Judges 9:14-20: a reflection

14“Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and reign over us.’ 15“The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ 16“Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and righteously, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands 17(for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 18and you have risen up against my father’s house today and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); 19if you then have dealt truly and righteously with Jerubbaal and with his house today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you; 20but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech.”

Jotham tells a parable to warn the men of Shechem about the unworthy leader they have chosen. The trees, he says, sought a king, and the good trees, the olive and fig and vine, declined; but the bramble, a worthless, thorny plant that offers no fruit and no real shade, only fire, accepted the crown. The parable warns that they had made a bramble their king, exalting a worthless and dangerous man, Abimelech, to rule over them. The worthless bramble, good for nothing but to catch fire and burn, was a fitting picture of the unworthy leader they had chosen; exalting the worthless to leadership would bring not good but destruction.

Notice the folly Jotham exposes: exalting the worthless to leadership. The trees passed over the good and fruitful, the olive and fig and vine, and made a bramble their king, a plant that offers nothing good, only thorns and the danger of fire. So the people had exalted an unworthy man to rule them, a bramble in human form, who would bring them not good but destruction. To exalt the worthless to leadership, to entrust rule and power to one who offers nothing good, is folly; the bramble king brings only fire. The parable warns against the folly of exalting the unworthy, of choosing for leadership those who, like the bramble, offer nothing good and threaten only harm.

That is worth taking to heart, for there is folly in exalting the unworthy to positions of trust and leadership. We can exalt to leadership and trust those who, like the bramble, offer nothing good, choosing them for the wrong reasons, overlooking their unworthiness; but the bramble king brings not good but destruction. There is wisdom in discerning whom we exalt, not entrusting rule and trust to the worthless. Do not exalt the unworthy to positions of trust and leadership, choosing the bramble over what is genuinely good; discern the worth of those you would exalt. Discern the worth of those you would exalt to positions of trust and leadership, not exalting the unworthy who offer nothing good, as the trees foolishly made the worthless bramble their king; for there is folly in exalting the unworthy, and the bramble king brings not good but destruction, so that we do well to discern whom we entrust with rule and trust.

Lord, Jotham tells a parable to warn the men of Shechem about the unworthy leader they have chosen. The trees, he says, sought a king, and the good trees, the olive and fig and vine, declined; but the bramble, a worthless, thorny plant that offers no fruit and no real shade, only fire, accepted the crown. The parable warns that they had made a bramble their king, exalting a worthless and dangerous man to rule over them. The worthless bramble was a fitting picture of the unworthy leader they had chosen. Show me the folly Jotham exposes: exalting the worthless to leadership. The trees passed over the good and fruitful and made a bramble their king, a plant that offers nothing good, only thorns and the danger of fire. So the people had exalted an unworthy man to rule them, who would bring them not good but destruction. To exalt the worthless to leadership, to entrust rule and power to one who offers nothing good, is folly; the bramble king brings only fire. Take that to my heart, for there is folly in exalting the unworthy to positions of trust and leadership. I can exalt to leadership and trust those who, like the bramble, offer nothing good, choosing them for the wrong reasons, overlooking their unworthiness; but the bramble king brings not good but destruction. There is wisdom in discerning whom I exalt. Keep me from exalting the unworthy to positions of trust and leadership, choosing the bramble over what is genuinely good; help me discern the worth of those I would exalt, Lord, as the trees foolishly made the worthless bramble their king.