A story with a hidden edge
Jotham's Trees
Jotham's fable of the trees who wanted a king is the oldest recorded parable in Scripture. Shouted from a mountaintop after his brothers were murdered, it warns a whole city about the kind of ruler they had chosen.
“The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.”Judges 9:8
The story
The story. In Judges 9, Abimelech, a son of Gideon, murdered his seventy brothers upon one stone to seize power, and the men of Shechem made him king. Only Jotham, the youngest, escaped. He went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, lifted up his voice, and cried a parable to the men of Shechem. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. And the vine said, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
What it meant
What it meant. Jotham's meaning was sharp and unmistakable. The fruitful trees, the olive, fig, and vine, all refuse the crown because they are already doing good and useful work; they will not abandon their fatness, their sweetness, and their wine to sway over other trees. Only the bramble, a worthless thornbush that bears no fruit and gives no real shade, is hungry for the throne. Its offer of shelter is absurd, for who takes refuge under a thornbush, and its true nature comes out in a threat, submit to me or fire will come out and devour even the cedars. Jotham was telling Shechem that they had passed over every worthy man and crowned a bramble in Abimelech, a man good for nothing but burning. He warned that a bramble king would bring fire, and the parable came true; Abimelech and the men of Shechem destroyed one another, and fire consumed the tower of Shechem. The fable exposes a lasting truth about power; the ones most eager to rule others are often those with the least fruit of their own, and their reign ends in mutual ruin.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jotham's parable draws the line between the servant and the tyrant, between the ruler who is fruitful and the ruler who only devours. The fruitful trees would rather bless than dominate, while the bramble grasps for a throne it cannot honor. Jesus taught the same contrast plainly to His disciples, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; but ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. Christ is the true King who does not seize a throne by shedding His brothers' blood but lays down His own life for His people. He is the vine that gladdens, not the bramble that burns. Where Abimelech grasped at a crown and left ashes, Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. The parable's longing for a worthy king finds its answer in the King who reigns by serving.
Questions people ask
Is Jotham's fable really a parable?
It is a fable in form, using talking trees, but it functions exactly as a parable, an everyday story carrying a pointed spiritual and moral lesson. It is the earliest such story recorded in Scripture, found in Judges 9:7-15.
Who is the bramble in the story?
The bramble represents Abimelech, who murdered his seventy brothers to make himself king of Shechem. Jotham warned that a worthless, grasping ruler would bring destruction, and the chapter records that this came to pass.
Did Jotham's warning come true?
Yes. Judges 9 goes on to describe how Abimelech and the men of Shechem turned on each other, fulfilling the parable's threat that fire would come out of the bramble, and both were destroyed.