Have you heard Jotham’s Story?
It happened in The Book of Judges, Chapter 9. You would do well to go back and read it for yourself. At first it appears very strange and you wonder why it even happened. If you meditate on the words he spoke though, you will begin to understand. The story eventually served as a curse for those who were responsible for not honoring the work that Gideon did for God, and those who conspired to destroy Gideon’s 70 sons.
WELCOME
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To bring you up-to-date on our current study, we are in the Book of Judges, walking through page-by-page. Today’s lesson begins to cover the facts found in Chapter 9.
AFTER GIDEON DIED
Gideon did all that he could do to help Israel before he died. Until he died, Israel enjoyed a time of peace in the land. Gideon had remained loyal; but his sons from his many wives were not as loyal to God’s ways as he had been.
GIDEON’S PAGAN SONS
We have already mentioned that Gideon’s sons worshiped pagan gods after his death. They also came to worship the golden ephod which Gideon had made from the gold he obtained in his battles. That was never the intention Gideon had for designing this ephod. Perhaps we will explore this subject more later.
STRANGE HISTORICAL FACTS
After Gideon’s death we hear of some pretty strange history taking place in the land called Canaan. On first reading, these facts even sound a bit chaotic and confusing. It takes some digging and praying by those who are truly interested in finding the truth to understand everything that happened during these times, and how each event affected everyone in the long run.
ABIMELEK BECOMES POWER HUNGRY
For starters, Gideon’s son, Abimelek, born from a concubine from Shechem went to see his uncle in Shechem. Concubine’s sons are not usually known as the legal heirs, only the wives who ruled over the concubines had sons who inherited their father’s wealth. If the first legal heir was dead though; the concubine’s son could be considered to have rights to inheritance.
Abimelek had none of those rights. With 70 brothers, his chances of having them were extreemely slim. He set out to convince his mother’s people that he needed to be the ruler over Israel instead of all of the 70 other sons Gideon had left behind. Abimelek had nothing to offer the people of Israel except his ruthless ambition.
LOSING CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT OUT OF CARELESS NEGLECT
Because Abimelek was a relative to the people living in Shechem, they decided to hire Abimelek to rule over them. In order to accomplish this, they paid him seventy shekels.
With this money Abimelek hired a gang of crooks to follow him around and help to further deceive the Israelites.
Hence; Abimelek agreed to be the hired pupphet to the men of Shechem. The rest of Israel never conscented to Abimelek’s kingship.
ONE MAN ALLOWING MANY TO HAVE THEIR WAY
Here is a lesson for those of us living today. Abimelek became a pupphet for the government of men ruling Shechem. Pupphet rullers are usually bribed into taking office through money or unlimited power that gains them their way, or more wealth. They are never elected by the people.
Such false-leaders come to their positions simply because certain high level government officials decide to recognize them and hold up their office, or they would never arrive to such a place. Such rulers exist only to help their shadow government achieve what they want. They usually have no morals, and no qualms about using other people or their resourses, and are only there because they will make it easier for other greedy, criminals banning togeteher to have their way with the people.
SUCCESSFUL FOR A SHORT TIME
Many nations have seen these types of leaders come and go. They seem invincable for a time; then their crimes become recognizable through their own carelessness and the people of the land begin to wake up.
Even if the people cannot stop them, these types of individuals are usually so useless that they come to odds with those who put them into power in the first place. Their own arrogant actions eventually lead to their own demise.
Such was the story of Abimeleck.
DAYS OF JUDGES PARALLEL TO TODAY’S WORLD
I can see where this story about Abimelek could serve as a symbolic role for many of the rulers of America today. The familiar symbolism which runs parallel to today’s world governments makes me want to dig into the prophetic significance of the days of the judges. I definitely see end-time significance in many of these stories. What happened then is definitely happening now.
HIRED CRONIES
Today we might call these men which Abimelek hired “cronies.” They were like hired politicians who would do anything Abimelek asked if he paid them enough money to do so.
We all have seen such types of business go on with our own government in America. Money swaps hands and the world changes instantly. Things that would have been publicly proclaimed as crimes in the past are swept under the rug and silence echoes down the halls of the White House and all government buildings of the land. Perhaps a spirit from the past rears its ugly head again.
ELIMINATING THE COMPETITION
Abimelek took these paid men who were capable of committing any amount of criminal activities with him to Ophrah where he murdered his 70 brothers, except for one of them, who escaped.
I wonder if anything similar to this could be happening today? So many parallels are found in the Book of Judges. It is astonishing to keep on reading. After all of his half-brothers were killed; the people crowned Abimelek as their new king. I guess you could say Abimelek rigged the support of the people.
JOTHAM’S STORY
The brother who escaped was named Jotham. Jotham climbed up to the top of Mt. Gerizim and shouted out a story.
Remember how we learned in a previous lesson that Mt. Gerizim was like a huge natural amphitheatre? This was where the people often heard important announcements. Everything that was said from the top of Mt. Gerizim went down and echoed throughout the valley below and all the way to the other side of another twin mountain that lay across the valley.
The people on the other side of the mountain could hear every word that Jotham belted out. Jotham’s message was a story. It went like this:
TREES LOOKING FOR A KING
Some trees were looking for a king. The olive tree rejected the position, then the fig tree, then the grape vine. They all were happy and productive without being king. None of them craved power and position over others.
Therefore; the trees sought a thin, thorny shrub called the bramble. This bramble was a nuisance and a fire hazard within the land, but it agreed to rule with conditions. The condition was that all the other trees genuinely wanted for the bramble’s kingship.
The bramble declared to the trees that if they were insincere about the bramble being the king, that fire would come and consume the trees.
Strange story; right?
What on earth did Jotham mean by telling this story to all of the people in the land?
THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY
As we ponder these words Jotham brought. We can see how and what they meant to the people of the nation of Israel in those days. We might even find some prophetic significance for the people of our own times.
Think and pray about the meaning.
We will continue this discussion next Thrusday.