AND ABIMELECH THE SON OF JERUBBAAL WENT TO SHECHEM TO HIS MOTHER'S RELATIVES (lit = "brothers"):

This story takes place in the CENTRAL part of Israel and portrays the spiritual condition in that area. This is in fact the only story in Judges which depicts the central region.

Deborah & Gideon took place in north, Ehud & Othniel in SE & S, Jephthah E of the Jordan, and Samson in SW. In this chapter we see that the apostasy of Israel after the death of Gideon is punished, not as the former apostasies by a foreign invasion, or the oppressions of any neighboring power, but by conflict within. Interestingly in after Judges 8 Gideon's name per se is never mentioned again. In Judges 9 he is always called Jerubbaal!

One major theme of this sequel to the Gideon episode is divine retribution as is made clear by [v23-24] and [v56-57]. It is an account of how God allowed the evil that Abimelech and the men of Shechem sowed to be reaped and to rebound upon their own heads.

Abimelech's going to Shechem to incite its leaders to conspire with him against the sons of Jerub-Baal (i.e. of Gideon) (v1-2) was answered by Gaal's arrival in Shechem to incite its leaders to conspire with him against Abimelech (v26-29). The ambush set by the men of Shechem (v25) was answered by the ambush set against them by Abimelech (v34). Finally, Abimelech himself, who killed his brothers on a stone (v5, 18) was killed beside a stone which was dropped on his head by an unnamed woman at Thebez (v53,54). So in the unfolding story, under God's overruling providence, act answers to act and evil to evil, until the chief instigator of the evil, Abimelech, is himself struck down. Thereupon his followers, as if waking from a bad dream, down their weapons and go home without completing their assault on Thebez (v55).

SHECHEM was the main city of the central region, located in a fertile valley between Mt Ebal & Gerizim, on a strategic crossroad of the route from the coastal highway in the west to the Jordan Valley in the E and the ridge route from Jerusalem in the S to the northern sites in the Jezreel Valley. It had a hallowed place in Israel's history & had been a religious center since the time of Abraham: Yahweh first revealed Himself to Abraham at oak of Moreh in Shechem on his arrival from Haran (Ge12:6,v7), Jacob lived at Shechem (Ge33:18-20), & Joshua led the Israelites to Shechem during the time of the conquest for a recitation of the blessings (on Mt Gerizim) & cursings (on Mt Ebal) of the Law (Jos8:30-35) and finally it was also the site of the further covenant renewal ceremony before Joshua’s death (Jos24:1-28). Under Joshua Shechem was both a Levitical city and a city of refuge. What a tragic blot the tale of Abimelech leaves on such a notable city in Israel's history.

Shechem was about 30 miles from Ophrah where Gideon's concubine (Abimelech's mother) lived with her famility.

AND SPOKE TO THEM AND TO THE WHOLE CLAN OF THE HOUSEHOLD OF HIS MOTHER'S FATHER, SAYING:

SPEAK, NOW, IN THE HEARING OF ALL THE LEADERS (baals = lords) OF SHECHEM, 'WHICH IS BETTER FOR YOU, THAT SEVENTY MEN:

Abimelech may have been shunned by his half-brothers

ALL THE SONS OF JERUBBAAL RULE OVER YOU ("nor shall my son rule over you" Jug 8:23, 35) OR THAT ONE MAN RULE OVER YOU:

“You shall not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments (Ex20:17), but breaking it is the first step toward breaking the other nine. Of itself, ambition isn’t an evil thing, provided it’s mixed with genuine humility and is controlled by the will of God. If it’s God’s wind that lifts you and you’re soaring on wings that He’s given you, then fly as high as He takes you. But if you manufacture both the wind and the wings, you’re heading for a terrible fall. Selfish ambition destroys. “I will ascend into heaven!” turned an angel into the devil (Isa14:13), and “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built” turned a king into an animal (Da 4:28-37). If we exalt ourselves, God has many ways of bringing us down (Mt23:12).

ALSO, REMEMBER THAT I AM YOUR BONE AND YOUR FLESH:

Hebrew idiom is actually "flesh and bone" so NIV is incorrect here ("flesh & blood")

AND HIS MOTHER'S: That is Gideon's concubine

AND THEY WERE INCLINED (KJV more literal = "hearts inclined") TO FOLLOW ABIMELECH:

Abimelech was not a God appointed judge of Israel. Neither did he deliver the nation from outside invaders as did the other rulers who preceded him. He was a self-appointed opportunist who had an inordinate lust for power and who committed a terrible atrocity in connection with his consuming desire to be king.

