Judges 9, a long chapter full of characters and chaos. We know what happened again , after Gideon died in Judges 8 :33And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

So when we do this, we get all that happens in Chapter 9. Verse 3 And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

Jesus says Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
One Book One story...
Read the parable of the trees that Jotham quoted starting in verse 7 then James 3 : 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Jotham flees after the parable of truth and God does this ,verse 22After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, 23 God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.

I paused here and thought about God sending a spirit of ill. I have heard many times in my life, if God is truly in charge of everything then why cant everyone be Noah , Moses or Jotham...

That is when we forget Who God is and what earth , Heaven and hell is about. Have you ever invited evil into your home to be with all you love?
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. We do not know everthing about this moment Jesus speaks of , but we know earth became satan's kingdom. Luke 4:6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
So until God tells Jesus “Go, “ we are in a war with Abimelechs and we are to know what side to be on. Verse 34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
So now we have a real mess and Abimelech is smart and in one battle uses fire verse 49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

Then God once again uses a woman to take down an evil King... Verse 53 But a certain woman dropped 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 men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.

All that killing and the battles and God uses a woman and a stone to end this mess.
Verse 56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
Why on earth would we not totally fall in love and long to be with God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior and the Holy Spirit our guide...Come Lord Jesus Come...