Sermon Transcript:

Last time, we looked at the end of Gideon. After Gideon died the people returned to worshiping false gods. The pattern of the book so far has been that after each  judge the people fall into sin, God uses the idolatrous nations around them to discipline them, and then they cry out to God for deliverance which kicks off the story of the next judge. That’s what we expect when we read the last verses of chapter 8 but that isn’t what happens. This time the oppression comes from the inside. The next leader is Gideon’s son Abimelech, who we met last week, but it never says he was a judge or that God raised him up. He isn’t a deliverer, he is the oppressor.

Gideon had serious flaws, but he had faith. Abimelech seemingly inherits Gideon’s flaws without any of his strengths. In Gideon we saw work of both the Spirit and the flesh, in Abimelech we will see only flesh. Abimelech sets in motion a conspiracy to become king and these events point us to a truth God’s people need to be reminded of in every age. In Abimelech we see no working of the spirit, only the flesh and it serves as a warning. The key point of the message this morning is 

True deliverance and flourishing come only from serving God and trusting in His word.

The kingdom of God cannot be established by worldly means and making saviors out of fallen men ultimately leads to disappointment and disaster. Let’s take a look.

1 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

The assumption was apparently that the sons of Gideon would be the rulers after he died and Abimelech wanted the power for himself rather than sharing it with his 69 brothers. So he begins a grassroots campaign among his mother’s clan in Shechem. She whispers in the ears of several influential people convincing them that it would be better to have a single ruler and since Abimelech is one of them, they would benefit from having him be the one.

No tribe is listed for his mother so it is likely she is a Canaanite. If so, that may help explain why this argument was so persuasive. At any rate, it is a strategy as old as politics itself. He begins by spreading discontent about the current situation. Even though they are enjoying one of the longest periods of rest the land has ever had he is able to persuade them things are not as good as they should be for them.

He is motivated entirely by self-interest, but he makes them feel like he alone is in their corner. Abimelech doesn’t argue for his qualifications or capabilities. He doesn’t point to experience or the soundness of his policies. He has no calling by God. All he can do is create discontent, scare them about what could happen, and then position himself as the champion who will fight for them. Basically, he runs the same campaign ads we see from both sides every four years.

It works and the leaders at Shechem get behind him. They say “He is our brother” so of course he will look out for us. They completely ignore that while he plays up his connection to them he is planning to betray those who are literally his brothers. Discontent and selfishness has blinded them to his character. What is true and what is right is ignored and self-interest takes center stage for all of them. Rather than trust in a perfect and faithful God as king who delivered them and gave them 40 years of prosperity, they think they can get more doing it their way.

Just to make sure we don’t miss this the narrator gives us a little insight into their spiritual lives. Verse 4 says,

4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. 

The leaders of Shechem were servants of Baal-berith. Those supporting Abimelech were administrators of the worship of demons and had access to the resources of Baal’s temple. They give him seventy pieces of Baal’s silver which Abimelech uses to hire worthless and reckless men. We see how worthless and reckless from something that probably didn’t jump out at you unless you took the time to look it up. He hires multiple guys to help him kill his brothers for seventy pieces of silver, which is only worth between $500 and $1,000. These are clearly desperate delinquents who would do anything for money. Verse 5 says,

5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 

Abimelech and these hoodlums find and kill his brothers. Not only does he kill them, but it says they were killed on one stone. They were not killed unexpectedly. They were lined up and executed one by one in a brutal parade of murder. Abimelech is making a statement. All other claimants will be eliminated and the throne is his alone but mass murder rarely goes as planned. His youngest brother Jothan escaped by hiding himself.

6 And 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.

Saul is the first legitimate king of Israel but the first man actually crowned as a king is Abimelech. The funds to hire the assassins came from the temple of Baal and the coronation takes place by the oak of the pillar which is probably a sacred tree near where the idols were worshiped. Abimelech is crowned not with the blessing of Yahweh, but in celebration of a demon.

7 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.

When Jotham, who had escaped, hears what has happened he hikes up Mount Gerizim and cries out to them. He is close enough so they can hear his voice, but far enough that they cannot get him. He cries out that they would listen to him so that God would listen to them. He is warning them. Listen to my voice so that when you cry out for mercy over your sinful acts, God will hear you.

Jotham as a preacher foreshadows Jesus. His name Jotham means “Yahweh is perfect”. Here he is, like Jesus, crying out to his enemies to hear him so that God may hear them. He offers wisdom and truth so they would see their sin and turn from it. He is crying out to them to listen to him rather than trusting in Abimelech’s lies.

It is significant that he addresses them from a mountain. Revelations of God’s power and glory and grace often come from mountaintops in the Bible. Moses receives the law on a mountain. The sermon on the mount obviously happens on a mountain. It was on a mountain that the disciples saw the glory of Jesus Christ at the transfiguration. It was on mount Calvary that the greatest revelation of the holiness and love of God was made on the cross of Christ. It was on the mount of Olives that Jesus ascended and we are waiting for his return from glory to that same mountaintop.

