Abimelech: King of Trees

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: I will not be your king. 00:00:05 Speaker 1: I will not rule over you. 00:00:07 Speaker 3: And my sons will not rule over you. 00:00:09 Speaker 1: For only God is your king. Gideon knew his answer would make them love him even more. People love false humility in their leaders. They ate it up and ironically fed his pride even further. Gideon pondered for a moment the opportunity before him. 00:00:27 Speaker 3: The king. 00:00:29 Speaker 1: No, no, no, I shouldn't be a king. I shall be more than a king. The once fearful and timid Judge had taken on the mantle of ruler, priest and commander of God's people. He reigned for forty years, amassing wealth, concubines and descendants. He was honored as a redeemer of Israel and proclaimed as a savior. But he was a compromised hero. His heart was easily taken captive by the pride of life. The faithfulness of Israel matched the faithfulness of their hero. They puffed themselves up with pride. Do this, they pleased, and gave into their desires. 00:01:17 Speaker 4: Ultimate power ultimately corrupts. This is the warning of history. This is the warning of the Bible. Shelloh, my friends, from here in the Holy Land of Israel i'm l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. What happens to a people when they lose sight of their true king? Israel, a people chosen and called to be different, now stands at a crossroads, a kingdom without a ruler, searching desperately for someone to lead them. But in their search they're about to find something strange. A man seizing power through blood and betrayal. In Judge's nine Week Counterparable and a Warning, a story of kings and thorns. 00:02:05 Speaker 1: Sin lingers like the taste of bitter wine staining the tongues of generations. The misdeeds of the Father lie in weight, patient, as a wolf in the brush, eager to pounce upon the heart of the Sun, without repentance, without yielding to the higher grace of God's spirit. Such sin festus, seeping like wroth through the foundation of a house once sturdy. This was the legacy of Gideon, a mighty man chosen by the Lord himself to lead his people into triumph, brought low by the creeping specter of his own pride and lust. Gideon, who had been hailed as the lord's champion succumbed not on the battlefield, but to the subtler temptations of power. In his later days, the mantle of humility slipped from his shoulders, replaced by the gilded trappings of a conqueror. He claimed treasures and glory, and in his halls the laughter of wives and concubines echoed endlessly. Over seventy sons bore his name, a testament not to the strength of his legacy, but to the reckless spreading of his seed. Yet, even as Gideon's hair turned to silver and his body withered with age, his pride remained unbroken. When he finally passed, leaving the earth, he once defended. His unchecked Hubris began its slow cruel work upon Israel. Blood, innocent and undeserving, would one day flow for the sins of one man. The streets of Shechem lay hushed beneath a heavy pall of mourning. The dusty thorough affairs, so often bustling with the cries of merchants and the laughter of children, were eerily still. No trader hawked wares, no housewives gossiped at wells. For all Gideon's flaws, his death had stilled the heart of the city. The Mighty Man's name had been a shield against foreign threats, his deeds a reminder that the Lord fought on behalf of his chosen. Now, with Gideon gone, unease took root. Anxious whispers passed among the elders, their faces creased with lines of worry as they met in clandestine councils. 00:04:41 Speaker 5: He has seventy sons. Surely they possessed the same wisdom and leadership as their father let them rule. 00:04:49 Speaker 1: A murmur of agreement rippled through the gathering. Yet in the shadows, leaning against a cold stone wall, one man remained unmoved. His fa was shrouded by the hood of a dark linen cloak, though the faint flicker of torchlight revealed his narrow jaw, trimmed beard, and the unmistakable curls of his father. Abimelech, Bastard, son of Gideon, listened with growing ire. He was a man of keen intellect and sharper ambition, known in Shechem for his wit and cunning. Though illegitimately born, Abimelek's mother's family granted him standing among the people, a foothold. He had spent years cultivating. As the elders debated, his thoughts churned like a storm at sea. 00:05:41 Speaker 6: All of Gideon's sons, I'll be damned by share my power with those buffoons. 