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Unlikely Deliverers (Judges 9-10)
The role of judges in the Bible is not how we typically view judges today; today we think of judges as ones who weigh evidence and deliver a verdict. In the Bible, the judges of Israel are deliverers, ones who saved Israel from the oppression of the nations around them. Gideon was one such deliverer, who faithfully severed God and saved His people from Midianite oppression. Yet he had family problems, specifically his son, Abimelech.Abimelech was not a good person. He selfishly ruled Israel like a king, securing the "throne" through extreme sinful ways. It was so bad that Abimelech's youngest half-brother (Jotham) prophesied Abimelech's downfall (Judges 9:7), which was fulfilled when a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech's head (Judges 9:53). Who played the role of judge in this story? It was not a mighty military man. Instead, it was Jotham, the youngest of 70 brothers, and a woman not named who threw a large stone on Abimelech.
Our enemy is Satan, whose weapons of war are temptation and sin. So who has delivered us from our oppressor today? Our deliverer is not one you may expect; it is a son of man who was killed by his own people. Our judge is not a mighty physical warrior; it is a lamb who was sacrificed on a cross. However, he is the only Son of God, sent by the Father with all authority, to save mankind from the slavery of Satan and sin. How great is our God, who provided a deliverer to help us conquer our oppressors today!
