The Fruit of Idolatry • 03.06.22
Nick Lees   -   March 6, 2022

The Fruit of Idolatry
Judges 9

What happens when everyone does what is right in their own eyes?

  1. Immorality is passed down to the next generation
  2. Anarchy ensues
  3. God still reigns

Manuscript:

Good morning church family! Welcome to those who are new. My name is Nick Lees and I have the privilege of studying God’s Word with you this morning.

Dismiss 4th & 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Pg 119 of Blue Bibles)

We’ll be diving right back into our study of Judges today in chapter 9. Last week, we finished up the narrative of Gideon. If you were here, you heard my closing analysis that the fruit of Gideon’s life was a complex mix. He did some very good things in obedience to God alongside a lot of bad things. God used Gideon to deliver the nation from the Midianites, but Gideon also led the nation right back into idolatry and apostasy through his ephod. In fact, by the end of Gideon’s life it appeared he had allowed his desire to rule over Israel to dominate his choices. Let me remind you of how chapter 8 ended.

Judges 8:29–32 (ESV)

29 Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

The man functioned just like the rulers of the nations around him by indulging in polygamy with many wives. This was clear disobedience to God, and out of that disobedience, he produced 70 sons + one additional son by his concubine from Shechem. His name was Abimelech – anyone remember the meaning of his name? “My father is king!” Clearly Gideon was still desiring to be the ruler!

Do you remember what happened in Israel after Gideon’s death? They repeated the cycle of idolatry and evil.

Judges 8:33–35 (ESV)

33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. 34 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, 35 and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

They went back to doing what was right in their own eyes! They forgot God and treated Gideon’s family poorly. If you look at your bulletin, you’ll notice the question we’re going to wrestle with today is…

What happens when everyone does what is right in their own eyes?

This question is central to the book. The answer has been developed through each passing chapter. A nation filled with people who choose to reject God and His design for them leads to anarchy and idolatry. Which is going to be on full display yet again in Judges 9 through the life of Abimelech.

Abimelech is not one of the judges of Israel. He is the illegitimate child of one of the judges, but otherwise he’s just a normal citizen. However, he has the benefit (or burden) of being directly influenced by the latest judge of Israel. Let’s keep reading and see the fruit of Gideon’s influence on his son.

Judges 9:1–6 (ESV)

Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. 5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 6 And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

What just happened?! Abimelech just turned into a monster before our very eyes. He manipulates his hometown into a decision they really didn’t need to make. Did you catch that? He presents a false dichotomy to them. Do you want to be ruled by all 70 of Gideon’s sons or just me, your relative? Think with me for just a moment. Are these really the only two options they have?! Absolutely not! First, we have no indication that the other sons were seeking to rule, so it’s possible that was an outright lie, second, they could have said, “Yahweh is our ruler!” But Abimelech is painting the situation in a very specific way, a very manipulative way so he can be ruler! His name may mean “My father is king” but in reality he wants to be king!

Well, it works, and the relatives influence the city’s leadership to follow Abimelech. So, what do they do next? They give him money from their idol worship so he can hire a MOB of ungodly men. Men who were labeled as worthless and reckless. You know, later in the New Testament, Paul warns the Corinthians with this:

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)

33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Who you spend time with will have a profound influence on your life! If you surround yourself with ungodly people, you will not escape their influence. Well, what does it say about a man’s character when that’s the company he INTENTIONALLY brings alongside him!? This is heading downward quickly.

And the worst is about to come. Abimelech takes his ungodly gang back to his hometown of Orphah and murders his 70 half-brothers in cold blood. The biblical account is very abrupt here, 70 men, minus Jotham, on one stone. Can you imagine? I don’t really want to… but this mob rounded up all his brothers and then led them to the slaughter. One after another. It had to take quite some time to kill that many men. And surely they fought back and yelled/screamed.

And this was their relative! Not the Midianites, not the Moabites, not the Amalekites or the Hittites or some other external enemy of Israel. IT WAS THEIR BROTHER. ONE AFTER ANOTHER. DOWN CAME THE SWORD AND OFF WENT THEIR HEAD. The scene is gruesome. Abimelech is a serial killer. A cold-blooded, mass-murderer.

If you’re the people of Shechem, how are you responding at this point? As word reaches you of what your new ‘ruler’ has done, do you do some serious soul-searching and ask how you messed up so badly? How did we choose this psychopath to rule over us?! Nope. Look at verse 6 for their response.

