Judges 9–10

The Cycle Continues

Judges 9 tells about Abimelech, son of Gideon, who took advantage of his father’s popularity and became king of Shechem. The story helps us see the problems in ignoring the Lord and solely putting our trust in man to lead and rule us.

Judges 10 records that Israel continued worshiping idols. Consequently, they lost the protection of the Lord and were conquered by their enemies. They then began to cry to the Lord for help. In this case, the Lord sternly rebuked the people when they cried for help. He told them to go “cry unto” the idols they worshiped and see if those gods would provide deliverance (see Judges 10:13–14).