Beat By a Girl

Bible Reading Judges 9:34-56
Memory verse: Matthew 23:12 "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Abimelech was the king.  He forced his way to the throne.  He and his hired men killed seventy brothers.  His plan worked and he was king.  He had a few good years until Gaal came into town saying bad things about Abimelech and his position.  Abimelech heard about it and it bothered him so much that he set out with four companies of men.  People were killed in the fighting and Gaal and his brothers fled the city.  The next day, the attack continued against the people in the city and many were killed.  Some people who were in the city fled into a tower.  Abimelech ordered his men to burn the tower and the people died.  The rampage continued to the next city of Thebez.  When they attacked, the people fled to the tower.  As Abimelech led the men to burn it, a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull.  Not wanting to be killed by a woman, he asked his armor-bearer to kill him. 
A lot of people died because of the selfishness of Abimelech and his ambition.  I never plotted to kill people in order to get to be king, but I know I have been selfish.  God doesn’t want us to selfishly knock people down in order to be at the top.  I remember when I was a kid, playing a game called “King of the mountain”.  We would have to try to be the one standing at the top of a hill of dirt.  It was just the right size mound that only one person could stand at the top.  If I ever was able to shove my way to the top, it wouldn’t last long because someone would shove me back.
Examine your life to see if you are shoving people around in order to be at the top.  Are you wanting to be a leader in your community or church?  If you talk bad about others in order to make yourself look better, is that right?  Abimelech got paid back for his crimes when a woman dropped the stone on him in self defense.  He was beat by a girl.  The Bible says that if you exalt yourself, you will be humbled.

by Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries