Judges 9:7-21
7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and raised his voice and called out. And he said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
8 Once the trees went to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’
9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I give up my fatness with which God and mankind are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’
12 Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I give up my new wine, which cheers God and mankind, and go to wave over the trees?’
14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
16 “Now then, if you have acted with honesty and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have dealt with him as he deserved—
17 for my father fought for you, and risked his life and saved you from the hand of Midian;
18 but in fact you have risen against my father’s house today and have killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative—
19 so if you have acted with honesty and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, be joyful about Abimelech, and may he also be joyful about you.
20 But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may fire come out of the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech.”
21 Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; and he stayed there because of his brother Abimelech.
Jotham’s Parable
At Mount Gerizim
Those who commit unrighteousness will not prosper forever. People will eventually reap what they sow. It was Abimelech that massacred 69 sons of Jerubbaal, but the responsibility for this slaughter also laid with the people of Shechem who made him king. Jotham, the lone survivor, spoke a message of judgment to the people of Shechem. (1) Jotham stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, overlooking the city of Shechem, and began to address them. (2) He proclaimed the destruction to the people of Shechem through a parable, which is a storytelling method that allows for the expression of emotions. As we read this parable, we should contemplate Jotham’s anger, sorrow, and disappointment. (3) In this parable, the olive, fig, grapevine, and thornbush are the main characters, and the first three represent major products of Palestine. The last thornbush, in contrast, is not only useless but even harmful. (4) The olive, fig, and grapevine represent Jerubbaal (Gideon), while the thornbush represents Abimelech. (5) The first three trees refuse to give up their usefulness and dignity to rule over the others. This is similar to when Gideon refused to become king. (6) The thornbush, on the other hand, embraces the idea of being king, just like Abimelech. Although the thornbush cannot provide shade or produce useful products, it promises to do so. In reality, it sets fire to the valuable cedars of Lebanon and consumes them.
Declaration of curse
The conclusion of Jotham’s message is, “Have you acted in good faith toward Jerubbaal and his family?” If so, the choice of making Abimelech king will be blessed. However, if not, both the people of Shechem and Abimelech will face destruction. Jotham fled from there and went to Beer, north of Beth-shan, and hid himself. After three years, Abimelech faced a revolt from the people of Shechem and was killed. We must not underestimate God. Let us continue to learn to fear God today.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, may I walk seeking not the reward of unrighteousness but the reward that You bestow. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.