing his 70 brothers on “one stone” (9:5) and ended with a woman killing him by dropping a stone on his head (9:53). However, in addition to a stone being an instrument of judgment, Scripture also depicts it as an instrument of salvation. Jesus is the stone—indeed, the “cornerstone”—of judgment (see Lk. 20:17-18) but living water flows from this same “stone.” In Exodus 17, responding to the Israelites complaining that they were dying of thirst and needing water, God directed Moses to a rock and instructed him to strike it with his rod. When he did, a gusher of water flowed for the Israelites to drink. The Apostle Paul would later declare that Jesus Christ was, in effect, that rock (1 Cor. 10:4). Jesus Christ is the Rock, the Judge who can, justifiably, crush sinners, but He is also the Rock, the Savior, from whom we can receive the water of eternal life. He says, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:14). All we have to do is drink the living water flowing from the Rock, the free gift of salvation. That is the Gospel! Amen.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. —Revelation 22:17
Consider—
╬ Our sin deserves the same punishment Abimelech received – death eternally. Praise Jesus. On the cross He took that rock-crushing death on our behalf. Amazing Grace! Amazing Love! Have you simply received this free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ, our Lord and Rock? Just drink.
╬ Thank you Jesus, Rock of Ages, for being struck for us. Thank you for living water. Thank you for the living hope of being with you forever! Amen.