Don’t confuse the Truth with the Facts!

Scripture Read: Judges 9:1-4 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives, 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 of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?’ Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem; and they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our relative.” They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him.

Application: Here we see the complications that sin creates. God had intended one man to marry one woman, then have children and live together. This was God’s plan for the human family. Our sin has brought great pain and problems to so many. Abimelech’s mother was one of Jerubbaal’s concubines. Most concubines would live with their family and would receive visits from her husband. The emotional scars and destroyed lives that this sin causes is seen in the break down of the morals of our society. Abimelech uses this situation to his advantage. 

Now we see politicking at its best! Two key tactics in politics is to manipulate emotions and use potential fear – never confuse the issue with facts! Abimelech uses the fact that he is the only blood relative that the people of Shechem have that is connected to Jerubbaal and they would have an inside track with him in power compared to any other of Jerubbaal’s sons. He also tries to cause them fear by the fact that if they do not have him as their king, they may find themselves being ruled by 70 kings! Now that he has gotten them to back his play, he does another item that is typical of someone that is political – he surrounds himself with “yes men” and “followers”. When you want to run a “mob” or a “gang” you look for individuals that are not leaders, only “followers”. So Abimelech has now maneuvered himself into a position to take ruler ship of the land. What he does next is shocking...and we will look at that later; first, let’s glean some truths from this section. 

When we are committed to knowing the Truth, manipulation and maneuvering cannot be a part of our thinking. We must be committed to facing facts and dealing with them. That means we must surrender our agenda to God’s agenda, and when we seek counsel, it must be from individuals that spiritually, mentally and emotionally are “leaders.” A “leader” is an individual that does what he does because he has decided that is what he wants to do. Circumstances, other people and popular fads are never considered. I follow God because that’s what I decided to do. It made the wisest sense. When we seek to know the Lord’s direction in our life, we cannot afford to politic, God will not honor that, on the other hand when we embrace Truth, no matter the cost, God will honor and bless!

Meditation Questions: Do you know what your agendas are? List them. Have you consciously surrendered them to the Lord? Why? Why not? Do you desire God’s direction in your life? What are you afraid of? Do you think you can totally trust the Lord? Why? Why not? What kind of people do you seek counsel from? Are they just like you? Are you willing to allow a diverse group of strong personalities to speak into your life?