Then the trees said to the grapevine, 'Come and reign over us.' Then the trees saidThis phrase introduces the continuation of Jotham's parable, a account told to convey a deeper truth. The "trees" symbolize the people of Shechem and the leaders of Israel, who are seeking a king to rule over them. In the Hebrew context, trees often represent leaders or nations, as seen in other biblical passages. This anthropomorphic imagery sets the stage for a lesson on leadership and the consequences of poor choices. to the vine
The vine is a symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity in the Bible, often associated with Israel itself (Psalm 80:8, Isaiah 5:1-7). In this parable, the vine represents a potential leader who is productive and beneficial. The choice of a vine highlights the desire for a ruler who can bring prosperity and blessing, contrasting with the thornbush, which ultimately becomes their king. 'Come and reign over us.'
This invitation reflects the people's desire for governance and order, a recurring theme in Israel's history. The Hebrew root for "reign" (מָלַךְ, malak) implies not just ruling but doing so with authority and responsibility. The plea for the vine to "reign" underscores the longing for a leader who embodies the qualities of the vine—fruitfulness and peace. However, the parable warns of the dangers of choosing leaders based on superficial qualities or immediate benefits, rather than godly wisdom and character. Persons / Places / Events 1. The TreesIn this parable, the trees represent the people of Shechem seeking a leader. The trees symbolize the various tribes or groups within Israel looking for governance. 2. The VineThe vine in the parable represents a potential leader. In the context of the parable, it symbolizes someone who is productive and fruitful, yet hesitant to leave its purpose to rule over others. 3. JothamThe speaker of the parable, Jotham, is the youngest son of Gideon (Jerubbaal) who survived the massacre of his brothers by Abimelech. He uses this parable to warn the people of Shechem about the dangers of choosing Abimelech as their king. 4. ShechemA significant city in the hill country of Ephraim, where the events of Judges 9 unfold. It is a place of covenant renewal and later becomes a site of conflict and betrayal. 5. AbimelechThe son of Gideon and a concubine from Shechem, who seeks to become king by eliminating his brothers. He is the central figure of the chapter, representing ambition and treachery. Teaching Points The Dangers of AmbitionThe parable warns against the pursuit of power for selfish reasons. True leadership should be about serving others, not self-promotion. The Value of PurposeThe vine's reluctance to rule highlights the importance of fulfilling one's God-given purpose. We should be cautious about abandoning our calling for roles that may seem more prestigious. Discernment in LeadershipThe people of Shechem's choice of Abimelech serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of discerning character and motives in those we choose to lead us. Consequences of Poor ChoicesThe events following the parable illustrate the destructive outcomes of choosing leaders based on ambition rather than integrity and godliness. God's SovereigntyDespite human choices, God's purposes prevail. The account of Abimelech ultimately demonstrates that God is in control and will bring justice. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the parable of the trees in Judges 9:12 reflect the qualities God desires in a leader? Consider other biblical leaders and their characteristics. 2. In what ways can we identify and resist the temptation of ambition in our own lives, as illustrated by the vine's response? 3. How can we apply the lesson of discernment in leadership to our personal and community decisions today? 4. Reflect on a time when a poor choice led to negative consequences in your life. How can the account of Abimelech inform your future decisions? 5. How does the theme of God's sovereignty in Judges 9 encourage you in situations where human leadership fails? Consider other biblical examples of God's ultimate control. Connections to Other Scriptures The parable of the trees can be connected to the broader biblical theme of leadership and the qualities God desires in a leader, as seen in the accounts of King David and Solomon. The vine is often used in Scripture to symbolize Israel or God's people, as seen in the Psalms and the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. The concept of choosing a king is reminiscent of Israel's later demand for a king in 1 Samuel, where God warns them of the consequences of their request. | Abimelech, the Adventurer | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Ambition Destroys the Finer Feelings of Men | H. E. Channing. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Bramble Rule; Or, the People and Their Leaders | Homilist | Judges 9:1-22 | | Forms of Usefulness in Life | Marcus Dods, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Jotham's Parable | R. A. Watson, M. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | King Bramble and His Subjects | A. F. Vedder. