Abimelech is made king and was horrible ruler, often engaged in war with his own subjects.
My notes: "Just as the noble trees refused the honor of royalty and were made subject to a mean plant, so did Abimelech of less noble birth than the seventy sons of Gideon now tyrannize over the people."
He ransacked many towns, including Thebez, where a woman threw a millstone on his head. He ordered a soldier to kill him with his sword, so that it might not be said he had been killed by the hand of a woman.
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ABIMELECH
Abimelech is the son of Gideon. He went to his uncles and asked them if they'd rather be ruled by all 70 of Gideon's sons or just one man. The uncles took this question to the town (Shechem) and all decided that one man is better. They paid him silver from the Baal temple which he used to hire "reckless adventurers" as his followers. The first thing he did was to go to Ophrah and KILLED ALL 70 SONS OF GIDEON. Jotham, the youngest son, escaped. Then the citizens gatered and crowned him king!
When Jotham heard this he climbed to a mountain and told the town a story where the trees tried to find a king. They (the trees) asked the olive, fig, and grape vine but they thought their gifts were more important than ruling. They all asked the thornbush who told them, "If you want me to be king, come rest in my shade; if not, may fire come from me and burn you all up." He told the people if they have acted honorably toward God and respectfully toward Gideon's sons then best-wishes to all. If not, may fire consume them all.
After 3 years of Abimelech's rule, God sent an evil spirit between him and the people as punishment for the crime against Gideon's 70 sons.
Gaal, a pagan, moved to Shechem and questioned this whole situation and said (basically) that "I can rule better than him". So they planned a take-over. Word of this got back to Abimelech who planned a counter-ambush and they drove Gaal and his men from the town. The people were afraid because they had supported Gaal so some ran to hide in the fields. Abimelech and his men surrounded the fields and killed all those townspeople. Other citizens hid in the Baal temple. Abimelech and his soldiers cut wood, piled it around the temple and burned it and the people. This fulfilled Jotham's curse.
Abimelech took his "army" to the next town to take it over. The people hid in a tower. While storming the tower a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech and "cracked his skull". He told his armor-bearer to kill him with his sword so history wouldn't say "a woman killed him". The armor-bearer obeyed and that was the end of Abimelech. The curse of Jotham, youngest and only surviving son of Gideon, was fulfilled.
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