Judges 9:9-13: a reflection

9“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my oil, with which they honor God and man by me, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’ 10“The trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’ 11“But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’ 12“The trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’ 13“The vine said to them, ‘Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’

In a parable told by Jotham, the trees go looking for a king to reign over them. They ask the olive tree, but it refuses: Should I stop producing my oil, by which God and men are honored, to go wave over the trees? They ask the fig tree, but it refuses to leave its sweetness and good fruit. They ask the vine, but it will not leave its wine that cheers God and men. Each of the fruitful trees declines to abandon its good and useful work for the sake of holding a position over the others.

Notice the choice each fruitful tree made: to keep doing its good, fruitful work rather than to leave it for a position of prominence. The olive, the fig, and the vine each valued the good they were doing, the oil, the fruit, the wine that blessed God and people, too much to abandon it for the empty sway of ruling over the other trees. They preferred fruitful usefulness to prominent position; they would not trade their good work for status.

That is a wisdom worth pondering in a world that prizes position and prominence. We can be tempted to abandon good, fruitful, useful work, the quiet good we are doing, for the sake of a more prominent position, more status, more of being over others. But the fruitful trees show a different valuing: that useful, fruitful service is worth more than empty prominence. Do not abandon the good and fruitful work God has given you to grasp at position and status. Value the fruit you bear, the good you do, above the prominence you might gain; and do not trade useful service for empty sway over others. Fruitful usefulness in a humble place is worth more than prominent position without fruit.

Lord, in Jotham's parable, the olive, the fig, and the vine each refused to leave their good and fruitful work, their oil, their fruit, their wine that blessed God and people, for the sake of holding a position over the other trees; they valued fruitful usefulness above prominent position. Give me that wisdom in a world that prizes position and prominence. I can be tempted to abandon good, fruitful, useful work, the quiet good I am doing, for the sake of a more prominent position, more status, more of being over others. But the fruitful trees show a different valuing: that useful, fruitful service is worth more than empty prominence. Keep me from abandoning the good and fruitful work you have given me to grasp at position and status. Help me value the fruit I bear, the good I do, above the prominence I might gain, and not trade useful service for empty sway over others. Let me be content with fruitful usefulness in a humble place, rather than prominence without fruit.