Last year while the family were away (work kept me home while they played) I watched the German movie Downfall, which is the story of the last days of the Third Reich. It shows the pitiful state that Berlin and the Third Reich’s leadership became before their fall and demise, including the now “internet famous” rant scene which has become a meme. The great machine of carnage, conquest, and tragedy fell to a timely end.
This movie and the history behind it came to mind because this passage also covers the downfall of the wrong type of leader. Abimelech, cursed by his half-brother Jotham, faced judgement for his evil leadership. Shechem, which evilly trusted Abimelech as leader, met the same fate. Both downfalls were orchestrated by God, who ultimately will judge all wrong leadership and establish the right leadership.
After Jotham’s curse spoiled the coronation of Abimelech by the elders of Shechem (vv.7-21), Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years (v.22). It did not take long for things to fall apart, because God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and Shechem to avenge the deaths of Gideon’s sons (vv.23-4).
The first instance of bad blood was Shechem employing ruffians to ambush and rob travellers on the roads (v.25). Maintaining public order, including on the highways, has always been a kingly duty so this was the ancient equivalent of orchestrating ram raids on local businesses, and had the same effect on Abimelech’s status.
Next, a man named Gaal moved to Shechem with his pals, and started talking smack about Abimelech with the help of some liquid courage (vv.26-9). Curiously, his speech sounded somewhat like Abimelech’s (v.2) and drew the leadership of Shechem astray from Abimelech.
Zebul, Abimelech’s local appointee, informed him of how to quell this simmering revolt (vv.30-33). Abimelech, with four companies of soldiers, confronted big-mouth Gaal at the city gate at dawn, appearing as if out of thin air to take up Gaal’s offer of a fight (vv.34-8).
Abimelech easily dispatched Gaal and followers (vv.39-41), and the folk of Shechem seemed to think that was that so went back to their fields the next day (v.42). Unfortunately, Abimelech blamed them for following Gaal – the gall! So he massacred the locals, razed the city, and sowed it with salt to stop crops growing there (vv.43-5). The city leaders escaped to the tower of Baal-berith’s temple (vv.46-7), and the “bramble” set a brushfire to either burn or smoke out the leaders (vv.48-9). Jotham’s curse was coming true in a literal sense.
By that point, Abimelech was in full-on self-destruct mode. Anybody who had lifted a finger against his reign would feel his wrath. Next to face Abimelech’s anger was the town of Thebez, which presumably had joined in the rebellion against his rule (v.50).
As with Shechem, Abimelech successfully captured the city (v.50). Thebez also had a tower in it, and the locals and leaders fled into this tower to escape Shechem’s fate (v.51).
As with Shechem, Abimelech figured fire was a good weapon, and the burning bramble attempted to burn his way in (v.52). But a certain woman had lugged her heavy upper millstone to safety in the tower, and dropped it on his head (v.53).
Since Abimelech did not want the shame of dying at a woman’s hands, he had a soldier kill him (v.54). Then, without a leader to lead and a reason to fight, everyone went home (v.55).
God had brought judgement on Shechem and Abimelech for their parts in killing Gideon’s sons, and seeking power and leadership for their own reasons and gain (vv.56-7). The wrong leader brought his own downfall on himself, and on those who put him in place.
Firstly, note that God is unmistakably acting in this passage. While Shechem and Abimelech are busy destroying themselves, they do so because God sent an evil spirit between them. Perhaps John Calvin had passages like this in mind when he reputedly said “when God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.”
God does not always strike with lightning or fire and brimstone. Sometimes, God judges through decline and self-destruction. Sometimes, God uses evil to destroy itself. Sometimes, judgement comes from within, not just from outside a nation.
If the same is true of nations, it is also true of churches. Churches which abandon their first love and God’s leading will suffer God’s judgement and decline. Their lampstand will be taken away. We must take care to be ruled by the right kinds of leaders. Those whom God appoints. Those who point us to Jesus. Those who themselves bow the knee to King Jesus.
Ultimately, only one leader is the right kind of Leader. God will judge all the nations in fire for their failure to acknowledge King Jesus’ righteous reign. All will one day fall down, in judgement or in praise. Worldly leaders will fail and disappoint, but King Jesus will never fail to lead his people in paths of righteousness.
