and so.. I continued my bible reading of Judges..

and the commentary of Judges 9. Very interesting especially when I spent the whole afternoon talking, praying and reading..

Reading this sort of affirms that it should be very clear in my mind the attitude of service and leadership should be that of humility, not so much to feel important, or not so you feel powerful. I am assured and thankful God spoke through Judges.

Appropriate message @ an appropriate time! I love hearing from God! :)

The Man Who Would Be King

When Gideon died, one of his sons, Abimelech, attempted to usurp the title King of Israel — an office and position reserved for God (Judges 9). Abimelech’s short reign was marked by treachery and bloodshed. It was a foretaste of what would happen to the Israelites if they rejected God as their king.

Abimelech was a son of Gideon (Judges 8:31), but he did not share his father’s love for God. In sharp contrast to the judges who acknowledged God as the only true king over Israel, Abimelech aggressively sought the throne of Israel for his own ends.

Viewing his 70 brothers as potential rivals, Abimelech murdered all but one of them. He was supported in this wickedness by his mother’s family and the leaders of Shechem. Only Jotham, the youngest, escaped. Abimelech then had himself crowned king (Judges 9:5-6).

When news of this reached Jotham, he climbed up to a rock ledge on the south side of the nearby Mt. Gerizim, and cried out God’s warning to the people of Shechem below (verse 7). From this natural pulpit, Jotham related a fable about trees vying for supremacy: "One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves" (see verses 8-15).

The olive tree, the fig tree and the vine rejected the offer of kingship. They were content to grow where God had planted them and to produce the kind of fruit God desired. The implication here is that these righteous trees refused to tear their roots from the soil and soar above the other trees in a presumptuous act of self-promotion.

"Gideon...represented one of the good trees invited to become king [Judges 8:22], though exact identifications are not needed. Noble, capable leaders like Gideon believed that the theocracy, not a monarchy, was the best form of government" (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 3, pp. 439-440).

The thornbush represented Abimelech, who craved power and prestige (Judges 9:15). Its invitation to "take refuge in my shade" refers to the traditional role of the king, who offered special protection to those traveling on his behalf. They were said to be "in his shade" (Hosea 14:7; see also Isaiah 30:2 and Daniel 4:12). In reality, as the original audience knew very well, a thornbush cannot give shade. "Jotham’s point was this: a productive person would be too busy doing good to want to bother with power politics. A worthless person, on the other hand, would be glad to accept the honor — but he would destroy the people he ruled. Abimelech, like a thornbush, could offer Israel no real protection or security" (Life Application Bible, NIV, commentary on Judges 9:7-15).

The words "let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon" (Judges 9:15) refer to the wrath of Abimelech, which would come upon the leaders of Shechem. This is exactly what happened: Abimelech eventually destroyed Shechem (verse 45) and burned its leaders in the city tower (verses 46-49). God’s prophecy against Abimelech (verse 20) also came true: This renegade Israelite was finally killed at Thebez (verses 50-54). His brief flirtation with kingship had cost him his life.

Throughout Israel’s history, Abimelech was remembered as the man who was killed by a woman (2 Samuel 11:21). The man who would be king became an object of scorn and derision.
.