Please read the text before the commentary.
Abimelech was a son of Gedeon, who was judge of Israel and had seventy sons by his wife. Abimelech was Gideon’s son by another woman, either a secondary wife or a concubine.
Abimelech killed off all of Gideon’s sons by his first wife and wrested power for himself. He promoted his relatives on his mother’s side to leading position in his reign. Abimelech’s name means “The-God-King-is-my-Father”, an interesting name for a person who wanted to be the first king of God’s people.
In killing all his half-brothers, Abimelech missed one, Jotham. the youngest. Jotham confronted Abimelech to taunt him for being a reject of society. Jotham accused Abimelech of being worthless like thorns, not useful like vines, figs and olives. When the people of Shechem went looking for a king no nobleman wanted to have anything to do with them, but the thornbush welcomed the opportunity to rule over them.
Abimelech, then, who claimed to have God for his father according to his name, is not a wine to cheer God and men, nor a fig with its sweet fruit, nor an olive with rich oil that honors God and men. He would become kindling wood to burn and destroy the forests of Lebanon.
Jotham was a hero; Abimelech was not. Which are we in the story? How do we act with justice or without justice?