00:05:47 Speaker 1: The council's deliberations continued, but Abemelek had already slipped into the night. The streets of Shechem were cloaked in darkness, and the cool air carried the promise of schemes yet to unfold. Abimelek moved with purpose, his steps deliberate as he made his way to the homes of his mother's kin. At each threshold, he donned a mask of concern, his voice soft as silk, his words barbed with intention. 00:06:17 Speaker 2: It's foolishness to entrust a nation to seventeen men. Some are mere boys, others are weaklings. 00:06:25 Speaker 1: Do you think they. 00:06:25 Speaker 2: Will rule as one? 00:06:27 Speaker 1: No, they were bicker. 00:06:28 Speaker 2: And tear one another apart. 00:06:30 Speaker 1: And when they do, who will pay the price? 00:06:33 Speaker 2: Not them, but you, my kin, my flesh. 00:06:37 Speaker 7: Surely we can't leave our fate to children and fools. A bimli like you're close to the situation. What do you suggest we do? 00:06:46 Speaker 6: Is it better for you to be ruled by seventy strangers? By the man of your own blood. 00:06:51 Speaker 1: The seed of his ambition was planted, and it took root quickly. Word of Abimelek's proposals spread like wild fire, drawing his mother's kin and others to his cause. Within days, a crowd gathered in the square to hear him speak. Abimelech. Ever, the showman stepped forward with a silver chalice in hand. 00:07:15 Speaker 6: I am prepared to sacrifice for the people of Israel and to continue my father's legacy. 00:07:20 Speaker 1: But I cannot do this alone. 00:07:23 Speaker 6: The question is simple, will you act now or wait for seventy squabbling. 00:07:28 Speaker 2: Children to fight over a throne they are unfit to hold. 00:07:33 Speaker 1: The crowd roared its approval. One by one, the elders came forward, dropping coins into the chalice. The silver rang like music, and Abimelek's heart swelled with triumph. He bowed his head, masking his glear with a veneer of solemnity. 00:07:52 Speaker 2: You've chosen wisely others. 00:07:55 Speaker 8: Oh hell, king of Bibolak, Oh hell, I'll. 00:07:58 Speaker 7: No qu e. 00:08:02 Speaker 1: Abiemelek's grin widened as the chance rose to a fevered pitch. He raised his arms in mock humility, his eyes gleaming with the promise of power. 00:08:13 Speaker 2: Yes, I will be your king first. 00:08:17 Speaker 6: I shall sure our kingdom will not be corrupted from within. 00:08:21 Speaker 1: And so the bastard son of Gideon set his plans into motion, his ambitions leading him down a path stained with the blood of his own brothers. The breath of the horses rose in ghostly plumes, twisting and vanishing into the chill of the night air. They poured at the frost ardened ground, their who striking like drumbeats in the stillness. At their head sat Abemelek Astride, a black steed, a torch blazing in his hand. The firelight cast wild shadows on his face, and his eyes burned with a fury that seemed drawn from the very pits of the earth. Before him loomed the House of Gideon, a sprawling stronghold in offer. It was a place of comfort and prosperity, built by a conqueror who had once knelt before God, but laid a bowed to his own desires. Within those walls, the sons of Gideon lived in ease, surrounded by the spoils of their father's victories. Abimelek's lips curled in contempt, and he spat on to the frozen earth those fools deserve. The bitterness in his voice matched the bitterness in his heart. Born of a concubine, Abemelek had always been an outsider in his father's house. His cunning and charm, which might have earned him admiration, were instead overlooked, dismissed as tricks of a rejected son's ambition. His mother, no more than a servant in the eyes of the others, had borne the weight of his shame. Abie Malek clenched the reins tighter and turned to the men and assembled behind him. Hundreds of mercenaries awaited his command. They were coarse, brutal men, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of torches that dotted the hillsides. Their grims were wicked, their eyes glinting with malice. They were men who lived for silver and savored blood. Drawn to a Beamelek by promises of both, Abimelek's gaze shifted to the great stone beside the well. His breath called for a moment as memories clawed their way to the surface, Memories of being pinned there as a boy, held down by the stronger sons, of Gideon. They had jeered at him, calling him a bastard, until he fled to his mother's arms in tears. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, and a cold smile took shape. 00:11:00 Speaker 6: Bring every son of Gideon here to me, one by one. They shall be executed here. Every man that brings me a sun will be paid extra. 