Jdg 9:41-57 But There was a Strong Tower Within the City

[Study Aired May 24, 2021]

Jdg 9:41  And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 
Jdg 9:42  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:43  And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them. 
Jdg 9:44  And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. 
Jdg 9:45  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. 
Jdg 9:46  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. 
Jdg 9:47  And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 
Jdg 9:48  And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. 
Jdg 9:49  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women. 
Jdg 9:50  Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 
Jdg 9:51  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. 
Jdg 9:52  And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 
Jdg 9:53  And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. 
Jdg 9:54  Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 
Jdg 9:55  And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 
Jdg 9:56  Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 
Jdg 9:57  And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 

At the end of the previous review, there was fighting between Abimelech and the men of Shechem who were led by Gaal. Abimelech overpowered the men of Shechem, and as they fled, many were wounded before they reached the gates of the city as predicted by Jotham, the son of Gideon. This situation came about as a result of God sending an evil spirit which caused an enmity between the men of Shechem and Abimelech, and it is one of the ways God uses to bring about His judgments. In this case, it is the use of a sword where every man’s sword is against his brother or neighbor. The sword here includes wars, bitter words, false doctrines, evil deeds against people by wicked men such as Abimelech, etc.

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Today’s review focuses on how Abimelech was finally put to death. As we stated in the last two previous reviews, Abimelech represents our old man, and so what we are going to learn is about how our old man is put to death.

Jdg 9:41  And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 

According to Strong, Arumah means height and Shechem stands for ridge. A ridge is a mountain range. In our previous review, we established the fact that a mountain signifies a place of worship. Therefore Shechem represents a place of worship, but in this case, they were worshiping another Jesus. That is Babylon. So verse 41 here is suggesting that during our time in Babylon, our old man (Abimelech) was puffed up with pride because of our good works. However, as the scriptures say, pride always comes before a fall (judgment). We were all like Gaal who was thrust out of his high grounds (pride) in Shechem when our Lord came to us with judgment.

Jer 49:16  Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

Psa 73:6  Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Pro 11:2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Jdg 9:42  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 

Our old man (Abimelech) can only hear people in the field.  As our Lord Jesus said in the parable of the weeds, the field is the world. So what this verse is saying is that even at the time that Christ came to us (the morrow) to take us out of Babylon (Shechem), we were still carnal and could only hear what is of the world (those in the field). It takes time for us to hear what the spirit is saying!!

Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Jdg 9:43  And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
Jdg 9:44  And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. 

The fact that Abimelech divided his people into three companies to engage the people coming out of the city is to let us know that our fiery trials are meted out to us by the Lord in stages. In other words, our judgment is a gradual process, and it is not done all at once lest we faint.

Rev 8:7  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Rev 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
Rev 8:9  And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

This verse also states that Abimelech and his people laid in wait in the field. That is to let us know that our old man (Abimelech) is a man of the field just like Esau who was also described as a man of the field. What this means is that our old man is carnal or worldly, and therefore we can only progress in our spiritual walk if our old man dies. The death of the old man is the birth of the new man after the image of Christ.

Gen 25:27  When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.

A positive application of the city of Shechem is that it served as a protection for those who dwelt in it.  To leave the city to go into the field is to become vulnerable to the dictates of the world which strengthens our old man to overcome us, causing us to become spiritually dead as we see that Abimelech smote all that came out of the city. In our case, the city where we dwell is the New Jerusalem. To leave the fellowship of the brethren as a result of pressures of putting food on the table for our family, disagreements, a rebuke from leadership or by a member, etc. is to leave the confines of the New Jerusalem to go to the field of the world, which makes us vulnerable to being overcome by the flesh.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Jdg 9:45  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. 

In order to explain this verse, we need to understand what fighting the city all that day and sowing the city with salt mean. Spiritually, a day can mean a thousand years, as Peter taught us in the scriptures as follows:

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

In other words, a day spiritually is the period of our lives where we are dominated by the flesh (1000 years). Since we represent the city, Abimelech fighting against the city all that day signifies that this fight against our old man (Abimelech) is for a long period of time in our lives. However, if we are destined to overcome, the old man will surely be crucified. On the other hand, if we are not predestined to overcome, the old man will overcome us and sow our bodies with salt. That is what happens to those who remain in Babylon.

