THE PARABLE OF TREES
#784 (use with #33) THE PARABLE OF TREES
Scripture Judges 9:7-15 NIV Orig. Date 8-26-51
Rewr. Dates 9-26-90
Passage: 7 When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8 One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’
9 “But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
10 “Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’
11 “But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’
12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’
13 “But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’
14 “Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’
15 “The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’”
Keywords: Parable
Timeline/Series: Old Testament Parables
Introduction
Our story begins with Gideon. He was chosen as judge of the people. He sought confirmation. Judges 6:36f “If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand.” So, both Gideon and the people knew that he was their leader. They responded to him accordingly.
In later years, they had come to depend on him so completely that they offered him rule over them. Judges 8:22 “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
The word for rule implies sovereignty. It may or may not have the effect of royalty. It is nonetheless clear that they were satisfied with all that had happened and were willing for the descendants of Gideon to come to the office and role of rule if not to the place of monarchy.
Gideon rejected these advances. He made it clear “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23).
Besides king-like rule, Gideon left behind seventy sons “of his body begotten” (8:30), and a son, by a concubine, whom he called Abimelech. At Gideon’s death, Abimelech struck quickly. He went to Shechem, his mother’s home, claimed to be one of them, and the royal son. Together, they went after his half-brothers, killing all of them but Jotham, the youngest, who was delivered from this attempted assassination.
The message here, a parable or fable, is Jotham’s message to the men of Shechem who have followed Abimelech’s wiles.
I. It is First of All About Trees. Judges 9:8, “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them.” It has the quality of a fable, but it is meant to stand out as a moral lesson. The meaning is hidden, but barely. These Shechemites are to see themselves. Jotham means for them to not like what they see.
There are some things we need to remember about trees. They derive their sustenance from soil. They take from the soil what they are fitted to take to meet their own needs. The trees are not valued equally in the codes of human economy. They are different in terms of size, and sight, and fruit.
Jotham then begins to identify certain of these trees and plants. The olive tree was asked to reign over the forest. One tree can yield a half ton of fruit per year, and there were numerous orchards. It offers food and building supplies. The olive branch is a symbol for peace.
The fig tree was called forth to reign. The fig tree provides food; in I Samuel 25:18, Abigail, an Israelite woman, made 200 cakes of pressed figs. Adam and Eve used its leaves to cover themselves. It is the first fruit mentioned in the Bible.
The vine was singled out. It produced fruit for nourishment and for medicinal purposes. In Numbers 13:23, the spies sent out by Moses cut a branch with a cluster of grapes, and also brought pomegranates and figs. Micah 4:4, “But they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.”
Finally, the great cedar was pictured. It was the greatest of Bible trees. Herbert Lockyer wrote that a cedar could be as much as 120 feet tall, with a girth of 40 feet (A36p334). Both Solomon’s temple and palace included cedars. In Judges 9:15 fire devours the Cedars of Lebanon.
A bramble is offered the role. It is a plant with no fruit of worth. Some use it as fuel. It could be used as a hedge, 12-15 feet high. The parable does not effect repentance.
II. The Prophetic Message of the Parable/Fable. Judges 9:15, “If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow.”
The olive tree has to do with covenant privilege. Romans 11:17-21: 17 ‘And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, [2] and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.’
It is evergreen, suggesting eternality. In Exodus 27:20 the Hebrews were to bring “pure” olive oil for use in the tabernacle.
The fig tree seems more to stand for the national privilege. I Kings 4:25 “Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.” That is similar to Micah 4:4; Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. Zechariah 10:12 forecast the messianic time. Think of the intended sweetness of the fig. But the Christless Zion is the bane of most non-western nations. Also, the great parable of Christ in Matthew 24:32, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that Summer is nigh.”
The vine seems to speak of spiritual privilege. Isaiah 5:4, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” The vine is God’s chosen symbol for joy. The vine brought forth alien fruit. Psalm 80:14, “Look down from heaven and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted; . . . turn us again, O Lord of hosts, cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
The bramble speaks of liberty, responsibility, privilege being sacrificed. The bramble is willing to reign. The cedars are willing to allow it. The demand of the bramble is for the cedar to “put your trust in my shadow.” It is said that when the Messiah comes, He will build the new temple, again of cedars, but instead, His head was anointed with bramble.
GIDEON: MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
#043 GIDEON: MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
Scripture Judges 6:11-18, 22-23 NIV Orig. 11/4/62 (11/77)
Rewr. 10/4/85
Passage: 11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
Purpose: To lead my people in an in-depth study of Gideon and his spiritual resolution, and what we may learn thereby.
Keywords: Character God Power Missions
Timeline/Series: Old Testament Characters
Introduction
Gideon is called here a “mighty man of valor.” It is a term that can be misapplied. We usually go through a relatively simple process when we make such judgments about other people. Compared to another, how does that particular person measure up? Is Gideon such a “man of valor,” or is it that compared to those around him, he left such an impression?
Tennyson had to resort to fiction to find one who accommodated his own characteristics of human supremacy. He wrote of Sir Galahad
“My good blade carves the casques of men.
My tough lance thrusteth sure:
My strength is as the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure.”