00:11:09 Speaker 1: The mercenaries wore their approval, their laughter harsh and jagged like shattered glass. They descended on the property, tearing through the gates and torches, set to work, and soon the night was alive with the orange glow of flames. The cruel joy of the raiders filled the air, mingling with the crackle of fire and the screams of the helpless. To a beamelech, it was music. Jotham woke to the sound of doors splintering and the shrieks of women. His heart pounded as he climbed from his bed. Creeping to the edge of the stairwell, he saw them, mercenaries, swarming like locusts. Jotham turned and darted back to his robe, his breath quick and shallow. Peering out the window, he called sight of a grim scene illuminated by firelight at the weld. His brothers were being dragged one by one. Abemelek stood there, his sword gleaming, as if hungry for the blood it was about to taste. Chothan watched in horror as one of his brothers was pinned to the great stone works, held his head in place, and with a swift, brutal stroke, Abemelek brought his sword down. The head rolled to the ground, and Abemelek raised his arms. With gore caked onto his face. Jothan clenched his fists his knuckles. White tears streamed down his face as he watched his brother's fall. He wanted to scream, to fight, but he was no match for the mercenaries. He was only a boy, no older than fourteen. He was powerless, forced to bear witness to the slaughter, the cries of maid servants and sisters as the godless men took what they pleased, heedless of the lives they shattered. How does that happened? 00:13:05 Speaker 9: How could it belt gather sawny men in such a short amount of time. 00:13:10 Speaker 1: The pieces of the puzzle gnawed at him, but there was no time for answers. Smoke began to curl into his womb, and the heap beneath his feet grew unbearable. The flames had reached the house, and the roof above groaned under the stream. Chothan looked around desperately. Below, a single horse stoodd heathered near the stable. Next to it a cistern filled with barley. With a deep breath, Chothan ran to the window and left. He landed in a barley with a muffled thud. The heavy system and toppling of the impact the sound was deafening, and the mercenaries turned. Chothan untied the horse and frantically mounted it. The animals surged forward, and Jothan clung to its back as it galloped away from the caves. He could hear the shower of pursuit, the pounding of hooves behind him that the horse was fast and nimble. It carried him into the wooded hills, where the mercenaries lost his trail. There, hidden beneath the boughs of the forest, Jotham slid from the horse and collapsed. He wept his tears, carving passed through the soot on his cheeks. Lifting his face to the heavens, he called out to the Lord, his voice trembling with sorrow and desperation. The blood of his brothers stained Abemelek's robes, the warmth of it clinging to his skin. He stood amid the carnage, panting, his gaze sweeping over the bodies. Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes as he tilted his head back to the heavens. He felt no divine rebuke, no stirring of guilt. That voice had been silenced in him long ago. Turn to his men, he raised his bloodied arms. 00:15:02 Speaker 6: High, Well done, brothers, Now with his time for our coronation. 00:15:08 Speaker 1: The mercenaries cheered a vicious sound that echoed through the valley as they roamed back towards Shechem. On the outskirts of the city, a great oak crowned at hill. Its roots seemed to grasp at the earth like fingers. Its massive trunk entwined as if woven from smaller trees. Beneath its shade rested a flat stone, its surface scarred with ancient carvings worn by time. Here abe Malenk stood basking in the worship of the crowd gathered to anoint him. Hundreds of voices sang his praises, treating him as a savior. Towering over the scene was Mount Gerrizone, its jagged cliffs casting a brooding shadow over the hill high above. Jumped and watched the ceremony unfold, his stomach turning as he saw Abemelek pream before the people for all Gideon's faults. Jothan knew his father had never claimed a crowd, refusing to dishonor the god who had delivered him. Now, the youngest of Gideon's sons could bear it no longer. Something stirred within him, a quiet, commanding presence. Jothan rose, stepping into the light. Standing tall atop the mountain, he clenched his fists and shouted, his voice, carrying like the call of a prophet. 00:16:35 Speaker 5: Listen to me, Leaders of Sachem, hear my voice. 00:16:40 Speaker 1: The crowd turned, startled by the booming cry. Abimelek squinted up, his expression twisting with mockery. 00:16:48 Speaker 6: Ha ha ha, Come down, baby, brother, before you slip. The sons of Gideon have not had much luck lately. You made a mistake in coming here. 00:16:59 Speaker 5: The only mistake is crowning a fool for a king. 00:17:02 Speaker 2: Careful how you speak. 