When we hear Jotham speaking from the top of the mountain it should get our attention. In fact, this isn’t just any mountain. Jotham addresses them from mount Gerezim. This specific mountain is the mountain where the blessings of the covenant were read when they came into the land. In Deuteronomy 11:26–29 Moses says,

26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known. 29 And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

This is exactly what Joshua does in Joshua chapter 8. This is also the same place where Jesus meets the woman at the well in John chapter 4. Remember, she asked him about her people worshiping this mountain? Jotham is standing where Jesus himself will proclaim that the blessings of God’s grace were not only to Jews but to all who will repent and believe. 

Once he has their attention he uses a fable to instruct them. A fable is a short story, usually involving nature or animals having human-like characteristics that makes a moral point. Examples of fables you probably heard as a child are stories like the tortoise and the hare or the three little pigs. Jotham will use this kind of symbolic story to make his point.

I am asked on occasion if the Bible should be taken literally. My answer is the Bible should be interpreted plainly. It isn’t a riddle, it means what it says but we must recognize that it does so using several different genres and literary devices. When Jesus says he is the door, he does not mean he is literally a door. We seek to understand the meaning the author intends to communicate. Jotham’s story isn’t about trees, it is about them. He says, 

8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9 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?’

The contrast between Gideon and the previous judges with Abimelech is clear. The trees wanted a king and asked the olive tree to rule. The olive tree refused because it considered its work of serving more valuable than ruling over others. Olives and olive products were invaluable in the ancient near east. They were useful blessings to people and were used in various ways in religious ceremonies. Being a useful blessing to both God and men was more important to the olive than ruling over others.

10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’ 

Having been turned down by the olive tree, they go to the fig tree but he also refuses. The fig tree is also incredibly important and useful. To ancient Jews figs represented God’s blessing of abundance, wisdom, and fertility. The fig tree came to be a symbol of Israel itself, which was to be a blessing to the nations. The fig is also content in its usefulness with no ambition to rule.

12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’

The vine, like the olive and the fig, is noble and productive. The grape and its byproducts are essential to life in the ancient world and like the olive its fruit is useful to both God and men. Like the others, it delights in its fruitfulness more than in power or status. The trees are running out of good options.

14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15 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.’ 

They finally go to the bramble. A bramble is a thornbrier. It is a prickly shrub that grows to a maximum of around 6 feet. Some produce berries but they are not very useful and certainly not compared to olives, figs, and grapes. You can’t even use the wood much for building and when you burn it, it makes a lot of noise but not much heat. Compared to the others it is a useless plant.

Are you starting to see the connection to Abimelech? The bramble is vain enough to accept the offer but he is suspicious of their motives. He tells them if they are serious, they should take refuge in his shade. If they make him a king, he will act as a king, but the image of trees bowing down to find shade in the shadow of buckthorn bush is absurd. Just as God’s people bowing down to vain and useless Abimelech is absurd.

Like Abimelech, the shrub is vain and insecure and warns the trees that a curse will be on them if they fail to bow to him. We see the arrogance of the bramble in pointing to himself as the source of the fire that will consume them. He is telling them that his wrath will be so great that even the most majestic of trees, the mighty cedars of Lebanon will be destroyed by his fury.

Having highlighted the stupidity of the trees in submitting the proud, useless, and insecure bramble, Jotham interprets the story to make his point even more clearly. He says,

16 “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— 17 for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, 18 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— 19 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. 20 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.” 

The underlying logic is that if the Shechemites have acted justly and with integrity, then they should legitimately rejoice with their new king. If not, they will be cursed for what they have done. Although he doesn’t specifically say it, his entire argument is based on a truth they were ignoring which is that God will judge righteously. He is not their judge, but there is a judge.

He then reminds them that Gideon fought for them, risked his life, and saved them from the Midianites and asks if they have responded appropriately. He says in verse 19,

 19 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.

If their actions were honorable and just then peace and harmony will be the result but if they have not acted in good faith and integrity, and if they have not honored Gideon rightly, then a curse will be upon them and the result will be that they destroy each other. He says,

20 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.” 

Proclaiming blessings and curses from a mountaintop Jotham is speaking prophetically. He doesn’t explicitly say it but the background to his logic comes from the covenant. He trusts God will bring retribution for injustice. The political calculations of the leaders of Shechem were entirely of the world. What policy or candidate is going to help us to be safe, prosperous, and be strong? Jotham’s logic implies there is right and wrong and a righteous judge before whom all our actions and motivations will be weighed. Choices have consequences and God will respond to what they have done.

