Judges 9:1–6, 22–25, 56–57 “Let Us Stay Awake”
The King of Peace has come to us.
There is power in His word.
The King of Peace has come to us.
Today’s passage tells the story of Abimelech, the son of Gideon. He went to his relatives in Shechem, made an alliance with them, and used money from idol worship to hire worthless and reckless men. With their help, he murdered his seventy brothers on one stone and declared himself king.
For three years he ruled. But then hatred grew between Abimelech and the very people who supported him.
The people of Shechem rebelled.
Abimelech slaughtered them, and in the end, he himself was killed by a nameless woman who dropped a millstone on his head. This is the tragic story before us.
1. God is not absent.
Where is God in all this? Why did He allow Abimelech to kill so mercilessly? Why does God seem silent when evil fills the world? We look at our own lives and see suffering, injustice, and things we cannot understand.
Yet Scripture tells us: God was not absent. In verses 24 and 56, He repaid Abimelech and the people of Shechem for their sin. Pastor Tim Keller once said, “God may be silent, but He is never absent.” At times you may not feel Him. At times you may not understand His ways. But even then, He is present. He is working.
Pastor Noh Jin-jun once said that God’s will can be seen in two ways. There is His permissive will—what He allows. And there is His pleasing will—what delights His heart. When things happen that we cannot understand, we can at least say this: it may not have been His pleasing will, but it was under His permission. And that can make us struggle. But beyond that struggle, there is one unshakable truth: God sent His Son Jesus. Jesus died for us. He rose again. And He is with us even now. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” That truth stands, even when we cannot feel it. May we pray for faith to confess it.
2. God’s judgment is real.
God judged Abimelech and the people of Shechem. Scripture is clear:
Isaiah 13:11 — “I will punish the world for its evil.”
Romans 2:6 — “He will render to each one according to his works.”
Hebrews 9:27 — “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
Judgment is certain. And here is the painful truth: those who face judgment are not only strangers. They are our family. Our friends. Our neighbors. But Jesus bore the judgment we deserved. He became sin. He became the sacrifice. He took the wrath of God in our place.
The more deeply we understand this grace, the more our lives will change. We will begin to pray for our loved ones. We will serve the lost. We will love those who do not yet know Christ.
3. When the enemy is at work—wake up.
Verse 23 says God allowed an evil spirit to stir up hatred between Abimelech and the people of Shechem. One of the devil’s favorite weapons is hatred. Hatred is sin. And when hatred rises in our hearts, we must fight it.
Yes, we are weak. Yes, people hurt us. Sometimes we are right to feel wronged. But we cannot allow hatred to grow unchecked. It may take one year, or ten years. But if Christ lives in us, we must wrestle in prayer. We must take that hatred to the Lord.
The same is true with jealousy, envy, bitterness. Take it to Jesus. Fight it with faith. Do not let the enemy plant seeds of destruction in your heart, your family, your church, or your workplace.
If you see the signs of the enemy’s work—in your home, in your relationships, in your community—stand and fight in the Lord. Do not surrender.
So let us stay awake. The Lord wants us to wake up. He wants us to remain alert. Jesus alone is King. Let us fix our eyes on Him. Let us confess our hearts to Him. Let us depend fully on Him.
Stay awake. For the King is here.
