Abimelech: The Brother Who Killed Blood for a Crown

There are lots of stories in the bible but Here's the thing, very few of these stories are being emphasized while some aren't.There're stories in the bible that when you read them, you pause and think, did this really happen in the bible.They’re the kind that make you pause, read again, and wonder how darkness can grow so much in the heart of a man.There's something I've come to realize and that is that there's nothing happening now that hasn't happened in the bible.You just haven't read your bible enough.The bible is complete. If I tell you that there's a story in the bible where a man killed his 70 brothers because he wanted to become a king.Yes I said it. 70.The exact words in the KJV bible is : "three score and ten persons"I'm sure a whole lot of people have no idea this story actually exist in the bible.That's why I always encourage people to read their bible, you discover a whole lot by doing that. This story is from the book of Judges Chapter 9, (it's advisable to read the NIV.) The story is of a man who killed his own family. His name was Abimelech.Abimelech was one of Gideon’s sons. Gideon, or Jerubbaal as some called him, was a great judge of Israel. He led the people, won battles, and left behind seventy sons. But here’s where it gets wild: Abimelech wasn’t like the others. He was born to Gideon through a concubine in Shechem (Judges 8:31). And that detail shaped his path. When Gideon died, Abimelech decided he wouldn’t just be another son in the crowd. No, he wanted the crown. He wanted the throne. And he wanted it so bad that he convinced the leaders of Shechem that he should rule over them instead of letting “all seventy” of Gideon’s sons do so. His argument was simple but deadly: “I’m your own blood, your flesh, your bone. Why let strangers rule when I can be king?” (Judges 9:2) The leaders agreed. They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal. With that money, Abimelech gathered what the Bible calls “reckless scoundrels” (Judges 9:4) men with no morals, men who lived for violence, men who became his tools. And then, the unthinkable happened. Abimelech killed his seventy brothers; his own family on one stone. Seventy men. Imagine that. One after the other, struck down, not by an outsider, not by an enemy nation, but by their own blood. Only the youngest, Jotham, escaped (Judges 9:5). If you stop there, you’d already feel the weight. But it doesn’t stop. The people of Shechem crowned him king after the massacre. And this is where the story turns into a warning not just about Abimelech, but about the people who empower evil. Evil thrives when it has a crowd clapping for it. But God always has a way of settling accounts. Abimelech reigned, yes, but his reign was chaos. He turned against the very people who crowned him, and they turned against him. Betrayal for betrayal. Blood for blood. In the end, during a battle, a woman threw a millstone from a tower, and it crushed Abimelech’s skull (Judges 9:53). That’s how his story ended; not with honor, not with glory, but with humiliation. His last words were not a prayer, not a cry for mercy, but a plea to his servant to kill him quickly, so no one would say, “A woman killed him.” (Judges 9:54). Pride followed him to the grave. Now, think about it.This is not just a story about an ancient man. It’s way more than that.Everyone will judge Abimelech quickly but if we look at today's world, things much more go on even in our lives. Maybe you’ll never kill seventy brothers with a sword. But let’s be honest; how many relationships, families, and friendships have been destroyed today because of ambition, envy, greed, and pride? How many people sacrifice those closest to them just to get a little more power, a little more respect, a little more “king” in their lives? Abimelech didn’t become a murderer overnight. It started with envy. With the belief that “I deserve more.” With the thought that “I’ll do whatever it takes.” The seed grew until it consumed him and everyone around him. So here’s the question I’ll leave you to ponder on:When you look in the mirror, do you see traces of Abimelech in your choices, your desires, your hunger for recognition? Because the truth is: sometimes, the enemy isn’t out there. Sometimes, the Abimelech is already within.

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