After this speech verse 21 says,

21 And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.

Jotham escapes to a safe place as the consequences of them crowning Abimelech play out. There are several things we can learn from Jotham’s famous address. His words contrast the leaders in Israel who trusted God to lead them and were content to serve God and the people, and those, like Abimelech, whose ambition fueled their desire for glory.

More broadly it warns us of the constant temptation to seek leaders that satisfy our flesh rather than trusting in God. We see this in our politics. This year is an election year and being blessed to live in a republic, we will collectively choose representatives. What will motivate those choices? 

We live in a fallen world and those choices are often messy and never perfect. We should work to be reasonably informed and reasonably engaged, but recognize our trust is not in princes or presidents, but in God. This country is drowning in idolatry. It isn’t enough to ask who will make us safer or more prosperous, we must act in a way that honors Christ. It is better to be holy and poor or righteous and threatened than it is to be rich and corrupt or safe and compromised.

There is a clear difference between the necessity of selecting between imperfect choices while trusting God and enthusiastically supporting unqualified and ungodly leaders out of self-interest. The world divides people into categories. They pressure you to align yourself with one group or cause or another but these are worldly categories and we are not of the world. As believers, our citizenship is in heaven. 

Do you remember the story of when the Jews conquered Jericho? Remember they marched around the city and God knocked down the walls for them? Just before that happens, in Joshua chapter 5:13-14, the Bible records a very interesting encounter. It says,

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”

We know this is a divine manifestation of the lord because he accepts Joshua’s worship. When they meet Joshua asks him if he is for them or for the other side and the answer is “no”, I am the commander of the army of the Lord. You want to know whose side God is on? He is on his side. If Israel is to prevail it will not be because God is on their side, it will be because they are on his side.

We are called to speak the truth, to encourage, to rebuke, and the stand for what is right and godly. That means we must not hesitate to call out wickedness on either side of the aisle. Brothers and sisters you are free in Christ to call it like it is. When Joshua realizes who he is standing in front of, he first worships and then his immediate concern is what does God have to say. That should be our concern. The only platform that matters eternally is the one that ends with his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. It doesn’t matter if we prosper here if we lose our souls. We are called to be Christians first regardless of which policies we think may be most helpful for the country.

This temptation exists also in our spiritual leadership choices. People shop for churches asking “what will I get out of it” rather than what will help me glorify God. Brothers and sisters, we shouldn’t be going to church to get something, we should be going to church to give something. We go to worship God and to use our gifts to help others worship and serve him. 

If you are always comfortable in church that is not a good sign. I pray my preaching encourages you but there should be times it makes you uncomfortable and convicts you. God’s word comforts the afflicted, but it also afflicts the comfortable. A loving mother does not allow her children to play with fire and neither does our loving Father allow us to continue in sin that will destroy us. Unless you are already perfect, there should be brokenness that drives you Christ in repentance, and if you think you don’t need that, you are far from God. Those who love you the most are those willing to tell you the most truth. The truth is many people go to church each Sunday to worship themselves.

Finally, this temptation for bramble leadership that satisfies our flesh exists in our personal walk. Sin is the insane act of turning from serving a perfect king to serving one that does not love us. Each believer is like those trees that have been given useful fruit to be used to serve God and bless others. When we sin, we are like those trees stooping to find shade in the shadow of a thornbush. Everything Satan offers is a cheap imitation of God’s true blessings. If we refuse to find satisfaction in God and instead pursue the pleasures the devil offers, the very fire God sends to judge him will consume us as well. 

We all began on that path. We were all like the people of Shechem who ignored the goodness of the rightful king and followed after a foolish and evil king because we thought we could get more joy from the world than from God. We have all sinned against a holy God. But in his love and mercy, he sent his son Jesus to rescue us and bring us home. Jesus offered his perfect life of obedience in exchange for a life of rebellion. He satisfied the wrath of God’s judgment that we deserve. He died the death that we earned by being tortured and crucified on a cross. 

The fire of God’s perfect holiness consumed him in the place of everyone who puts their faith in him. Now, like Jotham, he is crying out to the world to repent. To turn to him and listen to his words so that the father would hear us. Today is a day of salvation, right now, God offers pardon to any who come in faith. Whatever you’ve done, you can stand innocent and accepted before God if you receive Jesus as your lord and savior, because Jesus has already paid the price for all who repent and believe. 

Everything the world offers, riches, beauty, safety, power, pleasure… it will all be gone someday but the treasures to be found in Jesus are eternal. The problems of the world and the challenges of life often trouble me but I take comfort knowing I am in Christ and he has already overcome the world. Let us therefore believe in him, stand for him, and trust in His word. This is easier to say than to do but God never fails to keep his promises. As we finish, I want you to meditate on these words of encouragement from our Lord Jesus in Matthew 6:25–33. The one who has demonstrated his love and faithfulness to us by giving his life for us says,

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor  spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.