6 And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

They did the exact opposite! They affirmed him – “this is the guy we want over us. All hail Abimelech, king of Shechem!” Absolutely jaw-droppingly awful. Behold the fruit of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes! When everyone does what is right in their own eyes…

  1. Immorality is passed down to the next generation

Gideon’s example in his later years of life paved the way for Abimelech and the tribe of Manasseh (his tribe, where Shechem is located) to go further down the path of anarchy and idolatry. One generation has profound influence on another. Remember 8:27-28?

Judges 8:27–28 (ESV)

27 And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. 28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

Did you know this is the last time the phrase “the land had rest” is found in the book? After Gideon things continue to get so bad, especially with the in-fighting that there are no more periods of rest for Israel. Remember that as soon as Gideon died, the nation turned again and whored after the Baals and made a covenant with Baal-berith instead of Yahweh.

Listen up adults. There is a powerful lesson for us here. You cannot live sinfully and expect that it won’t affect the next generation.

  • “Oh, my anger issue isn’t a big deal…”

Yes, it is! Kids see how you respond to life’s challenges. They listen and they learn. They’re little sponges who soak up everything around them, especially the things you don’t want them to!

The same is true for a variety of other issues:

  • Gossip/complaining
  • Laziness
  • Selfishness

They are watching and they are learning!

Now that is not to say that one generation bears the full responsibility for how the next generation turns out. Taking that extreme would be neglecting human responsibility. Each one of us is held accountable for the decisions we make. However, we cannot be naïve or willfully ignorant and pretend that our decisions do not have significant impacts on those who come after us, whether you have kids or not. Your choices matter. Your influence matters.

Gideon’s anger and vicious retaliation against the cities of Succoth and Penuel modeled something to the next generation. And this sinful vengeance is amplified by his son, Abimelech. As we’ll continue to see, he is walking in his father’s footsteps in many ways.

This lesson is on display not only in the narrative of Judges, but every single day in our own society. How we raise our kids, the things we model for them, become normative to them. How we use our influence matters! For better or worse, the style and content of my preaching and counseling sessions will influence others. I can either model godliness or immorality. The same choices are before you in your spheres of influence – your home, your workplace, your neighborhood.

Be careful of the temptation to excuse yourself from this scenario. None of us are off the hook. In fact, every single word we utter matters to God. Listen to how Jesus talks about our speech.

Matthew 12:36–37 (ESV)

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

That’s an all-encompassing statement! Your words matter! So let’s think about the implications…

What kind of training or discipleship did you do with your words this week? Did they produce righteousness and life in you and those who heard you? Or did they produce immorality and death?

Abimelech didn’t become a mass murderer overnight. First, he was raised in a home where Yahweh was not worshiped. Then he witnessed ungodly interactions modeled for him by others. His mother was in an illicit relationship with a man who was not her husband. He undoubtedly saw his peers and family bowing down to Baal-berith… He was a product of everyone doing what was right in their own eyes. You better believe these influences were having a profound impact on this young man!

What kind of influence are you on the next generation? What do they see modeled in you? What are your priorities? What are you passionate about? What do you spend your time talking about? Would they conclude – “God is clearly the most important thing to my mom/dad/aunt/uncle/gma/gpa/cousin, they shape their life around him”?

Let’s look at this from another angle. What kind of influences are you putting before your dependents? So now we’re not talking about your example but the example of others. Who are they hanging out with? Do you even know? What do those people value/how do they live?

What media is consumed in your home? Do you allow actors/actresses/musicians to disciple your kids to glorify violence and sexuality? Is social media monitored or an unrestricted, no holds barred access? Have you had any sort of conversation with your tweens and teens about godliness in use of technology?

You could be so vigilant in vetting your kids’ friends and their in-person influences, but if they have unfettered access to the internet, it’s only a matter of time before they are exposed to things darker than you can imagine. I say that from personal experience. I grew up as the internet became mainstream. I had unfettered access to it. Man’s depravity is on full display online and it’s only a matter of time before you stumble across it.

Are you modeling and DISCIPLING the next generation to face these temptations wisely? This is a discipleship issue! Sure, you could lock things down in every area of life, but that doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. Holiness is a heart issue. And God is after our hearts.

Abimelech didn’t just need a father figure, although that would have certainly helped. He needed godly parents who taught him the ways of the Lord. More than that, he needed godly parents who helped him understand the desires of HIS heart and directed him to God for true heart change. Is that the kind of relationship you’re cultivating with the next generation? Getting to the heart of the matter?

