Abimelech, Gideon’s son, by conspiracy with the Shechemites, and the murder of his brethren, Jotham the youngest escaping, is made king, 1-6. Jotham by a parable rebuketh them, and foretelleth their ruin: he flees and dwells at Beer, 7-21. The Shechemites conspire against Abimelech, 22-25. Gaal joins himself to the Shechemites, 26-29. Zebul reveals it, 30-33. Betrayeth Gaal, 34-38. Abimelech overcometh them, and soweth the city with salt, 39-45. Sets the tower on fire; also the hold of the god Berith, 46-49. He subdues Thebez: going near to the tower to burn it, a woman casts down a piece of a millstone on his head, and breaks his skull, 50-53. He commands his armour-bearer to thrust him through, 54. Jotham’s curse is fulfilled, 56, 57.
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George Swinnock's The Beauty of Magistracy: 'Objection 9. Most magistrates are corrupt and wicked; of all the kings of Israel, there were not past four that were good. They are most of them tyrants and oppressors; they are briars and brambles, not olives and vines, that seek for kingdoms, Judg 9. Ergo, down with them all!
Answer 1. This is like anabaptistical logic. Because some abuse meat, drink, light, money, clothes, etc., ergo, away with them all. Who knows not that the abuse of a thing must not take away the use of it? Though the person may be bad, yet the office is good. Judas was bad, yet the apostolical office was good. A persona ad rem non valet…
Matthew Henry: '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 neighbouring power, but by intestine broils among themselves, which in this chapter we have the story of; and it is hard to say whether their sin or their misery appears most in it. It is an account of the usurpation and tyranny of Abimelech, who was base son to Gideon; so we must call him, and not more modishly his natural son: he was so unlike him. We are here told, I. How he thrust himself into the government at Shechem, his own city, by subtlety and cruelty, particularly by the murder o…