Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and reign over us.' Finally all the treesThis phrase marks the culmination of a parable told by Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, to the people of Shechem. The "trees" symbolize the people of Israel or the leaders among them. In the Hebrew context, trees often represent strength, stability, and life. The use of "finally" indicates a progression and a sense of desperation or resignation among the trees, as they have already approached more suitable candidates for leadership, who have all declined. said to the thornbush
The "thornbush" (Hebrew: "אטד" - atad) is a lowly, prickly plant, often associated with desolation and barrenness. In the parable, it represents Abimelech, who is being offered kingship. The thornbush is a stark contrast to the fruitful trees previously mentioned, highlighting the folly and danger of choosing a leader who lacks the qualities of true leadership. Historically, thornbushes were seen as nuisances, often causing harm rather than providing benefit, which underscores the negative implications of this choice. ‘Come and reign over us.’
This invitation to the thornbush is a desperate plea for leadership, reflecting the people's misguided decision to choose Abimelech as their king. The Hebrew word for "reign" (מלך - malak) implies not just ruling, but having dominion and authority. The irony here is palpable; the trees, representing the people, are willing to submit to a leader who is inherently unfit to rule. This reflects a broader biblical theme of the dangers of rejecting God's chosen leaders and the consequences of seeking leadership that does not align with divine principles. Persons / Places / Events 1. JothamThe youngest son of Gideon, who survived the massacre of his brothers by Abimelech. He delivered the parable of the trees, which includes Judges 9:14, as a prophetic warning. 2. AbimelechThe son of Gideon and a concubine from Shechem, who declared himself king after killing his seventy brothers. His rule is the context for Jotham's parable. 3. ShechemA significant city in Israel's history, where Abimelech was made king. It is the setting for the events leading to Jotham's parable. 4. The TreesIn Jotham's parable, the trees represent the people of Shechem seeking a king. The parable is a metaphorical critique of their choice of Abimelech. 5. The ThornbushRepresents Abimelech in the parable. The thornbush is a lowly and unworthy plant, symbolizing Abimelech's unsuitability as a leader. Teaching Points Discernment in LeadershipThe parable warns against choosing leaders based on superficial qualities or personal gain. Believers should seek leaders who align with God's principles. Consequences of Poor ChoicesThe account of Abimelech illustrates the destructive outcomes of choosing unworthy leaders. It serves as a reminder to consider the long-term impact of our decisions. God's SovereigntyDespite human choices, God's will ultimately prevails. The parable and its fulfillment show that God can use even poor decisions to accomplish His purposes. The Danger of AmbitionAbimelech's rise to power through treachery warns against unchecked ambition and the pursuit of power at any cost. The Role of Prophetic VoicesJotham's parable serves as a prophetic voice calling for repentance and reflection. Believers are encouraged to listen to godly counsel and warnings. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the parable of the trees in Judges 9:14 reflect the character and leadership qualities of Abimelech? What can we learn about choosing leaders today? 2. In what ways does the account of Abimelech and the thornbush illustrate the consequences of rejecting God's guidance in leadership decisions? 3. How can we apply the lessons from Jotham's parable to our personal lives, particularly in making decisions that align with God's will? 4. What parallels can you draw between the events in Judges 9 and the Israelites' demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8? How do these accounts inform our understanding of God's perspective on human leadership? 5. Reflect on a time when you faced a decision about leadership or authority. How did you seek God's guidance, and what was the outcome? How might the lessons from Judges 9:14 influence your approach in the future? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Samuel 8The Israelites' demand for a king, paralleling the trees' search for a ruler, highlights the dangers of choosing leaders based on human desires rather than God's guidance. Matthew 7:16-20Jesus' teaching on recognizing false prophets by their fruits connects to the parable's implication that a thornbush (Abimelech) cannot produce good leadership. Proverbs 29:2The verse about the righteous and wicked in authority relates to the consequences of Abimelech's rule as depicted in Jotham's parable. | 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 Bramble, Finally, Reign, Thorn, Thornbush, TreesDictionary 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 9:14 NIVJudges 9:14 NLTJudges 9:14 ESVJudges 9:14 NASBJudges 9:14 KJV
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