Joe: Alright, so let's talk about Judges 9. Tell us what it's about.

Bible Expert: Well, Judges 9 tells the story of a man named Abimelech, who sought to become the king of the Israelites, and the somewhat disastrous consequences of his ambition.

Joe: Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there buddy. Abimelech? What kind of a name is that?

Jamie (from the side): *Googles* It looks like it's a Hebrew name meaning "My Father is King".

Joe: Ahh, interesting. Go on.

Bible Expert: So, Abimelech's father was Gideon, one of the Judges of the Israelites, and Abimelech was the son of a concubine, so he was not in line to be the King. He managed to convince the people of Shechem to make him their king, and he then proceeded to get rid of all of his 70 brothers in order to consolidate his power.

Joe: Wait, he killed all of his brothers?

Bible Expert: Not all of them. He knew that the people of Shechem would not like it if he killed all of them, so he only killed the ones that were in line to be the king.

Joe: Wow, that's cold. So what happened then?

Bible Expert: Well, Abimelech reigned for three years, but the Lord was not pleased with his rule and allowed a man named Gaal to lead a revolt against him. Abimelech was ultimately victorious, but the Lord sent a prophet to warn him that he had acted foolishly in seeking to be the king, and that his rule would eventually lead to his downfall.

Joe: Wow, that's pretty intense. So what happened to Abimelech?

Bible Expert: Well, he was eventually killed by a woman who dropped a millstone on his head from the wall of a city he was besieging.

Joe: Whoa, that's intense! So what did we learn from this chapter?

Bible Expert: Well, I think the lesson here is that ambition is a double-edged sword. Abimelech was ambitious and he was successful, but his ambition ultimately led to his downfall. So, the lesson is to be careful not to let ambition get the better of you.