FOR THEY SAID, HE IS OUR RELATIVE ("brother"):

The men of Shechem chose Abimelech "king". God was not consulted whether they should have any king, much less who it should be. If parents could see what their children would do, and what they are to suffer, their joy in them often would be turned into sorrow: we may be thankful that we cannot know what shall happen. Above all, we should fear and watch against sin; for our evil conduct may produce fatal effects upon our families, after we are in our graves.

William Penn wrote

"If we are not willing to be governed by God, we shall be ruled by tyrants."

British historian Thomas Macaulay, made the following comment about America:

"Your republic will be fearfully plundered and laid waste by barbarians in the 20th century, with this difference: The Huns and the Vandals who ransacked Rome were from without, and your huns and vandals will come from within your own country and be engendered from within by your own institutions."

During the Judges the Israelites repeatedly refused to be governed by God & the consequences in this chapter is that they ended up being ruled by a tyrant. It was a judgment from God for their unfaithful, wayward hearts. But this time the chastisement was from within and not from without.

Jeremiah warned faithless Jerusalem that...

***************************
Judges 9:3
F B Meyer
Our Daily Homily

Their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

Is not this the reason why God has set us in families? Had He so chosen, each of us might have been created alone as Adam was, and sent out with no special connection with others of our race. But instead, we are closely connected. It is very rarely that a man is so utterly bereaved as to be destitute of some relative.

Between a man and his brother there is a special tie. It may be truly said, in the case of brothers, that a doorway has been made through the walls which ordinarily part men, which may be bricked up or filled with debris; but the wall there will always be thinner than anywhere else, and some day the doorway may be opened for the passage of the messenger of peace. Men are always more inclined to follow the man of whom they can say, “He is our brother.” Brotherhood, sisterhood, relationship of any kind, is therefore a very precious talent; and it becomes us solemnly to ask ourselves whether it has been put to use. Have you ever spoken or written to your brother or sister about Christ?

As soon as Andrew had found Jesus, he started off to find his own brother Simon; and Simon was glad to follow him because he was his brother. Had another tried, it is as likely as not that he would have repelled him. But what could he say to the man who had shared his childhood’s sports, and had helped him haul in a net of fish many a time after a night of hard work?

AND THEY GAVE HIM SEVENTY PIECES OF SILVER FROM THE HOUSE OF BAAL-BERITH ("Lord of the Covenant"):

"House" equates with a temple of idolatrous worship. Ancient temples were often the source of great amounts of wealth and temple treasures were often used for military and political ends.

Baal-berith: The previous account of Gideon reveals that Baal worship was prevalent in the Plain of Esdraelon, an area ruled by Canaanites until the victory of Barak. Shechem however was to the South of the Esdraelon Plain in the Hill Country less than 12 miles N of Shiloh (Jud18:31), which at that time was actually the home of God's tabernacle! How tragic that here was an outpost of Baal worship so close to the holy place of Jehovah and that it even had a deceptive name "Lord of the Covenant", a title that alone belonged to Yahweh as clearly demonstrated by the renewal of the covenant in Shechem in Joshua's time (Jos 8:30-35).

“You shall have no other gods before Me” and “You shall not make for yourself any carved image” are the first and second of the Ten Commandments (Ex20:3–4, NKJV), and Abimelech broke them both. It’s obvious that he was his own god and that he had no interest in God’s will for the nation. His accepting money from the Baal worshipers to finance his crusade was a public announcement that he had renounced the God of Israel and was on the side of Baal.

WITH WHICH ABIMELECH HIRED WORTHLESS  AND RECKLESS FELLOWS (11:3, NIV, "reckless adventurers", 2Ch13:7):

"Worthless" (req) literally means empty or vain and indicates something that has nothing in it. Here it is used figuratively to describe the moral character of these men as "empty", as are all who are still in Adam.

The Septuagint translates "worthless" with the Greek word "kenos" which conveys the idea that these men were without usefulness or success (our modern day slang term might be "losers"). They were men in whom there was nothing of truth, who could not be depended upon, whose deeds did not correspond to their words, who were boasters and imposters. These hired scoundrels were willing to do anything for silver, even murder.

