Judges 9:24
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
Abimelech, a son of Gideon, had Gideon’s other sons killed so that he himself could rule Israel. The chapter shows Gideon’s family degenerating after his victory by trusting in things that are seen instead of the unseen power of God. The cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal brought guilt and accountability both upon Abimelech their brother who slew them and upon the men of Shechem who aided and sustained him in the killing.
In this setting, Jotham’s parable exposes the folly of choosing as ruler one who had slain his own brothers and gathered worthless followers about him. Abimelech had been permitted to execute God’s vengeance upon Israel, but he passed the limits of divine forbearance by continuing cruelty against everyone who opposed his will during three years of cruel, demoralizing, tyrannical rule. Fulfilling Jotham’s words, God sent trouble, discord, strife and hatred between the king and the very men who had made him king.
Retribution came when rebellious Shechem was attacked, its inhabitants slain, the city reduced to ashes and sown with salt as a token of perpetual desolation. Abimelech, while attacking a neighboring city to burn its tower and people, was fatally wounded by a millstone hurled by a woman and then at his own request slain by his armor-bearer to avoid the disgrace of dying by a woman’s hand. The phrase about blood being laid upon the murderers is personification presenting the dead as speaking or acting in relation to what happened to them, rather than describing conscious dead people.
Those doing valuable work for the Lord do not seek power over their brethren, and ambition to rule over others shows a lack of fitness for leadership. The verse teaches that sin will never go unpunished and warns of the danger of disobedience. All true greatness of character, peace and joy of soul, safety and happiness come from entire, cheerful conformity to God’s will, heeding messages of mercy from Heaven and receiving strength for victory.