THREE YEARS LATER

A Sermon on the Sovereignty of God and the Certainty of Divine Judgment

Primary Text: Judges 9:22 — ”When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel.”

Supporting Texts: Judges 8–9; Romans 13:1–4; 2 Peter 3:8–10; Psalm 75:6–7

I. INTRODUCTION — A Tale of Treachery

Beloved, the account before us is one of the most shocking narratives in all of Scripture. It is a story of ambition, murder, and the slow but certain justice of God.

Abimelech — the son of Gideon by a concubine from Shechem — slew seventy of his own brethren, not strangers, on a single stone. He murdered them all at the same time, sparing only Jotham, the youngest, who managed to hide.

This was not a battle against enemies. This was fratricide. This was the slaughter of family. And it was done, as the text tells us, ”on one stone” — a calculated act of elimination to remove any potential rivals to his claim to leadership.

Now, that is amazing. That a man could rise up against his own blood, against the house of his father, and destroy it utterly — this reveals the depths of human depravity. And it sets the stage for a profound lesson about the nature of evil, the patience of God, and the certainty of divine judgment.

II. THE NATURE OF EVIL — Always Treacherous

Evil always arises from treacherous backend activities. Flattery. The pointing and shouting out of credentials. Boasting to fellow perpetrators and gossip listeners.

Abimelech went to Shechem, his mother’s hometown, and conspired with his maternal relatives. He appealed to them, arguing that it would be better for them to be ruled by one man — himself — rather than by the seventy sons of Gideon. And they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith.

We see the love of money here — the root of all evil. Judas collected money to betray Christ. The devil sought to usurp the true King. The evil one had no money, but he had flattery, cunning, ambition, and false desires for elevation. And here, Abimelech used money to hire ”reckless and worthless men” to follow him.

This was not a hereditary monarchy. It was the time of the Judges, when God Himself was the direct ruler of Israel, executing that office through His chosen leaders in times of oppression. Abimelech was never ordained by God. He appointed himself. And self-appointment, when God has not appointed, is rebellion.

III. THE PARABLE OF THE BRAMBLE — A Warning from Jotham

Jotham, the sole survivor of the massacre, heard that Abimelech had been made king by the leaders of Shechem. He went to Mount Gerizim and delivered a parable to the people of Shechem.

The trees went to the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine — each of which declined the offer to reign over them, citing their valuable contributions. Finally, they went to the bramble, the thornbush, and said, ”Come, and reign over us.”

And the bramble replied: ”If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon”.

The thornbush is a lowly and unworthy plant, symbolizing Abimelech’s unworthiness to rule. It offers shade — but a thornbush provides little protection or comfort. And its threat of fire foreshadows the destructive consequences of his rule.

The cedars of Lebanon, known for their strength and majesty, represent powerful leaders. The image of a thornbush consuming the cedars highlights the unnatural and destructive nature of Abimelech’s reign.

Jotham concluded with a curse: if the covenant with Abimelech was unjust, God would let both sides devour each other. And that curse would come to pass.

IV. GIDEON — The Father Who Would Not Rule

Now, we must consider Gideon, the father of these seventy sons. Gideon was a man of faith. When the Lord called him, he was not in a cave cowering. He was threshing wheat in a winepress, hiding from the Midianites (Judges 6:11). He was cautious, perhaps, but not fearful.

God commanded Gideon to destroy the altar of Baal in his own father’s house. This revealed that idolatry had infiltrated Gideon’s own household. Gideon obeyed, tearing down the altar and cutting down the Asherah pole. The men of the city demanded his death, but his father Joash defended him, saying, ”Let Baal fight with him”.

Gideon refused to establish a dynastic rule, declaring: ”I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you”. Yet despite this, after his death, his son Abimelech sought the power his father had refused.

Gideon’s legacy is mixed. He obeyed God and delivered Israel, but he also made an ephod that became a snare (Judges 8:27). And from his concubine came the seed of destruction — Abimelech.

