Week 8 - Abimelech: The Anti-Judge

Despite humble origins, Abimelech coveted the kingship his father, Gideon, refused. Unlike Gideon, Abimelech was no judge but an oppressor, leading to internal strife and bloodshed in Israel because of their unfaithfulness. Judges 9 highlights the political repercussions of Baal worship and the decline after Gideon's death. It demonstrates God's pattern of using internal discord to bring down the wicked and signifies another stage in Israel's decline, socially, morally, and spiritually.