00:17:03 Speaker 1: Child, Although Jotham was still young. The spirit of God gave him words of power and authority. He took some strides closer so they could hear him clearly. 00:17:16 Speaker 3: This child has a story to tell. 00:17:19 Speaker 9: Humor me momentarily while I tell this tale of the King of trees. 00:17:24 Speaker 1: Intrigued, the crowd fell silent abe Malek hesitated, unwilling to risk their ire by silencing him. 00:17:32 Speaker 9: The trees once went out to anoint a king over them. They searched for the perfectly noble tree to rule them and give them refuge in its shade. So they went to the noble olive tree first and said, reign over us and be king of trees. The olive tree refused, he did not want to leave the abundance of people enjoying his olives. So they went to the vibrant fig tree and said, reign over us and be king of the tree. 00:18:00 Speaker 1: But the fig tree refused, where he. 00:18:03 Speaker 9: Did not want to leave the sweetness of his good fruit to be with the trees. 00:18:08 Speaker 1: So the trees went to. 00:18:09 Speaker 9: The elegant grapevine and begged him, saying, please rule and rain over us as the king of trees. But the vine also refused because he cheered God and. 00:18:19 Speaker 1: Men with his fruit. 00:18:20 Speaker 9: Finally desperate him. Without options, they went to the pathetic Bramble with an abundance of thorns and little fruit, and they said, we reign over us and be our king of trees. The bramble pondered the question and said, if you truly desire me as your king, prove it by. 00:18:39 Speaker 1: Taking refuge in my shade. 00:18:42 Speaker 9: If not, let fire come out of me and devour the trees in flames. 00:18:49 Speaker 1: The people were silent, and Jotham knew he had their attention. He pointed to Abemelech. 00:18:55 Speaker 5: You have crowned this bramble, a king with no shade to give, no refuge to offer. 00:19:02 Speaker 3: He will devour you. 00:19:05 Speaker 5: He has devoured Gideon's sons. 00:19:08 Speaker 1: You are the pathetic one. 00:19:10 Speaker 5: I My father bled for you, delivered you from Midian and. 00:19:15 Speaker 1: Never claimed a throne. 00:19:16 Speaker 5: Yet here you are his son's blood on your hands, bowing to a murderer because he. 00:19:23 Speaker 1: Is your kin. You believe this is justice, then celebrate. 00:19:27 Speaker 5: But if you have sinned, let fire rise from among you and consume a biolac. 00:19:34 Speaker 7: I've had enough of this. 00:19:35 Speaker 3: Shoot him down. 00:19:37 Speaker 1: The mercenaries loosed their arrows. Jotham ducked behind the rocks as shafts clattered against the stone. Spotting a narrow crevice, he slipped through and fled into the wilderness. Though Abimelech's men searched, they did not find him. Chotham escaped to Beer, never to be seen by his brother again. Free years, Abemelek ruled Shechem with cruelty and greed. The blood of Gideon's sons cried out, and God's justice stirred. Resentment brood among the people who whispered against Abimelek. They sabotaged his rule, choking his wealth by robbing traders at the city's gates. All the while Jotham's words lingered, sewing doubt and discontent. Abiemelech, seething, plotted his revenge. The hatred between king and city grew like a smoldering fire, each side waiting for the moment it would erupt and consume them. Are Gharl leaned back in his chair, the firelight casting shadows across his face. He stretched lazily and reached for his goblet, his lips curling into a sneer. 00:20:55 Speaker 7: Who is this ab Bimalakain and what right does he have over the people of Sachem. 00:21:03 Speaker 1: A newcomer to the city, Gahl had quickly won favor. He and his kin brought wealth, foreign gods, and their debauched ways, all of which the people of Shechem embraced. Eagerly, tall and broad shouldered, with a commanding voice and a face that seemed carved from myth, Gahl was the very image of a leader. The elders of Shechem admired him, and his charisma had already begun to outshine a Beameleg's shadow. Gahl had planted vineyards outside the city and often hosted feasts where the wine flowed freely. At one such gathering, surrounded by the city's elders, Gahl's voice rang out, dripping with scorn. 00:21:50 Speaker 7: Why is this petty man, considered king? What has he done for you? 00:21:55 Speaker 6: Ah? 00:21:56 Speaker 7: I were king, things would be different. The people were under my hand and horses degenimate armies out. 00:22:07 Speaker 1: The elders exchanged knowing smiles, their hearts Stirred by his boldness, they shouted their approval, proclaiming Gall a better king than Abi Malek. Ghl laughed and waved them off, feigning humanity, even as their adoration fed his ambitions. The crowd conspired eagerly, blind to the fact that their treachery was already known. In the corner of the room, cloaked in shadow, a spy for Zebel. Abimelex, governor in Shechem, sipped his wine. Slipping out unnoticed, he made his way to Zebel, who wasted no time riding to inform his master. Abimelek sat in the dimly lit hall of his crumbling palace, the ivy covered walls bearing the scars of neglect. His soldiers gambled in the courtyard, their laughter echoing faintly through the heavy doors. Zebel entered swiftly, his face grinned the lemen. 