"Reckless" (pahaz)  means to be undisciplined, wild, insolent. "Reckless" and its derivatives are used elsewhere of turbulent water (Gen. 49:4) and prophets who abused their office (Jer. 23:32; Zeph. 3:4)

Abigail Adams to John Adams on November 27, 1775 that...

“Power, whether vested in many or few, is ever grasping, and like the grave, cries ‘Give, give.”

T. S. Eliot somewhat scornfully concluded that

“most of the troubles in the world are caused by people wanting to be important.”

The Greek philosopher Plato said,

“Might is right”

Three centuries later, the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote,

“Might makes right.”

The French novelist Joseph Joubert wrote seventeen centuries later,

“Might and right govern everything in the world; might till right is ready.”

But when might is in the hands of selfish dictators, right rarely has a chance to get ready or to take over. Might seizes control and will hold it unless a stronger power overcomes and brings freedom. The Prophet Habakkuk described these people as

THEN HE WENT TO HIS FATHER'S HOUSE AT OPHRAH AND KILLED (murdered) HIS BROTHERS THE SONS OF JERUBBAAL SEVENTY MEN ON ONE STONE:

This description implies either that the execution was public &/or it may refer to a stone for sacrifices indicating ritualistic execution. What a tragic end for the family of a man so mightily used of God, to have his family destroyed in such a vicious manner.

Thus Abimelech proceeds to break the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Ex20:13, NKJV) with the slaughter of seventy half brothers.

Preacher's Commentary draws some poignant applications writing that...

We do not have to look far for contemporary illustrative material of the same sad mechanism. The stories coming out of Romania, for example, following the fall of Ceausescu, demonstrate the paranoia of the dictator who can never be 100 percent sure that he is in total control, or that he has quashed every opponent. The lust for power can and does lead to the most outrageous actions in the business world, in family struggles, and even in the church of Jesus Christ. People will do terrible things when they are consumed by the desire to come out on the top. Such arrogance destroys relationship, because it kills trust and silences dialogue.

Church history has provided us with examples of what can happen when anyone—even well-motivated and apparently godly men—moves beyond personal accountability to anyone else. None of us is immune from the corrupting influence of power and position. We can all too easily lose our perspective on ourselves, and with it our moral and spiritual balance. As pastors, we need faithful friends who will pastor us and bring us down to earth from some of our wilder flights of fancy. It is not for nothing that the pulpit is sometimes caricatured as “six feet above contradiction,” or “cowards’ castle.” In a chapter full of irony, we must be careful to see that we do not succumb to the supreme idolatry of worshiping at the shrine of our own infallibility, or power, or pride. The more “successful” a ministry is perceived to be, the greater will be the danger that we start to believe our own press releases! Many a pastor has allowed himself to be “made king” in his little corner of God’s world-wide field, by an enthusiastic band of supporters, and those people have lived to rue the day. (Jackman, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. The Preacher's Commentary Series: Judges, Ruth. Formerly Page 147). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson)

Why didn’t somebody stop these murderers and defend Gideon’s family? Because the people of Israel had forgotten both the goodness of the Lord and the kindness of Gideon (Jdg. 8:33-35). They had neither the conviction to be concerned nor the courage to intervene. It doesn’t take long for society to change yesterday’s hero into today’s scoundrel. What the Irish poet William Butler Yeats described in his famous poem “The Second Coming” was true in the nation of Israel:

The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The prophet Habakkuk could easily have been speaking to Abimelech when he warned...

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime!” (Hab2:12)

Revelation 21:8,22:15 make it clear that murderers go to hell. Of course, a murderer can call on the Lord and be saved just as any other sinner can, but there’s no evidence that Abimelech and his crowd ever repented of their sins. Their feet were “swift to shed blood” (Ro3:15; Isa59:7), and the blood that they shed eventually came back on their own heads. Murder is bad enough, but when brother kills brother, the sin is even more heinous.

AND ALL THE MEN OF SHECHEM AND ALL BETH-MILLO (house of the fortress) ASSEMBLED TOGETHER AND THEY WENT AND MADE ABIMELECH KING:

"Beth Millo" may have been a dwelling for soldiers.

Abimelech became the first person ever to be crowned as king in Israel. His abortive 3 year rule, ran roughshod over the divine requirements for that office (cf. Dt17:14-20) and the  people get the ruler they deserve. His coronation ironically took place near the tree in Shechem where Joshua had solemnly placed the "Book of the Law" (Jos24:26). Earlier we saw the heart of these people was not to have God rule over them but to have Gideon (Judges 8:22). Finally God gives them what they desire and they got the caliber of man they deserved. When we look around our world today, we find this principle is still true.

