THE POWER OF THE TONGUE

1. Abimelech

a) 29Then Gideon son of Joash returned home. 30He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives. 31He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech. (Judges 8:29-31 NLT)

b) 3So Abimelech’s uncles gave his message to all the citizens of Shechem on his behalf. And after listening to this proposal, the people of Shechem decided in favor of Abimelech because he was their relative. 4They gave him seventy silver coins from the temple of Baal-berith, which he used to hire some reckless troublemakers who agreed to follow him. 5He went to his father’s home at Ophrah, and there, on one stone, they killed all seventy of his half brothers, the sons of Gideon. But the youngest brother, Jotham, escaped and hid. 6Then all the leading citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo called a meeting under the oak beside the pillar at Shechem and made Abimelech their king. (Judges 9:3-6 NLT)

2. Jotham's parable

a) 7When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem! Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!

i) 8Once upon a time the trees decided to choose a king.
First they said to the olive tree,
‘Be our king!’ 9But the olive tree refused, saying,
‘Should I quit producing the olive oil
that blesses both God and people,
just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
10 “Then they said to the fig tree,
‘You be our king!’ 11But the fig tree also refused, saying,
‘Should I quit producing my sweet fruit
just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
12“Then they said to the grapevine,
‘You be our king!’ 13But the grapevine also refused, saying,
‘Should I quit producing the wine
that cheers both God and people,
just to wave back and forth over the trees?’
14“Then all the trees finally turned to the thornbush and said,
‘Come, you be our king!’ 15And the thornbush replied to the trees,
‘If you truly want to make me your king, come and take shelter in my shade.
If not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’” (Judges 9:7-15 NLT)

b) Mount Gerizim is the place where blessing is proclaimed over the people of Israel.

i) 11That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: 12“When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. 13And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse. (Deuteronomy 27:11-13 NLT)

ii) 24'Cursed is anyone who attacks a neighbor in secret.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’ 25'Cursed is anyone who accepts payment to kill an innocent person.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’ (Deuteronomy 27:24, 25 NLT)

3. Jotham's curse

a) 16Jotham continued, “Now make sure you have acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelech your king, and that you have done right by Gideon and all of his descendants. Have you treated him with the honor he deserves for all he accomplished? 17For he fought for you and risked his life when he rescued you from the Midianites. 18But today you have revolted against my father and his descendants, killing his seventy sons on one stone. And you have chosen his slave woman’s son, Abimelech, to be your king just because he is your relative. 21Then Jotham escaped and lived in Beer because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech. (Judges 9:16-21 NLT)

4. Fulfillment of Jotham's curse

a) 50Then Abimelech attacked the town of Thebez and captured it. 51But there was a strong tower inside the town, and all the men and women—the entire population—fled to it. They barricaded themselves in and climbed up to the roof of the tower. 52Abimelech followed them to attack the tower. But as he prepared to set fire to the entrance, 53a woman on the roof dropped a millstone that landed on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54He quickly said to his young armor bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me! Don’t let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!” So the young man ran him through with his sword, and he died. 55When Abimelech’s men saw that he was dead, they disbanded and returned to their homes. 56In this way, God punished Abimelech for the evil he had done against his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57God also punished the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham son of Gideon was fulfilled. (Judges 9:50-57 NLT)

5. The power of the tongue

a) 21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21 NIV)

b) Therefore, we should bless instead of curse so that the blessings of God can flow to the needy and also to us.

c) 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:9-12 NIV)

d) Should we stop doing good despite peer's pressure? Should we discontinue doing what God wants us to do despite disagreement from others? Should we abandon good works despite the many obstacles or hindrances we faced? The answer is a definite "No".

e) 13"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:13-16 NLT)

6. Prayer focus

a) Pray that we may do things right and thus enjoy God's goodness.