00:23:11 Speaker 3: There is dreadery in shaping a less spurt the people. The hids too, even now they canspire to leave. 00:23:19 Speaker 7: These room cowards. I'll destroy them all. 00:23:24 Speaker 3: All has many men at his disposal. You will need to attack him. 00:23:29 Speaker 1: The Holy watches a hiast. 00:23:32 Speaker 3: Go by night in dreading, ambushing the eels. Then as soon as the sun is up rise and rush upon the city. 00:23:41 Speaker 1: The plan pleased Abimelek. That night, he led his mercenaries down the mountains. Their march silent as death. They move like shadows, torches unlit, hunger for blood driving their steps. 00:23:56 Speaker 7: What do you see over there? 00:24:00 Speaker 3: I don't see much. Shepherds perhaps leading their flocks. You've drunk too much, my lord. 00:24:07 Speaker 1: At dawn, Gall stood near the city gate, speaking with Zebel. His eyes flicked toward the hills, catching a flicker of movement among the shadows. No, no, I. 00:24:21 Speaker 7: I see people coming from down from the mountaintops. See their shadows scaling down the path leading down the field. 00:24:30 Speaker 3: I consider myself to have a keen eye. My lord, I believe you are mistaking the shadows of the mountains for men. You must be weary from all the celebrations. 00:24:42 Speaker 7: Aye, I suppose I must be. 00:24:46 Speaker 1: Garl frowned, uncertainty clouding his face. He returned to his conversation, But as the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, the truth was revealed. A mass of soldiers emerged from the hills, the glint of steel unmistakable. 00:25:04 Speaker 7: It is people, an entire company is coming from the direction of the oak of Schachum. But it's an army, A bitter lackers here. 00:25:13 Speaker 1: Panic seized him as Zebel's expression twisted into a mocking grin. 00:25:19 Speaker 3: Didn't you pass time out o yourself worthy. 00:25:26 Speaker 1: Garl stammered, his confidence shaken, he summoned his men, their preparation hurried and chaotic. Mounting his horse, he tried to rally them. 00:25:36 Speaker 7: Now now's the time, brother, Now there's the time. Partake I city back from the tirant. 00:25:43 Speaker 1: But his voice lacked its usual strength, and the men sensed his fear. Abima Lex army came swiftly, converging on the defenders like wolves on his sheep. Habima Ex spotted Garl in the fray and charged directly for him. With a single blow, he struck Gar's horse to sending the man sprawling to the ground. As the two armies clashed, Abby went out the smoot girl relentlessly, his sword cutting through anyone who stood. 00:26:13 Speaker 5: In his way. Do you think I was speaking? 00:26:16 Speaker 7: Because we sheer blood forms on you. 00:26:21 Speaker 1: The battlefield was chaos, clashing steel, screams, and the stench of death. Garl fled toward the hills, but his retreat was covered by the defenders, who threw themselves at a beam. Alex merceriies. When the dust settled, Abeam Alex stood victorious of his enemies, cowering at the gates of Shechem. 00:26:43 Speaker 2: Let them fee. 00:26:44 Speaker 1: The battlefield fell silent as the survivors stumbled back into the city. Zebel approached, Confusion etched on his face. 00:26:54 Speaker 3: Why let them go, I king? They are broken? Finish him now? Would you show them mercy? 00:27:02 Speaker 1: Abemelek turned his bloodied sword pointed at Zebel's throat. A thin trickle ran down its edge, crimson against the steel. Abemelek grinned madly, his menacing face reflected in the sheen of his blade. 00:27:17 Speaker 8: Mercy, oh nosable, I'll not be crowned as the king of mercy. They will burn for their defiance, but vengeance must be savored. 