Judges 9:2 “Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.”
Power grabs are nothing new. It isn’t just in corporate cultures that power grabs and ladder climbing happen. It isn’t only in the political arena either. Power grabs happen in families, schools, churches, small companies, and just about everywhere more than two people gather.
In our passage today we see an extreme example of a power grab. One man kills 70 of his relatives in order to seize power. He wants to rule the city and he won’t let anyone get in his way. Sound familiar to anyone or any situation you have encountered?
This story is just one in a long series of stories in the book of Judges. The pattern is clear. People rebel against the leadership and clear direction of the LORD. The LORD lets them have the natural consequences of disobedience. Things get desperate and they call out to the LORD for help. The LORD sends a deliverer. The people are rescued, only to repeat the cycle in another generation.
Here is one man who makes a choice and so many are negatively affected by his choice. Two towns seek safety in their city towers. In one of the towers they end up burned to death at this man’s hands. Horrible human being! From the other tower a woman drops a millstone (we would say Cuisinart food processor) from the top of the tower and it lands on his head. He ends up dead.
One of the lessons of the story is this: rebellion carries a cost. Without repentance, it will cost you everything, even your life.
The Arnold Journey 