It is far easier to find those whose “hearts” are not pure, who are not “men of valor.” During New Orleans days, a young seminary friend stopped by my office. He was serving a church in the Bogalusa area, and was in the pastor’s office there. A church member came in with an armload of mops. He began to berate the pastor for allowing such a budget travesty. “Why had they bought so many mops that could only be used one at a time?” After the man had his say and left, someone in the room commended the pastor for keeping his cool under such an unnecessary outburst. My friend said that the pastor’s reply was a classic. “It really isn’t that hard to understand his feeling, when one is aware that the total sum of his contributions for the year is tied up in unused mops.”
Compared to Tennyson’s Galahad, few of us would be considered as “people of valor,” but compared to the “Bogalusa Badman” most of us could smile and be happy about what we are.
Gideon is clearly a “man of valor.” His are characteristics which God often chooses to bless.
I. It is to a Prepared Man that God Comes. There can be little doubt that Gideon spent long lonely hours at his vigil. He has poured out his soul beseeching God for an answer to Israel’s dilemma. Note his reply to the angel (v13) “O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all of this happened to us?”
How often people are prepared for spiritual challenge by their distresses. Isaiah—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord.” Hosea—Understood and revealed Israel’s infidelity by experiencing it in his own family. Martin Luther—Climbed the 52 steps of the “Scala Sancta” on his knees and spoke out against the church, fellow priests, and scholars; as a separated clergyman, in his arms little Magdalena lay dying—it nearly destroyed him, until he received God’s peace.
For others, it is the challenge alone that prepares them for their work. Too many of us think in terms of why we can’t accomplish something. There are some who consider only what they must. Gideon knew why this would be a most difficult undertaking. The Midianites were determined and ruthless. Israel was in a state of confusion. Even Gideon’s own house was torn down for idolatry. V25 tells of the statue of Baal in Gideon’s father’s house.
200 years ago, William Carey, the father of modern missions, had not yet gone to the mission field, had not yet begun to pastor, had not yet been baptized. We must remember that mission is a recent concept. His major challenge was to overcome not the hardships of the mission field, but the excuses of the people on the home front. It was too great a distance (but not for commerce); the people were uncivilized (but Paul went to Gaul and the Britons); the discomforts—but that’s for the missionary to decide; the language barrier—that didn’t stop the East India Company.
Yet others were prepared by vision. Against Gideon’s excuses the Lord responded 6:14, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
II. It is to One with Purpose that God Comes. It is not with only the sense of a purpose that God comes, as if the man alone is what God needs. It is the purpose, linking the man’s life with some noble cause.
God offers His strength to implement that of Gideon. V15 “So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’” We see a nation come to grief. A family is described (Gideon was the son of Joash the Abiezrite whose own father was a Baal worshiper): Gideon is a man who views himself as an unlikely candidate for honor.
God’s strength is offered for God’s purpose. God has already given unconditional promises. Genesis 9:13 “I set my bow in the clouds as a sign of covenant between me and the earth.” Judges 2:1 “I will never break my covenant with you.” God never wills to leave us in distress except to our good. Gideon is that chosen vessel for good.
Gideon is a proof text for people caught in the mire of Spiritual lethargy. Perhaps we see characteristics that are reminiscent of Gideon in us. What would be our reaction to an angel? “You’ve come to the wrong house. Let me get a roadmap and help you on your way.” But God chooses to use us in His cause. There are injustices. You do feel unworthy. “Accept my purpose and I will use you.”
Gideon would succeed where others had failed because God’s purpose would become his purpose.
III. Finally, it is to Anoint with Power that God Comes. Gideon reaches out for some tangible evidence that he has not dreamed this. He prepares an offering (v19). A rock becomes an altar of proof (v21). The first test came quickly. God said “cut down the grove belonging to your father.” Gideon selected men of his own servants as others were not to be trusted. When Gideon’s life was endangered, his father said “If my son has offended Baal, let Baal act.”
Still, Gideon needed assurance. Gideon challenges God to show by a particular sign that it is His work he is doing. If the fleece is wet with dew and the ground around it is dry, “I will know your intent.” V37.
When the day of battle comes, Gideon is instructed to disarm and go into battle with 300 who drink water funny. (Chapter 7)
How like us this is. Of all the ages we think ourselves the least likely candidate; of our father’s houses, I find me the least able. We unite our voices in asking God, “Why?” Do we hear Him say, “Go in this thy might”?
As a physicist said, “If there is no law in physics between me and my goal, I can get there.”
Conclusion
Herbert Lockyer wrote that, without doubt, Gideon is among the brightest luminaries of Old Testament history. His character and call are presented in a series of tableaux. We see:
1-Gideon at the flail—the young man was threshing wheat when the call came to him to become the deliverer of his nation. History teaches that obscurity of birth is no obstacle to noble service. It was no dishonor for Gideon to say “My family is poor.”
2-Gideon at the altar—Gideon was God-fearing. His own father had become an idolater but Gideon vowed to remove the idols. No wonder they called him Jerubbaal, meaning “discomforter of Baal.”
3- Gideon and the fleece—Facing the great mission of his life, he had to have an assuring token that God was with him. God condescended to grant Gideon the double sign.
4-Gideon at the well—How fascinating is the incident of the reduction of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 10,000, then to only 300. The few, choice, brave, active men and God were in the majority against the swarms of Midian. God is not always on the right side of big battalions.
5-Gideon with the whip—The men of Succoth and Penuel made themselves obnoxious, but with a whip of thorns Gideon meted out to them the punishment they deserved.
6-Gideon in the gallery of worthies--It was no small honor to have a place, as Gideon has, in the illustrious roll named in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, where every name is an inspiration, and every character a miracle of grace.