00:27:31 Speaker 1: Abe Male's laughter echoed over the field, chilling as the wind that carried it a dawn. Abemelek stood at the ridge, gazing down at the field where Shechem's soldiers gathered for their final stand. The bruised, battered remnants of their army looked pitiful. The defiance glinted in their eyes. He sighed deeply, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the weight of the man. 00:28:01 Speaker 5: They have forced my head. 00:28:04 Speaker 1: He turned to his men and called for them to wake rise. Today we finished. Would we have started his ruthless band of mercenaries rose quickly and mounted their horses. They descended the hills like wolves on a hunt. Sheckun soldiers barely had time to organize before adema Ex force had struck out. Blood pulled into the furrows of the fellow earth. Screams of terror were quickly silenced by the clash of steel and the gurgle of dying man at the gates and the bee where that let the charge personally, his company trampled the defenders like insects. He swung his sword with unrelenting fury, cutting down anyone who dared oppose him. Dismounting his horse, he waded into the frame with calculated brutality. Two spearmen and had glanced on him. He dodged the firs thrust, grabbed the spear shaft, and drove his blade deep into the soldier's stomach. The second grazed his arm, but Abemelek twisted and his armed him with a swift upward strike and slashed his neck. His fury seemed otherworldly. With each strike, Abimelek commanded the battlefield like a maestrol orchestrating a dark symphony. Unlike Gideon borne a coward, Abeemeleg seemed forged for bloodshed. The screams of the dying faded as the defenders were cut down or fled. Women and children were dragged from their hiding places, but even their cries could not escape the blanket of silence that eventually fell. Blood soaked the streets, pulling around Abemelek's feet as he walked through the ruins. The stillness was eerie. The only sound was the faint cry of a child coming from the city's central tower. The long, fortified structure loomed over the city like a silent sentinel. The remaining people of Sheckel had fled there seeking refuge. Abiemelek dropped his sword, his steps deliberate as he approached the tower. His men followed. Finding the doors shout and fortified, abe Malek turned to the stables. Retrieving an axe. In a nearby garden, he began cutting small, dried trees for brushwood. One by one, his men joined him, gathering wood and pining it against the tower's base. When the buyer was ready, Abeamlect met a torture, His expression devoid of emotion, he raised his gaze to the fearful faces peering down in the tower's heights. He spat on the wood fire. The torch dropped flames of war to life, consuming the tower's base. The screams of fear above turn into wales of agony. Over one thousand men when an other children perished as the town crumbled in a fiery and firm smoked spiral skywood, blotting out the sun and painting the heavens of deep, bloody red. Abe Malek stood transfixed, his face aligned with cruel satisfaction. His lust for power was ancient, all of the same rebellion that once consumed the angels. Unable to match God, he turned his wealth against his people. 00:31:36 Speaker 2: Our conquest does not stop here tomorrow. Much toward Tibez, they have also dealt treacherously with us. 00:31:44 Speaker 1: Abimelek's voice rang out over his soldiers as they prepared for another campaign. His hunger for destruction was insatiable, his desire for power burning brighter with each atrocity. By dawn, they surrounded thebes, meeting fierce resistance, but the people's courage was no match for a beemelex ruthlessness. As before, Survivors fled to a central stronghold, this one larger and more fortified than Shechem's tower. 00:32:14 Speaker 2: I will burn you all to the ground. 00:32:17 Speaker 3: You will all burn as an offering to my greatness. 00:32:21 Speaker 1: The tower's defenders could only watch in terror as a Beameleg ordered his men to pile wood at its base. Among the panicked crowd above was a woman, her name unknown, her face ordinary, yet within her burned a courage born of divine prompting. She spotted a loose millstone at the edge of the tower and moved toward it, her heart pounding. 00:32:46 Speaker 3: I I have to do something, anything to stop this madness. 00:32:51 Speaker 1: Time was slipping away. The people's cries drowned out her pleas for help. Pressing her shoulder to the stone, she strained with all her strength, but it refused to move. Pain shot through her arm. As she recoiled a move, she charged the stone again, her body slamming into it. Slowly, agonizingly, it began to budge. With a final desperate push, the millstone broke free. It plummeted from the tower, like divine justice descending from heaven. Abemeleg looked up just as the stone struck him. The crack of his skull echoed over the battlefield. He collapsed in a heap, motionless. The shock rippled through his army, seeing their leader for the soldiers panicked, and the citizens of Thebes surged from the tower. They overwhelmed the mercenaries, their cries of victory filling the air. Abeam out lay, dying, blood pooling beneath him. A servant boy passed, and the fallen tyrant beckoned weakly, Oho there going kill me? 00:34:15 Speaker 6: Take my sword and kill me lest they say I was crushed by a woman. 