A common misinterpretation reads this verse as neutral political advice endorsing conditional loyalty to any leader who claims sincerity, ignoring its condemnatory context within Jotham's curse on Shechem's treacherous choice of Abimelech, the fratricidal tyrant; others might wrongly attribute it to Abimelech justifying his rule or apply it today to rationalize backing corrupt politicians under the guise of 'deserving' merit, overlooking the passage's emphasis on covenantal justice and the inevitable divine judgment on such hypocrisy.
Judges 9:16
King James Version (1769)
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
Judges 9:16 challenges the people of Shechem to examine their consciences regarding their support for Abimelech's kingship, questioning if their actions were truly just and sincere toward Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his family, whose blood Abimelech shed brutally; it highlights the moral accountability in choosing leaders, warning that insincere or evil alliances will bear bitter fruit, as part of Jotham's parable exposing the folly of preferring a murderous usurper over righteous kin.