Judges 9:25

*“The men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who might pass by them along the road; and it was told to Abimelech.”* (v.25)

At this point in the Book of Judges, Abimelech, a son of the judge Gideon (also called Jerubbaal), had positioned himself as ruler over Shechem shortly after Gideon’s death. Shechem, located in the hill country of Ephraim, was an ancient city of significance in Israel. By alignment with its people, Abimelech had achieved a kind of kingship without divine appointment. However, *the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains* (v.25), demonstrating that their initial loyalty to Abimelech quickly turned into treachery. Their scheme also harmed innocent travelers, as *they robbed all who might pass by them along the road* (v.25). Word of this betrayal soon *was told to Abimelech* (v.25), setting the stage for further conflict.

Within the context of the time of the Judges, this kind of deception and power struggle reflects the ongoing pattern of disobedience in Israel, where *each man did what was right in his own eyes* (Judges 17:6). Abimelech’s grasp for rulership, coupled with Shechem’s rebellion, reveals a deep moral fracture: God’s covenant order was replaced with human scheming, and social stability gave way to violence. The cyclical nature of Israel’s disobedience—oppression, then chaotic leadership, and repeated betrayal—is seen elsewhere in the Book of Judges, when Israel continually abandoned godliness for self-rule citeturn0file0. Here, Shechem’s ambush emphasizes the inevitable breakdown of society when leaders exalt themselves without respecting God’s righteous ways.

Spiritually, this passage highlights the destructive consequences of forsaking the true King of Israel, the LORD. Abimelech’s pursuit of power apart from God’s guidance and the men of Shechem’s duplicity toward their chosen leader stand as reminders that misplaced allegiance and selfish ambition inevitably sow seeds of discord (cf. Mark 3:24–25, NASB-95). In the broader biblical story, Jesus Christ teaches a way of humble service in leadership (Matthew 20:25–28, NASB-95), showing by contrast how self-seeking rule leads to conflict. The men of Shechem’s ambush thus foreshadows Jesus’s timeless principle that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

Shechem’s betrayal of Abimelech warns us that any kingdom built on human pride rather than God’s justice is bound to fracture.