Notice that they selected a king of their choosing not God's as Deuteronomy had specified....

"When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me, 'you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman." (Dt 17:14-20)

Abimelech not God decided who to set over "Israel" which is counter to God's instructions for establishing an earthly monarch (one rule).

BY THE OAK OF THE PILLAR WHICH WAS IN SHECHEM:

Jacob had buried the idols of his family under an oak at Shechem (Ge35:4). Here Joshua (Jos24:24-27) called to Israel to commit wholeheartedly to Yahweh. Here Joseph's bones were eventually buried (Josh. 24:32).

The oak of the pillar may have later become associated with pagan worship of the Shechemites.

Solomon's son, Rehoboam, went to Shechem, following the death of Solomon, to secure the acclamation of the Israelites, though the city itself was in ruins at that time (see 1Ki12:1)

Abimelech did not necessarily reign over the entire nation of Israel for there was not that kind of national solidarity during the days of the Judges. Abimelech was in control of Shechem and Beth-Millo, Arumah (v41), and Thebez (v50), which suggests that he had direct rule over the western part of Manasseh.

NOW WHEN THEY TOLD JOTHAM:

Here is another illustration from Judges of a godly individual who acted alone but who acted courageously. He could have reasoned that because he was alone he would be totally ineffective or that any interference by a "lone ranger" would be foolish and put his life at risk. But instead he chose to take a stand for righteousness in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation. And thus he acted alone to do what he could to rebuke evil and shine forth the light of God's truth that He is a just God Who will repay evil (Ro12:17-20, 21).

Edmund Burke said that

"All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

HE WENT AND STOOD ON THE TOP OF MOUNT GERIZIM:

"Mount Gerizim" is the site on which half the tribes of Israel stood for the recital of the covenantal blessings following the invasion of the Promised Land (Josh. 8:33). Since that time the mountain would have been associated with divine blessing, but now it would be the site of a curse that would ignite a bloody civil war.

Jotham traveled to Shechem and climbed Mount Gerizim's 800 foot slope south of the city. Jotham then proceeds to speak a parable could be heard by the all those in Shechem. Jotham may have stood on the triangular rock platform that projects from the side of Gerizim, which forms a natural pulpit overlooking Shechem from which one can be heard as far away as Mount Ebal across the valley!!! God wanted this message to be heard clearly!

LISTEN TO ME O MEN OF SHECHEM THAT GOD MAY LISTEN TO YOU:

Jotham's point is the foolishness of the trees in choosing for a king Abimelech the bramble or thistle, a worthless plant whose end was burning. It is tragic that not one time in Judges 9 do the men of Israel (except for Jotham) refer to the God of Israel! He is calling them to accountability for their actions much like (Nu32:23 "be sure your sin will find you out."). 

**************************
Judges 9.7
G Campbell Morgan

ONCE THE TREES WENT FORTH TO ANOINT A KING OVER THEM:

Jotham's words are like a parable which is from a Greek word that signifies a placing of two or more objects together, usually for the purpose of a comparison and is a short, simple story designed to communicate a spiritual truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

In Ezekiel 31 and Daniel 4 trees represent leaders or nations. The point of the parable is that the most worthless of all trees becomes the king of trees!

AND THEY SAID TO THE OLIVE TREE 'REIGN OVER US:

FINALLY ALL THE TREES SAID TO THE BRAMBLE:

The bramble not only produced nothing of value and was quite worthless as timber but was a positive menace to the farmer who had to wage continual war against its encroachments. Its carpet-like growth was especially a menace in the heat of the summer when scrub fires, fanned by the wind could travel at incredible speeds along the tinder of dried branches.

YOU COME, REIGN OVER US:

AND THE BRAMBLE SAID TO THE TREES IF IN TRUTH YOU ARE ANOINTING ME AS KING OVER YOU COME AND TAKE REFUGE SHADE:

Take refuge conveys the idea of confiding in another or putting your trust in them...in this case a bramble! What a biting sarcastic and satirical goad this must have been to Jotham's listeners! Come take refuge in a thorny bramble bush that is only good to be burned up! Abimelech, like a bramble, could offer no real security to the people of Shechem & in fact he would be both the cause and the means of their destruction (v42-49, 57).