If you’re not sure how to do that, let’s talk about that. We have so many resources available at our church to equip you to get to the heart and pass down godliness to the next generation.

  • Pastor team
  • Resource library
  • Counseling ministry
  • Small Group Leaders
  • 1-on-1 discipleship
  • Jack + Emily

Ask for help. Email the church. Talk to me/SGL/Flahertys. Check out a resource or two. Keep learning and growing!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a couple of weeks ago, we hosted a training session here at the church for the new Truth78 curriculum. That was a time to equip our parents with the new tools we are so excited about in training up the next generation in godliness. Unfortunately, only a few families attended that training. That is concerning! It tells me we still have room to grow in this area as a church. This is meant to be a loving, pastoral admonition. If we’re serious about training up the next generation in godliness, then let’s take advantage of the resources being provided to us. The stakes are very high.

As we have already seen with Abimelech, not only he, but the entire city of Shechem turned aside to wicked ways. Immorality is not only a problem for individuals, but also for families and society at large!

Let’s read the rest of Abimelech’s story to find out how this plays out.

Judges 9:7–57 (ESV)

7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ 12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ 14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

16 “Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved— 17 for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, 18 and you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative— 19 if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” 21 And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.

22 Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25 And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. And it was told to Abimelech.

26 And Gaal the son of Ebed moved into Shechem with his relatives, and the leaders of Shechem put confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? 29 Would that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, ‘Increase your army, and come out.’ ”

30 When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now therefore, go by night, you and the people who are with you, and set an ambush in the field. 33 Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and rush upon the city. And when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may do to them as your hand finds to do.”

34 So Abimelech and all the men who were with him rose up by night and set an ambush against Shechem in four companies. 35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from the ambush. 36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” And Zebul said to him, “You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men.” 37 Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.” 38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them.” 39 And Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him. And many fell wounded, up to the entrance of the gate. 41 And Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives, so that they could not dwell at Shechem.

42 On the following day, the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told. 43 He took his people and divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. And he looked and saw the people coming out of the city. So he rose against them and killed them. 44 Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city, while the two companies rushed upon all who were in the field and killed them. 45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith. 47 Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” 49 So every one of the people cut down his bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in, and they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54 Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

What a sad recounting… Abimelech’s life is full of selfish ambition and wicked vengeance. And he’s not alone in this… This is a dark time in Israel’s history. Let’s summarize what we just heard…

After Abimelech’s murderous rampage, Jotham, the surviving son, pronounces a curse upon him and the people of Shechem for their wickedness. He uses a fable to demonstrate that the leaders chose the worst possible option for their ruler. They have settled for the bramble and their wicked dealings will result in fire consuming them. Jotham wants them all to be held accountable for their part in the wickedness.

As we evaluate the fruit of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes, here’s what we see in verses 7-57… When everyone does what is right in their own eyes…

  1. Anarchy ensues

We defined this term back at the start of series, let’s revisit it now…

Anarchy – a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.

Disorder or anarchy abounds within the nation, but, in this narrative, it is focused within the tribe of Manasseh. They are unwilling to be ruled by God and seek to appoint their own ruler. Remember how the book ends?

Judges 21:25

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

The utter chaos of Abimelech’s life and the people of Shechem is a direct result of refusing to bow the knee to Yahweh! Instead, they appointed wicked men as their rulers and bow down to idols.

You heard the awful fruit of their choices. Just as Jotham said, the alliance between Abimelech and Shechem broke down. The leaders of Shechem quickly rebelled against Abimelech as their new authority. They sought to ambush him in the mountaintops, but instead they were ambushed by Abimelech outside of their own city!

And Abimelech follows in the footsteps of his vengeful father, Gideon. He not only razes the entire city of Shechem, he kills everyone in it, and sowed its land with salt to try to prevent it from ever being rebuilt. As if that wasn’t bad enough, then he burns down their tower while 1,000 people are in it! This narrative is full of horrible vengeance. Those who were inside the tower had the choice to die of smoke inhalation, jumping to their deaths, or being burnt alive.

This is the kind of chaos that abounds when people abandon God and do what is right in their own eyes. Frankly it is not that much different than our day. In my lifetime, I have witnessed aircraft flown into skyscrapers, war after war around the world, politicians negotiating back-room deals to obtain or protect their power, the posturing and jockeying of people and even nations to be top dawg on the world scene, humans trafficking one another, and so much more. Only the Lord knows the details of all the wickedness and intrigue that happens in our world. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun. The wickedness and anarchy of Abimelech’s day is not unique to them. It still carries on to this day.

