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Judges 9:7-15 – Jotham’s Parable

Yesterday, we noted that all but one of Abimelech’s brothers were murdered. The one who survived was Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son, who hid from Abimelech and his worthless and reckless men. When Jotham hears that the men of Shechem have declared Abimelech to be king, he goes to Mount Gerizim, which overlooks Shechem, and cries out a parable to them. In the parable, the trees desire to have a king, but all those who are worthy and valuable – the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grape vine – decline because they have better things to do as they fulfill the purposes for which God made them. The only one willing to be king was the worthless bramble.

Jotham is saying that, in this era in which the LORD, alone, is supposed to be King of Israel, those who may have the qualifications to be king will reject the office, until such time as God reveals that it is His purpose to make a man king. Only a worthless man would accept kingship when it is the will of the people, alone, and not the revealed will of God. Such a kingship, not offered or accepted in good faith, will prove disastrous, like a fire lit in the brambles devouring the cedars of Lebanon.

No matter what form of civil government you and I live under, ultimately it is the LORD who is King. Jesus Christ, who is both the LORD God and Man, is the rightful ruler of all the nations. One day every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that He is LORD (as Philippians 2:10-11 says). Until then, as Psalm 2 tells us, the rulers of the earth are warned to acknowledge the Son of God’s rule over them, or they will suffer dire consequences. May we solemnly warn those in power of their responsibility to acknowledge Christ’s rule.

Questions

  1. Who was supposed to be King in Israel in the time of the judges?
  2. Who does the bramble represent in Jotham’s parable?
  3. Who is the ultimate King of all nations?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that Christ be honored as King of the nations.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.