Abimelech has been warned by his brother Jotham that if his ascension to the throne was not on the up-and-up, that if he had not acted faithfully, then may a fire consume Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem one onto the other (Judges 9:20). This prophecy or foretelling is called the Curse of Jotham.
You will see in this section of Judges 9 how the evil spirit that The Lord allowed to impact Abimelech and the Leaders of Jotham turns both parties on one another. You will also see how the character deficiencies play out in the outcome of the man Gaal and his very wise and loudmouth; he receives exactly what he asked for by speaking the way that he did.
The 3 lessons you will learn from this portion of the text are impactful, including how the company you keep may have more on an influence on you than you may realize. My prayer is that you would humbly look at what you read and then take into account how God allowed these things to happen to Abimelech and the Lords of Shechem because of their very poor life choices.
God bless you all. Be wise with who you allow to influence you and don’t presume that if you are a follower of Jesus that Jesus is cosigning your shenanigans.
The Wry Pastor
Bible References:
Judges 9:3-6
Judges 9:20
1 Samuel 16:14-17
1 Samuel 18:10-12
2 Thessalonians 2:11
Proverbs 1:8-19
The Wry Pastor - IDGTC - Life Lessons, Learn Behaviors (part 2)