The Foolishness of Favoritism

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” It’s the way of politics, of society—even of the church. Giving out favors to relatives and friends seems like a natural thing. People have come to expect it.

But the book of Judges views favoritism in a different light. Showing undue favor toward relatives and friends eventually causes chaos and calamity. The practice is called “nepotism.” According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, the term arose because of the appointment by popes of their illegitimate sons (known in polite society as “nephews,” or nepote in Latin) to high government positions.

Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with his three hundred soldiers, had 70 sons from his many wives and other sons born to his concubines. When Gideon died, a power struggle among the various sons naturally developed. One of these sons of a concubine was Abimelech, whose name means “My father was king.”

Abimelech knew how to get on top of the heap. He called together all the sons of his mother and asked them a simple question: “ ‘ “Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?” Remember that I am your own flesh and bone’ ” (Judg. 9:2b). Notice the basis of his appeal. He did not say, “I am the most qualified” or “I have been around the longest.” Instead, he appealed to them on the basis of two factors: first, a single ruler would be better for them; and second, he was their relative.

What are the consequences of nepotism? What fruit does it yield? Remember, it is by the fruits that you shall know the true nature of an ideology. What does nepotism produce?

First, nepotism makes favors flow to the family. The citizens of Abimelech’s home town said, “He is our brother.” So they gave him 70 shekels of silver (Judg. 9:4). Money that rightly should be spent somewhere else in the building of God’s kingdom ends up in the comfortable lap of the family members.

Second, nepotism produces corruption and violence. With the money he received from his brothers, Abimelech hired “reckless adventurers who became his followers” (Judg. 9:4b, NIV). He hired mugs, goons, and crooks. He did not have enough money to sustain these men, so naturally they used violence to sustain themselves. Then Abimelech went down to the house of his father Gideon and, on one stone, murdered 69 of his 70 brothers, the sons of Gideon’s wives (v. 5). As a matter of fact, the citizens of Shechem joined with him in murdering his brothers (v. 24). Nepotism is like a disease that settles in the blood—it rapidly infects the whole body. Once it begins, it clouds everyone’s judgment.

Third, nepotism leads to false glorification. It blinds people to the faults of its beneficiaries and puffs up their supposed qualifications. All the people gathered beside the great tree in Shechem to make Abimelech king. They glorified a corrupt murderer. The people ignored the evil he had done because they were personally prospering. As long as the economy was doing well, no one dared tamper with the system.

Fourth, nepotism brings on the curse of self-destruction. The one surviving son of Gideon pronounced his curse on Abimelech and the city of Shechem: “If then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerubbaal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too! But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you … and let fire come out from you … and consume Abimelech!” (Judg. 9:19–20, NIV).

By rivalry, intrigue, deception, ambush, and brutality, Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem consumed each other. Self-destruction always will be a consequence of nepotism. It may take a little time. The fruit of self-destruction may not be obvious at first. But always someone will arise who will give more compliments, offer more bribes, promise more favors. So the heads will roll once more. No more bitter feelings may be found than among brothers, friends, or neighbors who have turned against one another. The mass graves of genocide appear most frequently where two peoples have lived in closest connection with one another.

You may think that favoritism toward relatives and friends will pay. You may think it is the safest way to live. Indeed, in the short run, the relatives and friends will benefit. In the case of Abimelech, everyone benefited for three years. But in the end, he was consumed by his own relatives and his relatives were consumed by him. It is God’s special curse on nepotism.

Refuse to have anything to do with nepotism’s selfish, self-protective, self-centered inclinations. Instead, make righteous judgments. As a citizen of the state, as a member of the church, insist on a complete repudiation of the prejudicial practices of nepotism. Just because a man is a good elder does not mean his son should be chairman of the board of deacons. The safest path is to remember that all believers in Christ are your true brothers. Remember what Jesus said when His mother and His brothers came expecting favored treatment: “ ‘Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother’ ” (Matt. 12:50). These are the ones who receive respect and honor from God Himself, the ones who live according to His will.