In our own nation, we have witnessed incredible division and anarchy over the past few years. Cities put to flame. The Capitol stormed by protestors. Incredible political and cultural divide has become the norm for America. In many ways we are walking in the footsteps of Abimelech and Shechem. We have turned on ourselves and become our own enemy.

Just like Abimelech and the people of his day, we need the LORD. We need him to rule and reign in us, over us, and through us. And that is ultimately, where I want to land this plane today. Focusing on God’s rule and reign. This is the reality we must cling to! Even though everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes and chaos abounds…

  1. God still reigns

Men falter and fail in massive ways, yet God’s plan is not thwarted. His will is still accomplished. The reality of God’s rule and reign is driving this narrative forward. No matter how wicked Abimelech and his cronies are, God returns that evil to him, as we saw in verses 23-24 and 56-57. Let’s review them.

Judges 9:23–24 (ESV)

23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

Judges 9:55–57 (ESV)

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone departed to his home. 56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Jotham’s curse came true because God reigns and he holds men accountable for their wickedness. He was sovereignly at work to judge the wickedness of Abimelech and the people around him. God is not threatened by humanity’s unrighteousness or idolatry. Nothing humanity does can dethrone God.

As you read this narrative, there is no escaping the reality of divine retribution. Abimelech cannot continue to exercise ungodly leadership and viciously kill his fellow Israelites. God addresses the wrongs of the man and the nation. The people cannot worship Baal-berith and get away with it. God made us to worship Him! When we choose to wander from this calling, he does righteously respond to it. He disciplines his children to call them back to himself, but he also punishes those who reject him. God’s rule and reign in this narrative ought to give us incredible hope.

Against the backdrop of the darkness of this narrative is the brilliance of God’s character.

  • God is sovereign

He calls the shots. None can thwart him. Even if the leaders or people of a nation chooses to reject him and pursue wickedness, he will accomplish his grand redemptive plan. God is at work, even in the worst situations. He is not surprised by human wickedness. In fact, God’s sovereignty means that he has the power and ability to bring good out of these trials. Evil men like Abimelech do not have the final say – God does! I love the example of the story of Joseph, who suffered greatly at the hands of his jealous brothers. And yet, at the end of his life, he could say, “Though you intended it for evil, God meant it for good.” Joseph recognized God’s sovereignty gives us hope in the darkest of seasons of life. Trials are not meaningless. The wicked will not prevail forever.

  • God is righteous/just

God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard for what is right. God’s righteousness gives us confidence that all will one day be put right. Evil will not have the final say. It will not go unaddressed. God sees and will hold them accountable for it. We can trust God to vindicate us.

It would have been wonderful if Israel had trusted their Diving King to rule over them. The theme of “rule” and ruler keeps coming up in their struggles… Who will lead them? They keep choosing unrighteous, ungodly men… They need a righteous king. Unfortunately for them, none have appeared on the horizon… yet. As the reader, you’re left wondering, who will this righteous King be?! When will he come? What will he be like? And how will he rule?

Thankfully we have the privilege of knowing who this righteous King will be. It is not King Saul or even his successor, King David. No, the perfectly righteous King will come much later, and his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The Son of God who came down and made a way of salvation for unrighteous men and women like us. He is the reason we gather today. He is the one worthy of our worship; the one who took the penalty for our sins; the righteous dying for the unrighteous; satisfying God’s justice once and for all. It is through faith in Jesus that we have the hope of change. The hope of no longer being enslaved to sin and bearing the fruit of idolatry in our lives/homes/society. Jesus is the answer and the hope that our broken world needs. Will you bow the knee to King Jesus this week? Will you live dependently upon him to bear the fruit of righteousness in your life and relationships?

Let’s pray.

 

 

Questions and Discussion:

  1. What connections did you notice between Gideon’s lifestyle and Abimelech’s character/decisions?
    1. What lessons ought we to take away from these connections?
  2. What kind of influence are you on the next generation? What do they see modeled in you? What are your priorities? What are you passionate about? What do you spend your time talking about?
  3. Do you feel comfortable and equipped to disciple the next generation towards holiness? Why or why not?
    1. What steps will you take this week to grow in being equipped?
    2. What steps will you take to actively disciple them towards holiness?
  4. How does the reality of God’s rule and reign provide hope in the midst of the darkness of our broken, sinful world?