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Profile of Abimelech
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People who desire power always outnumber those
who are able to use power wisely once they have it. Perhaps this is because
power has a way of taking over and controlling the person using it. This is
especially true in cases of inherited but unmerited power. Abimelech's life
shows us what happens when hunger for power corrupts judgment.
Abimelech's position in Gideon's family as the son of a concubine must have
created great tension between him and Gideon's many other sons. One against 70;
such odds can either crush a person or make him ruthless. It is obvious which
direction Abimelech chose. Gideon's position as a warrior and judge had placed
Abimelech in an environment of power; Gideon's death provided an opportunity for
his son to seize power. Once the process began, the disastrous results were
inevitable. A person's thirst for power is not satisfied when he gets power - it
only becomes more intense. Abimelech's life was consumed by that thirst.
Eventually, he could not tolerate any threat to his power.
By this time, ownership had changed; Abimelech no longer had power - power
had him. One lesson we can learn from his life is that our goals control our
actions. The amount of control is related to the importance of the goal.
Abimelech's most important goal was to have power. His lust for power led him to
wipe out not only his brothers, but also whole cities that refused to submit to
him. Nothing but death could stop his bloodthirsty drive to conquer. How ironic
that he was fatally injured by a woman! The contrast between Abimelech and the
great people of the Bible is great. He wanted to control the nation; they were
willing to be controlled by God.
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Strengths and Accomplishments:
* The first self-declared king of Israel
* Qualified tactical planner and organizer
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Weaknesses and Mistakes:
* Power hungry and ruthless
* Overconfident
* Took advantaged of his father's position without imitating his character
* Had 69 of his 70 half brothers killed
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Vital Statistics:
* Where: Shechem, Arumah, Thebez
* Occupations: Self-acclaimed king, judge, political troublemaker
* Relatives: Father: Gideon. Only surviving brother: Jotham
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Key Verses:
"Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech
had done to his father by murdering his sixty-nine brothers. God also made the
men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of
Jerub-Baal came on them" (Judges 9:56-57).
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His story is told in Judges 8:31-9:57. He is also
mentioned in 2 Samuel 11:21.
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