Leader Abimelech - Judg 9: 19-21 -

>> “If you then have acted in good faith and honor with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you; but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the citizens of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the citizens of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech.” And Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. (Judg 9:19-21) <<

 

Gideon (Jerubbaal) was the judge of Israel who rescued Israel from the enemy, and he had a lot of concubines; one of them was a woman from Shechem whose son Abimelech slew all his half-brothers except one. About 70 Gideon's sons were slaughtered in one day. The text words of Bible is a curse that Jotham, who narrowly escaped from his half-brother's atrocities, uttered when he condemned and cursed the people of his (Abimelech's) mother's hometown, because the people of Shechem gave money to Abimelech, and he used the money to hire scoundrels to kill his half-brothers.

 

After all, as the curse predicted, Abimelech slaughtered the people of Shechem, his mother's hometown, when they rebelled against him, and he was hit and killed by a millstone thrown from above, which a woman threw at him while he attacked them.

 

A pastor in a church in Seoul built a big church in Sihwa, Jeongwang dong, Siheung si, with the collections (the money) of the members of his church in Seoul, and he has served as the pastor of both churches until now. He is a famous pastor, and is well-known because he appears on CTS TV (a Christian TV) from time to time. Thanks to his popularity, a lot of church members of small churches went to that church in Sihwa, and pastors of new small churches wept tears of blood then.

 

Years have passed, and now that pastor is of retirement age and has to leave the church. But this pastor altered the church law so that it was possible for him to continue to hold the real power upon the church without appointing a successor. And eventually this pastor established a religious corporation, to which he reverted all assets of both churches to the religious corporation. Now both churches became virtually penniless, and church members of both churches are begging him to step down, but he refuses flatly.

 

Such a pastor is an Abimelech pastor. Church members in Sihwa, you left small churches you've been serving faithfully and went to that large church the religious impostor built because his church looked good and his sermons sounded good. But what is the result? A lot of Christians left his church these days because they got sick of that religious impostor, and other Christians are still there; but isn't it funny to hear sermons and benedictions made by such a false pastor?

 

If a church was built in Sihwa with the money of the church in Seoul, wouldn't it be natural to make the new church independent from the church in Seoul? Believers in Sihwa, why were you tempted by the impostor ministering at two churches to become his sheep and to have a rough time like that? How pitiful you and the people of Shechem are!