But the olive tree replied, 'Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?' But the olive tree repliedThe olive tree, a symbol of peace, prosperity, and blessing in the ancient Near East, is personified here. In Hebrew culture, the olive tree was highly valued for its fruit and oil, which were essential for daily life. The olive tree's response is a metaphorical way of expressing contentment with its God-given purpose. The Hebrew word for "replied" (עָנָה, 'anah) suggests a thoughtful and deliberate response, indicating the tree's awareness of its role and value. Should I stop giving my oil
The phrase highlights the olive tree's essential function. Olive oil was a staple in ancient Israel, used for anointing, lighting lamps, cooking, and religious offerings. The Hebrew word for "oil" (שֶׁמֶן, shemen) signifies richness and abundance. The rhetorical question posed by the olive tree underscores the absurdity of abandoning its vital role. It serves as a reminder of the importance of fulfilling one's God-given purpose rather than seeking power or prestige. that honors both God and man
This phrase emphasizes the dual purpose of the olive tree's oil. In the religious context, oil was used in anointing rituals, symbolizing the presence and blessing of God. It was also a practical commodity, enhancing daily life and commerce. The Hebrew word for "honors" (כָּבֵד, kaved) conveys a sense of weightiness or glory. The olive tree's oil brings honor to God through worship and to man through its practical benefits, illustrating the harmony between divine and human purposes. to hold sway over the trees?
The phrase "to hold sway" (לָנוּעַ, lanu'a) implies ruling or exercising authority. The olive tree's rhetorical question challenges the notion of abandoning its fruitful purpose for the sake of power. This reflects a biblical principle that true leadership and influence come from serving others and fulfilling one's God-given role. The trees in this parable represent the people of Israel, and the olive tree's refusal to rule over them serves as a critique of those who seek power for selfish reasons rather than serving the community. Persons / Places / Events 1. Olive TreeRepresents a character in Jotham's parable, symbolizing those who are productive and have a significant role in God's creation. 2. JothamThe youngest son of Gideon, who delivers a parable to the people of Shechem to warn them about the consequences of their actions. 3. ShechemA city in ancient Israel where the events of Judges 9 unfold, including the crowning of Abimelech as king. 4. AbimelechThe son of Gideon who seeks power and is made king by the people of Shechem, leading to conflict and destruction. 5. Parable of the TreesA account told by Jotham to illustrate the folly of choosing a leader who is not fit to rule, using trees as metaphors for different types of leaders. Teaching Points Value of PurposeThe olive tree's refusal to abandon its purpose teaches us the importance of recognizing and valuing the roles and gifts God has given us. Honoring God and ManThe olive tree's oil honors both God and man, reminding us that our actions and contributions should glorify God and benefit others. Discernment in LeadershipJotham's parable warns against choosing leaders based on ambition rather than character and capability. Faithfulness in CallingLike the olive tree, we are called to remain faithful to our God-given purposes, even when tempted by other opportunities. Consequences of Poor ChoicesThe events in Shechem illustrate the destructive outcomes of choosing leaders who do not align with God's will. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the olive tree's response in Judges 9:9 reflect the importance of staying true to one's God-given purpose? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our actions honor both God and man, as the olive tree's oil does? 3. How can Jotham's parable in Judges 9 help us discern and choose leaders in our communities and churches today? 4. What are some modern-day examples of individuals or groups who have remained faithful to their calling despite external pressures? 5. How do the consequences faced by Shechem in Judges 9 serve as a warning for us in making decisions that align with God's will? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 52:8The olive tree is used as a metaphor for a righteous person who trusts in God's unfailing love, similar to the olive tree's role in Jotham's parable. Romans 11:17-24Paul uses the olive tree to describe the relationship between Israel and the Gentiles, emphasizing the importance of faith and the richness of God's blessings. John 15:1-8Jesus speaks of Himself as the true vine, and believers as branches, highlighting the importance of remaining in Him to bear fruit, akin to the olive tree's purpose in producing oil. | 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 Ceased, Fatness, Forth, Fro, Gods, Hold, Honor, Honored, Honour, Leave, Oil, Olive, Olive-tree, Promoted, Seeing, Stagger, Sway, Tree, Trees, Wave, Waving, Wealth, WherewithDictionary 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 9:8-9 4492 olive 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 9:9 NIVJudges 9:9 NLTJudges 9:9 ESVJudges 9:9 NASBJudges 9:9 KJV
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