The statement reflects the thornbush's arrogance, for it could not provide significant shade. "Shade" is a metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and in ancient Near Eastern literature for a ruler's sovereign authority and protection.

BUT IF NOT MAY FIRE COME OUT FROM THE BRAMBLE AND CONSUME THE CEDARS OF LEBANON:

Often in the summer, fires would break out in the bramble bushes and spread quickly through the dried tinder of these thorn bushes. Furthermore, these fires would spread and threaten the safety of the trees.

NOW THEREFORE: note that Jotham doesn't even address the worthless Abimelech here but speaks directly to the people (v16-20).

IF YOU HAVE DEALT IN TRUTH AND INTEGRITY IN MAKING ABIMELECH KING:

Jotham began the rebuke with three conditional clauses. After a parenthesis (v17,18) describing the good deeds of Gideon and the bad deeds of Abimelech, Jotham restated the rebuke: If then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal (i.e., Gideon), “then may you and Abimelech enjoy your relationship!” (v19) But if the opposite was true (which was Jotham’s obvious assumption), let fire . . . consume both Shechemites and Abimelech, which is specifically designated a “curse” (Jdg9:57).

Ralph Davis writes that Jotham's prophetic proclamation in the form of a parable...

does not stress the worthlessness of kingship but the worthlessness of Abimelech; the concern is not that the worthy candidates depreciate the offer of kingship but that a bramble accepts it. The problem is not kingship but the character of the king and his cronies, as Jotham makes clear in verses 16–20.6 Jotham’s theme is the foolishness and peril of accepting clearly unqualified leadership. Brambles make good fuel but poor kings; they burn better than they reign. People have a strange tendency to accept bramble–leadership, a fact which continues to baffle us. (Ralph Davis, D. Focus on the Bible: Judges)

William L. Shirer saw this bramble-like tendency in an evil man name Hitler in September 1934, at the Nazi Party celebration in Nuremberg.

BUT YOU HAVE RISEN AGAINST MY FATHER'S HOUSE TODAY (8:35) AND HAVE KILLED HIS SONS, 70 MEN, ON ONE STONE:

Twice we’re told that Abimelech killed seventy men (v18, 56), but if Jotham escaped, only sixty-nine were killed. But this is no more an error than are Jn20:24 and 1Co15:5, both of which call the band of disciples “the Twelve” at a time when there were only eleven apostles.

AND HAVE MADE ABIMELECH THE SON OF HIS MAIDSERVANT (8:31) KING OVER THE MEN OF SHECHEM BECAUSE HE IS YOUR RELATIVE ("brother"):

IF THEN YOU HAVE DEALT IN TRUTH AND INTEGRITY WITH JERUBBAAL AND HIS HOUSE THIS DAY:

Jotham ends his speech with biting sarcasm -- wishing them well if they acted honorably and in good faith (which obviously they had not done). He went on to prophetically predict mutual destruction if they have acted otherwise, which of course they had.

REJOICE IN ABIMELECH, AND LET HIM ALSO REJOICE IN YOU:

NOW ABIMELECH RULED OVER ISRAEL THREE YEARS:

As stated earlier "over Israel" almost assuredly equates with a limited rule since his power does not seem to extend beyond the central areas of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Treachery begets treachery, and it was not long until there were problems between Abimelech and the Shechemites.

So for 3 years it seemed as though evil had triumphed but God's justice would soon be invoked upon this wicked usurper. Longfellow once described  the justice of God writing that...

THEN GOD SENT AN EVIL SPIRIT BETWEEN ABIMELECH AND THE MEN OF SHECHEM:

In earlier stories God sent his Spirit to empower His chosen deliverers (see Jdg. 3:10; 6:34). Here He sends an "evil spirit" to destroy a man who threatens Israel's welfare. On several occasions God uses an "evil spirit" to judge sinners (1 Sam. 16:14; 18:10; 19:10; 1 Chron. 21:1). In the course of God’s providence, there appeared jealousy, distrust, and hate. God allowed it to work as punishment for the idolatry and mass murder.

