Judges 9:7-21- Jotham Confronts Abimelech And Schechem's Sin

Let us read Judges 9:7-21, “When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’ Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

“Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved— for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, and you have risen up against my father's house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative— if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.”

Last week we considered the rise of Abimelech. (9:1-6) He began by talking to his mother’s family. Then his family spoke to the leaders of Shechem. In the end, they all supported Abimelech and his plan for two reasons.

• First, even though 40 years before Gideon had refused to be king, saying in Judges 8:23, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.”, the people did not turn to the LORD and submit to Him as their King.

• The second reason was that Shechem was convinced that there would be some advantage to having a king who came from among them. (9:3)

The people of Shechem supported Abimelech by giving him 70 pieces of silver to hire wicked and reckless men who would kill Gideon’s sons. Let me give four observations regarding these things. First, in the past Shechem had been an important city in Israel. Joshua had once renewed the covenant with Israel there in Shechem. (Joshua 23&24) However, at this time in Israel’s history Shechem made Baal-berith their god. Baal-berith means the ‘lord of the covenant’. (8:33) In other words, this city has thoroughly apostatized. They had a pagan temple and now they wanted political power too.

Second, Shechem’s response to Abimelech’s plan is different than the response of the two cities Succoth and Penuel. They did not support Gideon in his fight with the Midianites. (8:4-9) They refused to support him until their enemies were eliminated. Shechem was willing to support Abimelech even though this was a wicked plan and he had not eliminated their ‘enemies’. (9:2-4)

Third, the fact that Shechem supported Abimelech is astonishing for several reasons.

• First, Abimelech did not hold a high position within the leadership of the city.

• Second, Abimelech did not have any resources of his own.

• Third, Abimelech had no band of loyal men who would supported him. He had to hire these men. Proverbs 29:10 describes what type of men they would have been like, “Bloodthirsty men hate those who are blameless and seek the life of the upright.”

Let me ask a question, “Who was more wicked, these worthless and reckless men who did this or the people who approved and funded this plan?” They are all guilty. Proverbs 28:12 tells us how a wicked leader like Abimelech can be surrounded by so many other wicked people, “If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.” Abimelech refused to walk in integrity; the people around him were just like him. (9:16-21)

• Note: Mark 3:23-27, Matthew 12:25-29, Luke 11:17-22: God’s kingdom is all righteousness and Satan’s is all unrighteousness. The devil is surrounded by those who are set apart for evil. God’s kingdom is light and the devils is utter darkness. Jesus alone can take us from Satan’s kingdom and make us citizens of heaven who now desire to do His will. (Ephesians 2:1-10) Question: Is God doing this work in us from the inside out? (Titus 3, 1 Cor. 6:11)

When Abimelech carried out this plan there was only one survivor- Jotham. He was not shown mercy. No, Jotham survived because he hid himself. (9:5) More than this, God preserved him and made him a prophet who would proclaim judgment upon all these people. (9:7) Application: God saves us so that we will speak to others. (Mark 5:19, Mt. 5:15)

This was the worst day of Jotham’s life. He lost his family and fled from his home and Orphah. (Luke 14:33) Contrast this with the people in verse 6, “...all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.” (9:6) One man mourns while so many others rejoice.

In Judges 9:7-21 we can see several parallels between Jotham and what we saw in Judges 6-8.

• When Jotham is told that Abimelech is being made king he comes out of hiding to confront his enemies. (9:7) This is something Gideon had to do four decades earlier. (6:11),

• Jotham is being used like a prophet to confront this sin (7-21). This is what happened in Judges 6:8-10 when God sent a prophet to speak to Israel.

• Finally, Jotham leaves his place of safety and makes his way to the top of Mount Garizim to speak to confront these people. Similarly, Gideon had stood on top of Moreh and looked down upon the Midianites. (7:1)

Mt. Gerizim, where Jotham now stood, was the same place that Israel had stood and read the blessings which would be theirs if they kept the Law. But now Jotham stands before them and says that if they have acted with integrity they can rejoice and expect to be blessed. However, if they have not done this they will be condemned as lawbreakers.

As Jotham stood before them he is not timid or weak-kneed. Proverbs 28:1 describes Jotham in this moment, “...the righteous are bold as a lion.” He speaks with the boldness of a prophet who confronts them for their sin and calls them to repent. Unfortunately, this is what will happen. (9:22)

Observation: Jotham is given the boldness to speak, not to fight this battle as his father did. No, this boldness is to speak the truth to wicked people and then he will have to flee for his life. (21) As with Gideon, it will be the LORD who will fight this battle and defeat Jotham’s enemies. (Judges 9:22-57)

Judges 9:7 begins with these words, “When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, Listen to me…”. Jotham has something to say to these people, but ultimately it will be the LORD who is speaking to them as the psalmist does in Psalm 50, saying, “The Might One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth...He does not keep silent...before Him is a devouring fire...He calls...that He may judge His people.” (1,3,4)

Under these circumstances we would expect that Jotham would open his mouth and curses would come out. We expect to have to bleep out every other word which is full of bitter profanity. We expect him to speak from a heart of anger, rage, and vitriol. However, this isn’t what happens.

