Today’s passage: Judges 9:1-21
Helpful thoughts:
- Abimelech delivered a campaign speech of sorts to the people of Shechem (The hometown of his mother) in order to woo them first in his quest to rule Israel.
- The mention of the stone on which the brothers were killed paints the gruesome picture of how their murders occurred. They would have to be captured, brought together, and then slain one at a time on the same stone used for the slaughter of farm animals.
- Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon and sole survivor, warns the people of Shechem before running away and hiding.
- They have made a bramble bush their king:
- Bramble bushes bear no fruit (Unlike the other plants illustrated)
- Bramble bushes are shorter than trees (How could it provide them any shade?)
- He issues a curse on the people if they had acted corruptly in Abimelech’s “victory” and coronation (Which, of course, they did!).
- They have made a bramble bush their king:
Questions to consider:
- What motivated the people of Shechem to allow for the slaughter of all these men? What was promised to them?
- What is the meaning of Jotham’s fable? What kind of a leader did Shechem deserve due to their actions?
- How could this passage help you today to think through the nature of politics, government and leadership? What methods do people/potential leaders use to “get elected”? What types of things do you look for in candidates? How can a nation that elects it’s leaders bring negative consequences (“Fires” – vs. 20) upon themselves through their decisions?