Sharper Iron From Kfuo Radio

Rev. David Appold, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Paducah, KY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Judges 9:22-41. The short reign of Abimelech is a photo negative of the kingdom of God. Though Abimelech perhaps fancied himself king over all Israel, his rule was far more localized, primarily in the city of Shechem. God gave Abimelech and his Canaanite friends over to the evil they desired from the start of their ascent to power. Their shaky alliance quickly devolved into treachery, as the Shechemites worked against any peace or prosperity that should have characterized the rule of a king. When a drunken boast from Gaal called upon the Shechemites to remember and renew past hostilities, Zebul took advantage of the situation and led Abimelech to bring the insurrectionist to a violent end. This is only the beginning of Abimelech’s downward trajectory. God’s Word presents this, and other, ugly accounts of the sinfulness of mankind in order to bring into sharper relief the Gospel of the reign of Jesus