The spirit of a prophet is subject to the prophet. (1 Corinthians 14:32) Jotham opens his mouth and speaks a word that is fitting to be heard by the LORD Himself. He says, “Listen to me, you rulers of Shechem, that God may listen to you.” (7) O, how differently we would act and speak if we were always mindful that the LORD is present with us. (Proverbs 15:3)

The leaders of Shechem would listen to Abimelech (9:3), but would they listen to Jotham as he speaks the word of the LORD to them? Thought: In our sin we hate Jesus and we will not listen to him. Therefore, the call of the Gospel must come with great power and full conviction. (1 Thess. 1)

In v.8-15 Jotham tells a story, a parable, an analogy. This story that will confront, convict, and condemn these people for their sin.

• Observation: Joash does something that is just as astonishing. Jotham is used by the LORD to speak to these people and give them an opportunity to repent and be saved. Could I be used in this way before my enemies?

Jotham’s words are not his own. No, Jotham is called by God and enabled by the Spirit of the LORD to speak prophetically. In the end, everything he says will come to pass. Upon this very mountain the blessings of the Law were once read (Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:12-13; Joshua 8:33), but now Jotham will speak to them of their sin and the curse that will result from it because they will not repent. Spoiler alert: They do not respond well to this message because Jotham will has to flee for his life. (9:21)

I appreciate the way that Jotham begins to speak to these people. If it were me, I would not have begun with a story. No, I would have simply spoken like he does in 9:16-20 that simply provide the facts. In 9:8-15 Jotham begins with a story. Why? Well, this story would bring present conviction and leave a lasting impression that would gnaw on their conscience for a long time. They have done something foolish and made a bramble bush their king.

Jotham tells a parable about the trees who desired to have a king rule over them. In this story the trees ask three different plants to be king. Each of these plants represent three of the most useful, profitable, and valuable agricultural plants in all of Israel. Each of these will decline the invitation to be king because they are already serving the LORD and His people in some way. They are so different than Abimelech who had done nothing to serve the LORD or others.  

The first thing the trees do is to go to the olive tree. The olive tree, however, does not want to lead them. Secondly, they go to the fig tree and ask that it rule over them, but the fig tree is content to remain as it is. Undeterred, the third thing they do is to go to the vine and ask if it rule over them. Again, their offer is rejected by the vine.

You have to appreciate the fact that the trees are persistent. They do not want the LORD to be their King so they tirelessly look to have someone else fill that role. Even after they have now been rejected three times by the best candidates they seek to find someone else to rule over them. The story stresses that ‘all the trees’ went to the bramble bush and said, “You come and reign over us.” The bramble bush accepts their offer saying, “If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.” (Observation: the words, “all the trees”, shows that everyone is guilty of this sin. Even those who would have said, “But I played no role in these things. I am just here to witness the celebration.” We should be very wise about what we appear to celebrate in this world.)

There are three characteristics about a bramble bush that might be helpful to consider. First, the bramble bush is short and it doesn’t provide much shade. Second, the bramble bush is full of thorns which cuts anyone who gets to close. Third, bramble bushes were known to be a fire hazard because they easily ignite and then the wind blows them around and they spread a fire quickly.

In Judges 9:16-21 Jotham interprets the story. Jotham reminds them of all the good that Gideon had done for them when he fought, risked his life, and delivered them from Midian. The only reason they are enjoying the fruit of the olive, fig, and vine is because of what Gideon had done. If they had acted in faith and integrity when they made Abimelech king, and if they had dealt well with Gideon and his family, then they should rejoice.

Jotham knows that they had not acted in faith and integrity. The reason they supported Abimelech was because their hearts were inclined to do so. Therefore Jotham says, “...if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.”

I can only imagine how the voice of Jotham, and these words that he spoke, must have troubled the consciences of the people that day. I picture the response of the crowd who listened to Stephen in Acts 7:54 as he spoke and they closed their ears, gnashed their teeth, and their hearts were enraged. After speaking these words to them the people did not repent. We know how the people responded because after saying these things Jotham had to flee and escape once again from their hands. As a result, the judgment of God would come upon them. (22)

In Mark 1 Jesus comes proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Because of the coming of the King and His Kingdom we are to repent and believe. Not many will do this. Many will support the likes of an Abimelech, but so few will humble themselves before the LORD Jesus Christ and become a bond-slave and serve Him faithfully. Yet, those who do this find eternal life and all the blessings that come freely through God’s grace. Let us examine ourselves to see if we are serving our LORD in good faith and integrity. As He did for Joash, He will protect us and keep all those who take shelter in Him. Jesus is everything we need.

The LBC reminds us of the wonder of Jesus Christ when it states in 8.10, “Because we are ignorant, we need His prophetic office. Because we are alienated from God and imperfect in the best of our service, we need His priestly office to reconcile us and present us to God as acceptable. Because we are hostile and utterrly unable to return to God, and so that we can be rescued and made secure from our spiritual enemies, we need His kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, sustain, delver, and persevere us for His heavenly kingdom.”

Jotham has been a great example of Christ and his offices in many ways. One way he has done this is when he speaks to his enemies he reminds us of Christ who took His place upon a cross and said, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34) Romans 5:6-11 reminds us that God displayed His love for us in that he died for us while we were yet sinners.