Judges 9: Corrupt Leadership

Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, “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.” -Judges 9:1-2

Corrupt leadership can be deadly. One of Gideon’s sons provides a graphic historical example. Abimelek rallied the people of this area to crown him king and kill the rest of his brothers.

It almost worked. Only one brother escaped. In the end, Abimelek’s life was cut short in a tragic death.

Many observations could be made from this account, but one that strikes me is the impact of corrupt leadership. When a leader exists to serve others and to serve God, the people are blessed. Those led by a self-serving leader suffer greatly, a suffering that also impacts the leader himself.

The convicting aspect of this account is that we are all prone toward selfish leadership. Only by God’s grace can we see as we should, viewing ourselves as servants of the Lord and of others, making a difference both now and for eternity.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.