19if you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!
Sometimes we get the leaders we deserve! Their rule, Abimelech, was a sneaky, conniving murderous man. He only thought about himself and his own welfare. He ‘used’ people in the worst sense that term. People were just tools for his own pleasure. And unfortunately there were people who were willing to follow such a man. What I find interesting is that when we elect leaders here in this country and then we are surprised by the outcome. I think we expect a leader to change into a nice, decent person when they get elected. Instead, we often get the reality that candidates so carefully hide, but which can be seen prior to election in glimpses. Just like Abimelech, our leaders are often only thinking about the next election, about holding onto power for themselves. They put on a thin veneer of caring about us, but only thick enough to fool enough voters so that they get elected. Our leaders only rise in proportion to the quality of the people electing them. We get what we deserve. When we are not a moral people, we elect people just like us, immoral and self-serving. The solution? Become a people of integrity and act honorably and in good faith. Then our leaders will become that as well.
The Arnold Journey 