When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: "Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you. Now when they told JothamThe name "Jotham" means "Yahweh is perfect" or "Yahweh is complete." Jotham is the youngest son of Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal. His survival from the massacre of his brothers by Abimelech is significant, as it sets the stage for his prophetic role. The phrase indicates a pivotal moment where Jotham becomes aware of the events in Shechem, highlighting the importance of divine timing and revelation in the unfolding of God's plans. he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim holds historical and spiritual significance in Israel's history. It is the mountain of blessing, as seen in Deuteronomy 11:29 and 27:12, where blessings were pronounced upon the Israelites. Jotham's choice to climb this mountain symbolizes a call to return to covenant faithfulness and the blessings associated with obedience to God. The act of climbing also signifies effort and determination, reflecting Jotham's commitment to delivering his message. raised his voice
Raising one's voice in biblical times often signified the importance and urgency of the message being delivered. It was a common practice for prophets and leaders to ensure their message was heard clearly by all. This act underscores the gravity of Jotham's words and his role as a messenger of divine truth. It also reflects the boldness required to speak against injustice and unrighteousness. and called out to them
The act of calling out is an invitation to listen and respond. It is a plea for attention and action. In the context of ancient Israel, public proclamations were a means of addressing the community and calling them to account. Jotham's call is not just to the physical ears of the leaders of Shechem but to their hearts and consciences, urging them to consider the moral and spiritual implications of their actions. Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem
The leaders of Shechem were responsible for the governance and well-being of their city. Jotham's address to them highlights their accountability and the influence they wield over the people. The call to "listen" is a call to heed wisdom and truth. In Hebrew, the word for "listen" (שָׁמַע, shama) implies not just hearing but obeying. Jotham is urging the leaders to align their actions with God's will. and may God listen to you
This phrase is both a blessing and a warning. It suggests that if the leaders of Shechem listen to Jotham's message and act righteously, God will, in turn, listen to their prayers and petitions. However, it also implies that if they ignore the call to justice, they cannot expect God's favor. This reflects the biblical principle of reciprocity in the relationship between God and His people, where obedience leads to divine blessing and disobedience to judgment. Persons / Places / Events 1. JothamThe youngest son of Gideon (also known as Jerubbaal), who survived the massacre of his brothers by Abimelech. He is known for delivering the parable of the trees from Mount Gerizim. 2. Mount GerizimA significant location in Israelite history, known for blessings pronounced upon the people of Israel. It serves as the setting for Jotham's proclamation. 3. ShechemAn ancient city in the land of Canaan, significant in Israelite history. It is the place where Abimelech was made king and where Jotham addressed the leaders. 4. AbimelechThe son of Gideon and a concubine from Shechem, who killed his brothers to become king. His actions set the stage for Jotham's parable. 5. Leaders of ShechemThe ruling figures in Shechem who supported Abimelech's rise to power. They are the audience of Jotham's message. Teaching Points The Power of Righteous SpeechJotham's bold proclamation from Mount Gerizim demonstrates the importance of speaking truth to power, even in the face of danger. Believers are called to stand for righteousness and justice. Consequences of Ambition and BetrayalAbimelech's account is a cautionary tale about unchecked ambition and betrayal. It serves as a reminder that actions driven by selfish desires can lead to destruction. God's Sovereignty and JusticeDespite human schemes, God's justice prevails. Jotham's parable foreshadows the eventual downfall of Abimelech, illustrating that God sees and judges all actions. The Role of LeadershipThe leaders of Shechem's support for Abimelech highlights the responsibility of leaders to choose wisely and act justly. Leadership should be based on integrity and service, not personal gain. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Jotham's choice of Mount Gerizim as the location for his proclamation add significance to his message? 2. In what ways does Jotham's parable serve as a warning to the leaders of Shechem, and how can this apply to modern leadership? 3. How does the account of Abimelech and Jotham illustrate the biblical principle of sowing and reaping? 4. What can we learn from Jotham's courage in speaking out against injustice, and how can we apply this in our own lives? 5. How does the account of Abimelech's rise and fall connect with other biblical warnings about the dangers of seeking power for selfish reasons? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 11:29Mount Gerizim is mentioned as the mountain of blessing, contrasting with Mount Ebal, the mountain of curses. This connection highlights the irony of Jotham's message being delivered from a place of blessing. Judges 8:30-31Provides background on Gideon's family, including the birth of Abimelech, setting the stage for the events in Judges 9. 1 Samuel 8:10-18Samuel's warning about the dangers of monarchy parallels Jotham's warning about Abimelech's kingship, emphasizing the potential for tyranny and injustice. | 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 |
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 Aloud, Calleth, Citizens, Climbed, Cried, Crying, Declare, Ear, Gerizim, Ger'izim, Hearing, Hearken, Jotham, Lifted, Lifteth, Listen, Loud, Masters, Mount, O, Shechem, Shouted, Standeth, Stood, Thus, Townsmen, VoiceDictionary 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 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 9:7 NIVJudges 9:7 NLTJudges 9:7 ESVJudges 9:7 NASBJudges 9:7 KJV
Judges 9:7 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
