The first reading today is from the Book of Judges and contains the Parable of the Trees (Judges 9:8-15). It speaks to a period of Israel’s history after the people had entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua but before the establishment of the monarchy under King Saul and King David.
It was during this time the people once united by Moses and their experience of the Exodus, once energized by having a land to call their own, slowly began to separate into their own concerns. Over time the cohesion of the People of God broke down, as did their worship of God. All of this led to a cycle of the Israelites being attacked by other groups of people, facing disaster, and then crying out to God for deliverance.
In response, God raised up judges. It is best to think of them as tribal leaders, military commanders and not so much the way we think of “judge.” The role of the judge was to lead the people, defeat the enemy and reestablish good order and proper worship, so that the people would again acknowledge God as their true leader. When the crisis was over the people again willingly accepted God as their true sovereign But people being people, were were distracted and the cycle began again.
One of the great judges was named Gideon. When peace was restored Gideon’s son, Abimelech, decided he wanted to “inherit” the mantle of leadership. He was not raised up as a judge by God. He sought to supplant God’s intention with his own ambition. Abimelech’s rise to power was marked by treachery and violence. He convinced the leaders of Shechem to support him as their ruler and then assassinated his brothers, who might have posed a threat to his rule. He missed one brother: Jotham, the narrator of our parable.
Jotham warns the people of Shechem about the folly of supporting Abimelech and predicts that their choice will ultimately lead to destruction and chaos. And it does for three tumultuous years. Then God raised up a judge named Tola who ruled for 23 years of peace and stability.
Mini-bible study concluded, what do you make of these verses and the parable of the trees? Here is the parable in short: The trees look for a king. They invite the olive tree, fig tree, and vine—all refuse, since they are already fruitful and useful. Finally, they ask the buckthorn (bramble/thornbush). The bramble agrees, but with a threat: if the trees do not truly submit, fire will come out from the bramble and devour them.
What can be learned from this parable?
The best leaders do not seek power for its own sake. The fruitful trees (olive, fig, vine) are already contributing to society; they don’t need to “lord it over” others. By contrast, the bramble, which produces nothing of value, is eager to rule.
Unworthy leaders bring destruction. The bramble’s “shade” is worthless, and its reign is dangerous—it threatens to burn down even the cedars. Be wary of a leader chosen not for virtue but because of his desire for power.
Israel’s desire for a ruler “like the other nations” (anticipating 1 Samuel 8) is shown here to be fraught with peril. The wrong leader will hijack the desire of the people for his or her own agenda.
Choosing a leader requires moral discernment who will serve the needs of the poor and weakest among us rather than serve their own needs and the needs of well placed friends.
The people chose Abimelech who led them to non-stop war. The community shared responsibility for the outcome of their choices.
Throughout the Book of Judges, the people of God continue to face this question and the challenge of living their commitment to God. If you have a moment, read 1 Sam 8 when the people ask the last judge, Samuel, to ask God to appoint a king over them so that they can be like the other people. And recall, prior to Jesus’ crucifixion, the crowds yelled “we have no king but Caesar.”
The people of the era of Judges wanted to separate their lives from the religious in order to achieve earthly gains. In our day, we face the same challenge in the choices we make, the leaders we elect, the movements we support. We share responsibility for the outcome of our choices.
Image credit: from Google image search from a website no longer active;