Now, some might argue against unconditional election because of Gideon — that there was something good in him before he was saved. But this is not a good argument. The bottom line of man’s state is that we are all fallen. Gideon’s sins and omissions were clearly expressed. It could not have been his sinlessness that was the reason for his choosing. Rather, it was the striving after the Lord’s desire — the faith that God had promised to provide for His own.

God’s election is unconditional. It is grounded entirely in His mercy and will, independent of foreseen merit or action on the part of humanity. Gideon was chosen not because he was good, but because God is good.

V. THREE YEARS — The Measure of Divine Patience

Now we come to the heart of our text: ”When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel.”

Three years. Not thirty. Not three hundred. Three years.

Why three years? The number three in biblical terms can symbolize completeness or divine intervention, suggesting that Abimelech’s reign was allowed to reach its full measure before divine judgment was enacted.

God’s allowance of a three-year reign provides the chronological canvas on which His prophetic word is fulfilled. God allowed Abimelech three years of rule to:

• Display His sovereignty
• Vindicate His prophet Jotham
• Expose Israel’s sin
• Execute measured judgment upon Shechem

Three years of apparent silence reveal divine patience, not absence. God does not immediately overthrow the wicked but “gives him rope,” underscoring temporal freedom within divine parameters. He allows human choices but ultimately works His purposes through them. In some case it is short demonstrating the brevity of life.

We see this pattern throughout Scripture:

• Three years of famine in the days of Elijah (1 Kings 17:1)
• Three years of Christ’s earthly ministry (Luke 13:7)
• Three years of Paul’s ministry before going to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:18)

The number three signifies a complete period of testing — and then, divine action.

VI. THE BOOMERANG OF VIOLENCE

After three years, ”God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem”. Violence boomeranged. The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem’s leaders.

God sometimes makes use of an evil spirit to achieve His desired goal. He drives a wedge of unfaithfulness between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They become unfaithful to him, and he becomes treacherous toward them.

God’s judgment comes both on Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem. The citizens of Shechem are considered no less guilty than Abimelech himself. They supported him. They funded him. They gave him money from the temple of Baal. And therefore they share in his guilt.

The chapter climaxes with poetic justice. Abimelech, who killed his brothers on one stone, dies by a millstone thrown by a woman (Judges 9:53–54). Verse 56 states explicitly: ”Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech”.

So the curse of Jotham, the son of Gideon, came down upon them.

VII. THE PERPETRATORS OF EVIL — Foolishly Believing They Do God’s Bidding

The perpetrators of evil foolishly believe they are doing God’s bidding. They call “Lord, Lord” upon the ones they wish rid of, knowing deep down they never served and will be rightly rejected.

Abimelech ascended a throne that no priest assigned to him. Kings are God’s servants, ordained to wield the sword and keep the peace (Romans 13:1–4). Abimelech was never ordained. Yet he thought himself to be.

There is some semblance of truth in every accusation because the accused is a sinner like all. We are all guilty by association and by presence in this world of sin. The declaration is true: ”There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Man cannot punish all sins because then we would all be in jail.

In Abimelech’s case, he thought that by being a son — though not fully recognized by that society — he was fully qualified. But he knew he was partially associated and not qualified. And knowing that no hereditary ascension existed at the time, he was driven to viciousness. The most vicious are often the most guilty, for they confess their guilt by exhibiting the only recourse left when all right avenues are blocked — taking the law into their own hands to seize whatever they were not entitled to.

VIII. GOD’S PATIENCE — A Limit

God will not always chide. He does not come down to strike us down every time we sin. He leaves room for repentance. But His patience has a limit.

He may be eternal, but His patience does run out — especially on those whom He made perfect but who have been busy seeking many inventions rather than praising in joyful spirit the Lord of the realm, worshiping and enthroning Him daily in their hearts.

Could God have allowed seven years? Even seventeen? But God, who sees all, knowing man can but will not repent, calls or condemns. His realm. His choice. His rule.

