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Judges 9 questions- Abimelech-A Man Who Failed To be Great

Abimelech-A Man Who Failed To be Great

 Judges 9:1-57   Key Verse: 9:8

“One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’”

       Gideon had refused to be king. He said, “The Lord will rule over you.” But his son did not think this way. Abimelech was the son of Gideon by a slave woman who was a Shechemite. He persuaded the Shechemites to support him in his bid to be king. He murdered 70 of his brothers and was crowned king by the people of Shechem. There was one lone survivor however named Jotham. Jotham was Gideon’s youngest son. He hid and escaped being killed. He stood onMt.Gerizimand proclaimed God’s judgment on Abimelech in a parable. The gist of the parable is that a truly great man, like an olive tree, wants to be fruitful. It is the useless thorn bush of a man who wants to rule others. Jotham prayed that Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem might destroy each other. God accepted his prayed and the events unfolded as Jotham prayed. Actually his prayer was a prophecy. It also portrays the justice and sovereignty of God.  From this Bible study may we be saved from fruitless, selfish ambition, and may God grant us pure motives to serve others for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s. That will make us like a fruitful olive tree.

 Part l: Abimelech, a Man Who Would Be King (1-6)

  1. Who was Abimelech? (8:31, 9:18b) Where was his mother’s hometown? (1) How many half brothers did he have? (8:30)
  1. What was on his mind? (22) How was he different from his father? (8:22-23) How did he appeal to the people of Shechem? (2) How did the people respond? (3-4a) What does this show about the people of Shechem?
  1. What did Abimelech do with the money he received? (4b) What horrible act did he do? (5)  What did the people of Shecum do when they learned of this act? What should they have done? What does this event teach us about us about the thirst for power?

Part 2: Jotham’s Parable (7-21)

  1. Who was Jotham? (5b) Can you explain the parable? (7-15) How did Jotham explain it? (16-20) Where did Jotham run to? (21)
  1. How long did Abimelech rule over Shechum? (22) What happened after threes three years? (23) Who was Gaal? What does this teach us about the people of Shechum? What does this teach us about God? (23a)
  1. Who was Zebul? (30) What made him angry? What did he do? (31-33) How did the whole battle unfold? (34-50) How did Abimelech meet his end? (50-55) Who was behind all of this? (56)  What does this teach us about God? (56a)
  1. Let’s think about the responsibilities of true leadership. Why was Solomon praised by God? (3:6-16) What does Jesus teach us about true leadership? (Mk 10:45; Lk 9:47-48; Lk 22:25-27; John 10:11)  How was Jesus the greatest one? How should we channel our desire for greatness?



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