The Rise of Abimelech: The story of Abimelech reveals the depths of degeneracy to which Israel had fallen in their rebellion against the Lord. Abimelech, evil as he was, was able to accomplish what he did because he exploited Israel’s tribal chauvinism and perverse desire for an earthly king, which gave expression to their inner rebellion against the One who already was king in Israel (8:23). Israel got what it deserved in Abimelech. Here, for the first time in Judges, the oppressing power came from within the covenant community rather than from outside. Many commentators treat the Abimelech story as an interruption or an aside. But we must take seriously the fact that structurally it stands at the center of the book and seek to understand its important function in the overall story, parti…