Sowing a city with salt was a ritual of spreading salt on conquered cities to symbolize a curse on anyone who dared to rebuild it. It was a widespread practice in the ancient times near the East. This means that for those whose names are not written in the Book of Life, the old man will overcome them, and there will not be opportunity here on earth for the new man to rebuild the city of God in their lives.

Jdg 9:46  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. 
Jdg 9:47  And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

What the men of Shechem heard was what happened in the previous verse where Abimelech defeated the people in the city and sowed the city with salt. This is similar to saying that who is like the beast? Who can wage war with the beast?

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The men of Shechem went to the citadel of their god Berith for protection. Berith means covenant. When we are talking about covenant, then we are dealing with the law of sin and death. So what is being said here is that in Babylon, we come under the law of sin and death just like the Israelites. We think we are worshiping our Lord Jesus, but actually we are worshiping another Jesus by observing the law or the letter which kills. We therefore put so much confidence in the law which then becomes our fortress. However, Jude said that the very thing we think we know, or that we naturally have confidence in, which is the law, we end up corrupting ourselves by or putting ourselves under severe bondage to the old man!!

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

Jdg 9:48  And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. 
Jdg 9:49  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

What happened to the men of Shechem in the tower is happening to us now through God’s judgment.  Every branch within us that is not bearing fruit is being cut down through the use of a sword (axe). Here Abimelech represents wicked men being used by God as a sword or axe to cut the branch or wood, hay or stubble within us and then using them as fuel to burn all our false doctrines which have become our stronghold or tower of refuge. In other words, our own wickedness are being used to correct us.

Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

As stated in 1 Corinthians 1:13, every man’s work will be revealed and burned with the fire of the word of God. This is happening to us now but will surely be carried out for every human being that ever lived or will live, but each in his own order.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

Here in this story, we can see that Abimelech is raging like a bull and lifted up, thinking he is invincible and can do anything he wants. That is what happens to our old man. There were times we were swayed uncontrollably by our old man, and we wondered whether we could ever live a righteous life that pleases God.  It was as if our old man had become stronger, and we were at his mercy. However, when we see this beast raging within, we should know that its death is near as this story will unfold later. What Abimelech did to the men of Shechem was the end game for his own death.

Mat 24:32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
Mat 24:33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

The fact that a thousand men and women died as a result of the fire set by Abimelech to burn everybody in the tower is significant. The number 1,000 is equal to 10x10x10. Ten means the fullness of the flesh. So here we are being told that the purpose of our judgment is the death of our flesh or our old man. As our old man is dying, our new man after the image of Christ is being born, and it is through this new man that we become righteous.

Another point we must note here is that this judgment also applies externally. Verses 48 and 49 speak of the judgment of Babylon (all religions) as depicted by the death of the men and women of Shechem by the fire set by Abimelech. As we indicated in the previous review, we mentioned that the men of Shechem represents Babylon the great. Another confirmation of this is in the 49^th verse which indicates that both men and women numbering one thousand died in the tower burnt by Abimelech. As you are aware, the scriptures use the word “men” to refer to all individuals, and so everybody will be tried of his or her works as shown in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. The use of the word “women” refers to the churches or Babylon. This means that both individuals and Babylon will be judged. As stated in the previous review, the judgment of this great whore is gradually getting within sight.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Jdg 9:50  Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

According to Strong, the name Thebez means whiteness. On a positive note, the color white signifies the elect who are being purified to become white. So the city Thebez in this context represents the New Jerusalem or heavenly Jerusalem which is the general assembly and the church of the first born.

Dan 12:8  And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9  And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Dan 12:10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

The fact that Abimelech encamped against Thebez and took it means that as elect we shall fall, but God has assured us that when we fall seven times, we shall rise!! We need to fall so that we can be purged through judgment to become white.

Dan 11:34  Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
Dan 11:35  And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

Pro 24:16  For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Jdg 9:51  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

As we said, the city here is the New Jerusalem, and within this city is a strong tower which is Christ.

Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

So we run into this strong tower, which is Christ, and we are safe. Verse 51 says that the men and women went up to the very top of the tower. As we are being given the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, we are gradually going up the steps to the very top of this tower in Christ which symbolizes the heavenly places as spoken of by the word of God as follows:

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

What we are saying here of being raised up and sitting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus is the same as the dream Jacob had when he was in Bethel in which he saw a ladder reaching the heavens with angels ascending and descending. The angels are the elect who are here on earth but are also sitting in the heavenly places with Christ. Jesus Christ is this ladder, or in this context, the strong tower which connects the earth to the heavens, and so it is through Jesus that we are able to get to the heavenly places.

Gen 28:10  And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
Gen 28:11  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Gen 28:12  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Gen 28:13  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
Gen 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 28:15  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Gen 28:16  And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Gen 28:18  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
Gen 28:19  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
Gen 28:20  And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
Gen 28:21  So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
Gen 28:22  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Jdg 9:52  And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 

The fact that we are in Christ or in this strong tower does not mean that the battle against the old man or the flesh is over. We are cautioned by the Lord through Peter that our adversary is still relentless in his pursuit of us to put us to death spiritually.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Here in this verse, the enemy (Abimelech) is trying hard to burn down the door of our tower with fire. As we have said, the tower is Christ, and Christ is the word. So the gate of this tower is the entrance to the word of God. This is what the word of God says about the entrance to the word of God:

Psa 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

So the gate to this tower, which is the word of God, is the light or understanding God gives us as we come to the word. So verse 52 here is telling us about one of the key strategies of the enemy. He comes to destroy this light or understanding with his fire.  We must understand that there is fire in the scriptures, which is the word of God that destroys all that offends in the kingdom of God as shown by this statement from the scriptures:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

There is also fire which comes from our idol worship (now idols of the heart) which burns our sons and daughters. This fire sends us into outer darkness making it difficult for the glorious light of the gospel to penetrate our minds and hearts. This fire by Abimelech to destroy the door to this strong tower is therefore the false doctrines and the idols of the heart which dim or block the light of the glorious gospel which is the entrance to the understanding of the word of God.

Jer 19:5  They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Mat 8:12  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Jdg 9:53  And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
Jdg 9:54  Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Jdg 9:55  And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

As we just discussed, through Christ who is the strong tower, we are able to climb to the very top of the tower which is being in heavenly places. From the heavenly places’ perspective, we are able to see the enemy (Abimelech) clearly and his antics. Through a woman, that is the church, we are able to put to death Abimelech. It is important to note that Abimelech or our old man died as a result of the millstone thrown by the woman and the sword. A millstone is a circular stone used for grinding grain. We, the elect are the millstone which is being shaped to become circular by the Lord through judgment to be used to break down the word of God (grain) for our consumption or growth. That is what destroys our old man.

The fact that Abimelech did not want to die at the hand of a woman is to let us know that anybody who is dominated by the old man does not consider us as the church of the first born or the New Jerusalem. To the world and Babylon, we are weak and cannot even kill a fly (which is the truth). How much more to put to death our old man whom the whole world including Babylonians consider as fighting a losing battle!!

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Jdg 9:56  Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 
Jdg 9:57  And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 

What we can learn from verses 56 and 57 is that whatever we sow, we shall reap. We must realize that we always reap more than we sow.

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Verses 56 and 57 are also to assure us of the fulfillment of the word of God both inwardly and outwardly. In other words, He who had begun a good work in our lives will surely see to its completion. This assurance is what our Lord told Zerubbabel. We should not despise what we are now or our small beginning.  We are the Lord’s work in progress, and it is not by our own strength or power but by His spirit. Whatever is like a mountain now in our lives shall be made a plain later, and so let’s not give up as a result of the challenges we are facing now, be it sickness, financial distress, besetting sins, depression, not being loved, etc. The word of God says that the challenges we are facing are not unique to us alone but are common to many believers all over the world. We are all not perfect now just like Zerubbabel but by His chastening grace, we shall all say one day like Zerubbabel, “grace, grace unto it”.

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

[Author may be contacted at abarnes (at) semfinancial.com]