Is God unfair? Is God responsible for sin? Clearly He is not  not for as James records

"God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust." (James 1:13-14)

In this unusual passage God is letting us see into the supernatural realm for a moment and instead of upsetting us it should encourage us that He is sovereign over every creature and every event. No, obviously God is not the Author of evil, but on the other hand God does allow evil, and because He is sovereign and omnipotent will use evil to accomplish His purposes. We know God is just, and therefore can affirm that His actions in this incident were just. He never acts in a morally dubious manner to accomplish His purposes. God may use other people's evil to accomplish His righteous purposes, but He does not cause their evil actions. In the course of God’s providence, there appeared jealousy, distrust, hate and bloodshed. God allowed this as divine retribution for the idolatry and mass murder. That God would send an evil spirit or a demonic being, shows that He sovereignly rules over all the universe. Even Satan could not attack Job without God’s permission (Job1:12; Job 2:6).

Abimelech as well as those in Shechem were only reaping what they had sown (Galatians 6:8) A parallel passage is found in 1st Kings, where we read that...

"So the king (Rehoboam) did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the LORD ("This turn of events was the will of the LORD" NLT), that He might establish His word, which the LORD spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat." (1Kings 12:15)

In this verse (in context) we discover that God sovereignly used the foolishness of Rehoboam to fulfill Ahijah’s prophecy (who informed King Solomon’s official, Jeroboam, of the approaching revolt of the 10 northern tribes).

Here in Judges 9 God's Word had been spoken prophetically by Gideon's son Jotham and God was now seeing that Jotham's word would be fulfilled.

As someone has written

"When God sends evil it is always an intervening force of moral and righteous judgment, corresponding to the wickedness of the situation."

AND THE MEN OF SHECHEM DEALT TREACHEROUSLY (unfaithfully) WITH ABIMELECH:

"Dealt treacherously" (bagad) means to act unfaithfully, to violate a trust, to break an agreement or to be a traitor. The Shechemites made Abimelech their king and agreed to recognize his authority, but now they rebelled against him. We are not told exactly how they did this,

This verse suggests that Abimelech personally took each of the 70 brothers lives! When lust for power corrupts one's heart, it knows no limit of evil.

NOW GAAL THE SON OF EBED CAME WITH HIS RELATIVES, AND CROSSED OVER INTO SHECHEM:

"cross over" implies from the East he "crossed over" the Jordan River

AND THEY WENT OUT INTO THE FIELD AND GATHERED THE GRAPES OF THEIR VINEYARDS AND TROD THEM, AND HELD A FESTIVAL:

The reference to the gathering of grapes and merry-making in the house of their god where they cursed Abimelech is almost certainly a reference to the new year’s festival, the chief religious ceremony in the Canaanite cult-religion. It was associated with the collection of the summer fruits and was held at the end of the summer harvest. This pagan festival was comparable to but earlier than the Israelite Feast of Ingathering or Tabernacles, which was in September-October (cf. Dt16:13-15).

AND THEY WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THEIR GOD:

So once again we see the predictable consequences of not having destroyed the Canaanites in the land...the Israelites lived among them and apparently tolerated and then got involved in worship of their god Baal-Berith. The message is clear all through Judges...drive out the enemy.

THEN GAAL THE SON OF EBED SAID "WHO IS ABIMELECH AND WHO IS SHECHEM, THAT WE SHOULD SERVE HIM":

Gaal appealed to the people to restore the ancient Shechemite aristocracy, hinting that he himself would be a good man to lead them!

Taking advantage of Abimelech’s absence, Gaal challenged the people to remember the parentage of Abimelech through his father Jerubbaal, rather than referring to his mother, the Shechemite. All of this action took place in the temple of Baal-berith,

IS HE NOT THE SON OF JERUBBAAL AND IS ZEBUL NOT HIS LIEUTENANT SERVE THE MEN OF HAMOR (donkey) THE FATHER OF SHECHEM BUT WHY SHOULD WE SERVE HIM?:

AND HE SAID TO ABIMELECH, "INCREASE YOUR ARMY, AND COME OUT:

Gaal was living in Shechem while Abimelech was living in Arumah, which may have been a sore point with the Shechemites who would have desired to be the site of the "king's" residence. The people could tell Gaal their problems, and he could give them the help they needed, but how could they go to Arubah for help? Years later, Absalom would use this same approach and steal the hearts of Israel (2Sa15:1-6).

NOW THEREFORE, ARISE BY NIGHT, YOU AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WITH YOU, AND LIE IN WAIT IN THE FIELD:

The taunt was intended to force Gaal into a direct conflict with Abimelech. When he could deceive Gaal no longer, Zebul goaded him into leading his forces outside the protective walls of the city to fight against Abimelech’s troops. After all his bragging, Gaal had no other choice but to engage in the encounter, and his Shechemite followers were soundly defeated by Abimelech. To save face Gaal had to fight. Had Gaal stayed within the walled city he may have been safe. But Gaal responded out of pride to save face illustrating the truth of Solomon's wise saying that...

