April 28th

By Randall L. Broad

Read: Judges 8:18-9:21; Luke 23:44-24:12; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 14:9-10

In today’s reading from the Old Testament there is a parable told by Jotham. He was the last surviving descendant of Gideon other than his brother King Abimelech. Abimelech put all his other brothers to the sword.

Jotham’s Parable

⁷When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem! Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!

 ⁸Once upon a time the trees decided to elect a king. First they said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’

 ⁹But the olive tree refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’

 ¹⁰“Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!’

 ¹¹But the fig tree also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing my sweet fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?’

 ¹² “Then they said to the grapevine, ‘You be our king!’

 ¹³But the grapevine also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the wine that cheers both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’

 ¹⁴“Then all the trees finally turned to the thorn bush and said, ‘Come, you be our king!’

 ¹⁵And the thorn bush replied to the trees, ‘If you truly want to make me your king, come and take shelter in my shade. If not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”

Judges 9:7-15

The parable teaches we must be careful choosing leaders because the fittest are not always willing to serve.

First they asked the olive tree because it had great significance in the ancient world. It was a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. Victors in games and wars were honored with branches and it was an emblem of benediction and purification. When Noah sent out his dove in search of land it was an olive branch the bird returned with.

It refused to be king.

Secondly, they asked the fig tree because it was a symbol in the ancient world of fertility as well as a covering for evil. The symbolic value came from the original story of creation. The leaves of the fig were used to cover the shame of Adam and Eve when they hid from God after eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge (Genesis 3:7).

It refused to be king.

Thirdly, they asked the grapevine. The symbolic value came from the story of the flood. Grapes are first mentioned in the bible when Noah grows them on his farm after the waters subsided (Genesis 9:20). In time they would spread across the earth and become useful in many religious rituals after the flood.

It refused to be king.

None of the noble trees chose to be king and the people settled for the thorn bush.

Their first mistake was the trees made the decision to elect a king. Every tree is made by God. They needed no king; they needed an understanding of God. For generations between Moses and David, and between David and Jesus the people of the world chose leaders that were more like thorn bushes than noble, life sustaining trees. The same phenomenon has occurred since Jesus died and is a common characteristic of a humanity that values secularism and relativity over truth.

Walk with the Lord …

Ephesians 1:17

(RLB250428)

© Copyright 2013: Randall L. Broad

Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.