“Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries"

The song “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy is a pleasant song, though the phrase “REMEMBER ME” is a bit redundant. The appeal of the song, beyond the sound, is it’s recognition of the never ending pursuit of immortality. In our world today the pressure to be known and remembered, even if it’s for a mistake, or for doing something disgusting in front of a camera is amplified by social media. The chorus quoted above, with its heavy emphasis on the repetition of “REMEMBER ME”, captures that pursuit quite well.

The desire to be remembered isn’t new and there’s Biblical precedent for this mindset that was demonstrated in perhaps one of the oddest incidents in the Bible. After Gideon’s death an illegitimate son, the truly evil Abimelech, murdered all his other sons and was declared king in Shechem. Just three years later Shechem rebelled under the leadership of another evil man, but they all ended up dead when Abimelech set their refuge on fire.

Unfortunately murder and deceit is all too common so that’s not enough to make us “remember” him, but how he died is memorable. Apparently his greed and blood lust were insatiable so Abimelech attacked a nearby town and, like Shechem, the people took refuge in a tower. However, when Abimelech approached the base of the tower a smart lady dropped a rock on his head. It didn’t immediately kill him so he had his assistant stab him to death so he wouldn’t be remembered for being killed by a woman (Judges 9:50-54).

The song may not be remembered in a year, but Abimelech’s death has gone down in history and will be remembered for centuries. What will we be remembered for? Serving God I hope.