00:34:22 Speaker 1: Even in death, his pride remained. The boy hesitated before driving the blade into a bee Malek's heart. The King of Trees fell, his fragile kingdom consumed by divine justice. The woman with the millstone disappeared into obscurity, her name forgotten, Yet her act of courage stood as a testament that God uses the humble and the unknown to achieve his will. One day, through another woman in a forgotten town, God would crush the tyranny of sin itself. 00:35:05 Speaker 4: Why does Israel fall for men like this is a question as old as the Bible itself. The desire for a king, but not just any king, a king on their terms, one who fits their human expectations and desires. The tragedy here is that they had a king, not one seated on an earthly throne, but God himself, the God who had led them through the wilderness and war, who gave them the Torah, his word. And yet here they are looking to a thorn bush of all things, to cover their shame and insecurity. You see, there's something deeper here, something our sage is often say about idolatry. It isn't just about statues or carved images. It's anything that we elevate above God, anything that we trust more than Him. And Abimelech is nothing more than an idol dressed up as a leader, a lie, cloaked and promises. Jewish tradition teaches that when Israel rejects God's kingship, they reject the very purpose for which they were chosen. We'll see this more when we are introduced to King Saul, Israel's first official king. These men, with their glittering armor and vast armies, are more like golden calves. The parable of the trees that Jotham tells was warning wrapped in a riddle, the olive, the fig, the vine, all noble and fruitful they refuse the crown because they're already doing the work that they were made to do. But the thorn bush, it has no fruit, no life to offer. It's all threat and no shelter. So here is Israel under the rule of a man who offers nothing of life, only the sharp edges of ambition. Do you see how this story, in many ways speaks to all of us. Whenever we reach for power that's not ours to take, whenever we let go of God's rule in favor of human rulers, we opened the door to every thorn and every thistle, and we are left with what we chose, leaders who promise security but deliver oppression. A kingdom under earthly rule is never truly free. The prophet Isaiah warned, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness. It's hard to imagine that Gideon, a righteous judge, an exceptional military and spiritual leader, would have a son like Abimeleh, a cruel, murderous, power hungry individual. But we have all seen good and honest parents who have a child that is the exact opposite, haven't we. Although Abimeleh reigned as a judge for three years. He met his death in a shameful way. He had killed all of his brothers upon a stone, and he was killed by a heavy stone a woman from a tower that he was about to set a fire. As we've already seen, and as we'll see again and again and again. It might take a while, but God's accounting is perfect. In Abimelech, we see the ultimate irony Israel, a nation set apart following a man willing to kill his own brothers for a throne that the nation wasn't meant to have. And we see a theme woven through the story of the Chosen People from Genesis onwards. When we put our faith in the wrong leaders, the cost is our freedom. So what do we take from this? In the end, Abimelech's story leaves us with the question what we trust with our lives? For us today, we live in a world full of voices clamoring to be our king. It's easy to follow the loudest voice, to trust the one who promises the most. But we know, my friends, Yes we know, because we've learned and it, according to the Bible, true kingship isn't about grasping for power. It's about serving, about lifting others higher, about giving ourselves to something greater. Remember how God defined greatness for Abram. He said that the nation born from Abram would be a blessing to the nations. That's true greatness, blessing others. So this is our challenge to reject pride and choose love, humility, and something greater than ourselves. That's what we always have to keep in mind and what we have to do, and in that choice, we fulfill our purpose as the Chosen People. 00:39:45 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with the Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Tina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yil Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotten, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior Rosanna Pilcher and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, KAYLEB Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.