Bethel Crc Lacombe

Today we return to our series on the Book of Judges by turning to Judges 9:1-15;42-57 Abimelech: The Thornbush. Abimelech is Gideon’s son through a concubine and so he murders all his half brothers in order to rule over the people. His half-brother, Jotham, escapes and then curses Abimelech. Israel is looking and acting more and more like the nations around them instead of the people God wants them to be - shaped by his laws and festivals. God allows Abimelech to rule for a few years but turns the people against him. God allows us to suffer the consequences of our choices, but when we cry out to him, he responds and will bring order into the chaos we create through our own choices.