NOW: (v42-45) describes the 2nd phase of Abimelech's bloody revenge on the rebellious Shechemites.

IT CAME ABOUT THE NEXT DAY, THAT THE PEOPLE WENT OUT TO THE FIELD, AND IT WAS TOLD TO ABIMELECH:

AND ABIMELECH FOUGHT AGAINST THE CITY ALL THAT DAY, AND HE CAPTURED THE CITY AND KILLED THE PEOPLE (v20) WHO WERE IN IT:

Abimelech’s power and authority must have been substantial since he was able, within 3 years of his becoming king, to amass a force able to destroy rebellious Shechem—the base for his rise to power—and was about to complete his conquest of Thebez.

THEN HE RAZED THE CITY AND SOWED IT W SALT:

A symbolic ritual, with obvious direct effects, that condemned the destroyed city to perpetual desolation. Salt was scattered over the site of a city for destruction and seems elsewhere in Scripture to be be the symbol of barrenness and desolation (cp Dt29:23; Job39:6, Ps107:34, Je17:6, Zep2:9). Shechem was rebuilt about 200 years later by Jeroboam (1Ki12:25).

(v46-49) describes the 3rd phase of Abimelech's revenge against Shechem. The Bramble bush was blazing! Result = 1000 people roasted alive in the pagan temple.

WHEN ALL THE LEADERS OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM HEARD OF IT:

These verses probably explain an incident within the city, included in the destruction previously recorded in [v45], rather than a subsequent event outside the destroyed city. On hearing of either the slaughter in the fields (v43,44) or the capture of the city gate (v 44), the Shechemites who had retreated into the tower of Shechem (probably the same as the Beth Millo of [v6]), secured themselves in the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith (an alternate title for Baal-Berith, [v4]), probably a part of the tower of Shechem.

THEY ENTERED THE INNER CHAMBER OF THE TEMPLE (8:33) OF EL-BERITH:

SO THAT ALL THE MEN OF THE TOWER OF SHECHEM ALSO DIED, ABOUT A THOUSAND MEN AND WOMEN:

Thus another Canaanite enclave was obliterated. Unfortunately not for long as it again became an important center during the days of the Israelite kingdom (1Ki12:1), and was rebuilt by Jeroboam I (1Ki12:25).

Preacher's Commentary writes that...

In application, we must draw the unpalatable but salutary lesson of the “exceeding sinfulness of sin.” Once the tide of evil builds, nothing can contain it in the end. This was the unlearned lesson of the 1930s as the evil Nazi power base in Germany grew stronger and stronger, almost unchallenged, until the whole world was caught up in its cataclysmic outcome. We think that sin can be contained; but it cannot. We talk of “little” sins and “white” lies, to persuade ourselves that we can stop whenever we wish, but it is not like that. One of Dr. Paul White’s famous “Jungle Doctor” stories tells of the African family who took pity on an orphaned leopard cub, took it into their home, nurtured and cared for it, and treated it as a pet. Frequently they were warned to return it to the wild before it became too powerful for them to handle. But the warnings were disregarded; they knew the animal so well—it was one of the family. Then, one day, it showed its true nature and the “domesticated” beast of prey became a killer. The jungle doctor’s message was clear and plain: “Little leopards become big leopards, and big leopards kill!” The characteristic nature of sin is contempt for anything of value (contrast Philippians 4:8). “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:l0a). That is why he is no friend of the shepherd or the sheep...In a culture like ours, where the very concept of sin is an endangered species, under threat of extinction, we need to hear this lesson over and over again. It is common to view individual sins as nothing more than a nuisance or an irritation, rather like minor traffic offenses. They will only cause us difficulties if we are foolish or unfortunate enough to accumulate too many, we tell ourselves. This chapter is a powerful corrective to that sort of self-indulgent weakness which all too often infects our thinking, even as Christians. (Jackman, D., & Ogilvie, L. J. Vol. 7: The Preacher's Commentary Series: Judges, Ruth. Page 154. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson)

An article in a newspaper several years ago was entitled "Biblical Revolution Account Verified":

THEN ABIMELECH WENT TO THEBEZ: