Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Tanya Wilmuth.

So no surprise, we all live in a world that constantly tells us to chase our desires.

And those can be success or recognition or control over our own story.

And let's be honest again, social media is filled with people curating their image,

crafting their narrative, and doing whatever it takes to get ahead. But have you ever stopped

to ask? Okay, what happens if I actually get everything I want? What happens if everything I see

here on social media or everything that I desire actually comes true? Now that's the question that

judges nine forces us to consider. Abimelech wasn't content with the

life he had. He wanted to be king. He wanted to be in charge of Israel. And when he finally got what

he wanted, it led to destruction, not just for him, but for everyone around him. Today we're going to look at Abimelik's life and ask ourselves,

are we chasing things that God actually desires for us?

Or are we more like a mibelik, getting what we want, but losing what truly matters?

Until this chapter in Judges, there has been a recognizable cycle in the whole book.

It goes like this. Sin, oppression, crying out, God raising up a leader, victory, and peace. God's

mercy shines through. But Judges Nine breaks that pattern, giving us one of the darkest accounts in Israel's history.

Unlike the other leaders and judges who were called by God without seeking the role,

Abimaluk took the title by force, murdering all but one of his 70 brothers.

His name, meaning my father is king, reveals his ambition. He makes no effort to even appear humble,

arguing that Israel would be better off under a single ruler, namely himself. Abimelech's story

is a cautionary tale about what happens if we get what we truly desire. His surviving half-brother Jotham

delivers a parable that essentially tells Israel, if you have been fair in making a Bimulet

...