”It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

IX. THE EXCELLENCY OF THE WORD

We are reminded that the excellency of the Word is not ours because we have molten clay for a body, and clay structures denigrate faster than strong rock-based ones.

God in His wisdom gives us a thorn in the flesh to remind us this world is transient and our real home is another — a newly created one in which all the patriarchs and prophets believed and therefore thrived in obedience and utterance to bring to this realm the reality of God.

Manasseh passed his own sons through the fire of Hinnom, yet when he repented, God forgave him. Christ preached the Kingdom for three years — a good time to gauge whether the anger is satanic and relentless or gentler and easy to entreat. Three years to confirm the incalcitrant nature of the spirit. Three years to exhibit God’s patience.

But it has a limit.

X. CHRIST — The Lion of Judah

The Lion of Judah — Christ — uttered all His words on the cross. Were they out of fear? No. The Lion is fearless. Yet the terror of the Lord is real. Even the Lord felt the dread at the approach to the cross, when God the Father unleashed His full wrath upon Him, the sinless One, for the sins of the chosen.

God did not choose a cowering, fearful man. He did not choose an idolater or a violent man — as those who wanted to slay Gideon for destroying the altar of Baal. Wisdom ran in Gideon’s family. His father’s response to the murderous rage dissipated it. God chose a man who was bold yet cunning — a man who would obey.

XI. THE TWO RIDERS — Man Between Two Powers

The old writers likened man’s state to being between two horse riders — powerless to stir himself, at the mercy of one or the other. Christ, the more powerful, came in meekness, a sample of strength even by the world’s standard — that the one who is quiet is supposed wiser.

He came to ransom with His blood. He paid the price so God, who will not demand twice for transgression, having accepted His beloved Son, will not turn you away if you bear His righteousness.

One rider bears the scars of sacrifice and offers His blood. He is a giver, a restorer, a builder. He leads by example. He heals, cleanses, and gives eternal life.

The other wears a fake crown of pride and deceit. He is drunk with the blood of the saints. He is no giver but a taker. Not a restorer but a destroyer.

So why look to him? Why follow his pernicious ways?

XII. CONCLUSION — The Certainty of Judgment

It has been two thousand years since Christ’s crucifixion. The world appears to go on without the consequences of that event. The world continues in sin — except for those who have been called to repentance down the ages. The exhibition of judgment as pronounced in Scripture — in Revelation, Daniel, Malachi — yet man always returns to disobedience and rejection of the cross.

Why?

Some say, “Nothing has happened.” But things have happened. They are too busy disobeying to notice. Could have fallen to Christ. Some in their midst have. The word is preached. The things they chase generate emptiness and do not satisfy their longings. Yet they continue in their pernicious ways.

They abuse God’s patience and mercy. Yet that abuse has not and will not stop God’s exercising of His attributes for the elect’s and Christ’s sake — the promise made to Him.

It looks long to you. Listen to what one of your own said: life is like a vapour that struts and parades itself on stage and is no more. The Bible calls returning to God our ”long home” — implying this is shorter, briefer.

Three years. Why? To allow repentance. To confirm the incalcitrant nature of the spirit. To exhibit God’s patience. But it has a limit.

The judgment of God is certain. It may tarry, but it will come. As the Psalmist writes: ”It is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another”.

The violent rise of Abimelech illustrates the biblical principle that sin leads to destruction. His account reminds us that actions contrary to God’s will have dire consequences.

And the same is true for you.

Do not be like Abimelech — seeking power you were never given, pursuing ambition that is not God’s will. Do not be like the men of Shechem — supporting evil, thinking you can escape the consequences. Do not be like those who abuse God’s patience, thinking the delay means there will be no judgment.

Three years later, God acted. And He will act again.

”The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

But the day of the Lord will come. And when it does, it will be swift.

Repent. Believe. And be saved.

Amen.

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Soli Deo Gloria