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Misleading Self-Judgments | A. Rowland, B. A. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Pulpit Brambles | Homilist | Judges 9:1-22 | | Self-Fulfilment | E. G. Murphy. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Bramble | H. Whittaker. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Election of the Usurper to be King | J. P. Millar. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Faithful Olive-Tree | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of Jotham | A London Minister | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of the Trees | J. Bayley, Ph. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Parable of the Trees | A. Raleigh, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | The Refusing of Leadership | W. Morison, D. D. | Judges 9:1-22 | | Jotham's Fable; Or, Popular Election, its Dangers and Abuses | A.F. Muir | Judges 9:7-20 | | Jotham's Parable | W.F. Adeney | Judges 9:8-15 |
People Abimelech, Ebed, Gaal, Hamor, Jerubbaal, Jotham, Ophrah, Zalmon, ZebulPlaces Arumah, Beer, Beth-millo, Diviners' Oak, Lebanon, Midian, Mount Gerizim, Mount Zalmon, Ophrah, Shechem, Thebez, Tower of ShechemTopics Reign, Trees, VineDictionary of Bible Themes Judges 9:1-21 5356 irony Judges 9:7-15 2230 Messiah, coming of
5935 riddles Judges 9:7-20 5438 parables Judges 9:12-13 4534 vine
4544 wine Library Here, by Way of Objection, Several Questions are Raised. ...
Here, by way of objection, several questions are raised. Scripture relates that God sometimes complied with certain prayers which had been dictated by minds not duly calmed or regulated. It is true, that the cause for which Jotham imprecated on the inhabitants of Shechem the disaster which afterwards befell them was well founded; but still he was inflamed with anger and revenge (Judges 9:20); and hence God, by complying with the execration, seems to approve of passionate impulses. Similar fervour …
John Calvin—Of Prayer--A Perpetual Exercise of FaithTrials of the Christian
AFFLICTION--ITS NATURE AND BENEFITS. The school of the cross is the school of light; it discovers the world's vanity, baseness, and wickedness, and lets us see more of God's mind. Out of dark afflictions comes a spiritual light. In times of affliction, we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of the love of God. The end of affliction is the discovery of sin; and of that, to bring us to a Saviour. Doth not God ofttimes even take occasion, by the hardest of things that come upon us, to visit …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Hence is Also that which Thou Hast Mentioned that they Speak Of...
28. Hence is also that which thou hast mentioned that they speak of, that the Lord Jesus, after He was risen, walked in the way with two disciples; and upon their drawing near to the village whither they were going, He made as though He would have gone farther: where the Evangelist, saying, "But He Himself feigned that He would go further," [2435] hath put that very word in which liars too greatly delight, that they may with impunity lie: as if every thing that is feigned is a lie, whereas in a truthful …
St. Augustine—Against Lying The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
BY JOHN BUNYAN. London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1684. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. THIS valuable treatise was first published in a pocket volume in 1684, and has only been reprinted in Whitfield's edition of Bunyan's works, 2 vols. folio, 1767. No man could have been better qualified to give advice to sufferers for righteousness' sake, than John Bunyan: and this work is exclusively devoted to that object. Shut up in a noisome jail, under the iron hand of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits Derived from It.
1. A general summary of what is contained in the previous part of the work. A transition to the doctrine of prayer. Its connection with the subject of faith. 2. Prayer defined. Its necessity and use. 3. Objection, that prayer seems useless, because God already knows our wants. Answer, from the institution and end of prayer. Confirmation by example. Its necessity and propriety. Perpetually reminds us of our duty, and leads to meditation on divine providence. Conclusion. Prayer a most useful exercise. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion Judges
For the understanding of the early history and religion of Israel, the book of Judges, which covers the period from the death of Joshua to the beginning of the struggle with the Philistines, is of inestimable importance; and it is very fortunate that the elements contributed by the later editors are so easily separated from the ancient stories whose moral they seek to point. That moral is most elaborately stated in ii. 6-iii. 6, which is a sort of programme or preface to iii. 7-xvi. 31, which constitutes …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Judges 9:12 NIVJudges 9:12 NLTJudges 9:12 ESVJudges 9:12 NASBJudges 9:12 KJV
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