"Shall the Bramble Rule?”
Judges 9

May 28, 2006
by C.W. Powell

I. The ambition of Abimelech.

“1 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.” (Judges 9:1-6)

1. We have the ambition of Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his handmaiden of Shechem. Shechem was a chief city in Mannasseh

2. Shechem was/is a city in Samaria ( Gen. 33:18 ), called also Sichem ( 12:6 ), Sychem ( Acts 7:16 ). It stood in the narrow sheltered valley between Ebal on the north and Gerizim on the south, these mountains at their base being only some 500 yards apart. Here Abraham pitched his tent and built his first altar in the Promised Land, and received the first divine promise ( Gen. 12:6 , 7 ). Here also Jacob “bought a parcel of a field at the hands of the children of Hamor” after his return from Mesopotamia, and settled with his household, which he purged from idolatry by burying the teraphim of his followers under an oak tree, which was afterwards called “the oak of the sorcerer” ( Gen. 33:19 ; 35:4 ; Judg. 9:37 ).

3. Here too, after a while, Jacob dug a well, which bears his name to this day ( Jn. 4:5 , 39–42 ). To Shechem Joshua gathered all Israel “before God,” and delivered to them his second parting address ( Josh. 24:1–15 ). He “made a covenant with the people that day” at the very place where, on first entering the land, they had responded to the law from Ebal and Gerizim ( Josh. 24:25 ), the terms of which were recorded “in the book of the law of God”, i.e., in the roll of the law of Moses; and in memory of this solemn transaction a great stone was set up “under an oak” (comp. Gen. 28:18 ; 31:44–48 ; Ex. 24:4 ; Josh. 4:3 , 8 , 9 ), possibly the old “oak of Moreh,” as a silent witness of the transaction to all coming time.

4. Shechem became one of the cities of refuge, the central city of refuge for Western Palestine ( Josh. 20:7 ), and here the bones of Joseph were buried ( 24:32 ). Rehoboam was appointed king in Shechem ( 1 Ki. 12:1 , 19 ), but Jeroboam afterwards took up his residence here. This city is mentioned in connection with our Lord’s conversation with the woman of Samaria ( Jn. 4:5 ); and thus, remaining as it does to the present day, it is one of the oldest cities of the world. It is the modern Nablus, a contraction for Neapolis, the name given to it by Vespasian. It lies about a mile and a half up the valley on its southern slope, and on the north of Gerizim, which rises about 1,100 feet above it, and is about 34 miles north of Jerusalem. It contains about 50,000 inhabitants today

5. It was here that Jeroboam rebelled against Rehoboam and the division of the nation of Israel became permanent, as ten tribes revolted from the family of David after the death of Solomon.

6. It was here that Jesus spoke to the woman of Samaria.

7. There seems to have been a presence of some remnants of the Canaanites mingled with the inhabitants of for in Shechem was shrine to Baalberith, which means “the god of the covenant” under which Israel lived at peace with the idols of the Canaanites. It was the gold of this shrine that financed Abimelech’s ambitions and the murder of Gideon’s sons.

8. Abimelech furthered his ambitions by lies, for there seems to be no evidence that Gideon’s sons had ambitions to rule over Israel.

9. The conspiracy was strong and included the fortress of Shechem, or the tower of Shechem, or the Millo, including the warriors connected with the tower.

Much of the above material is from Easton's Revised Bible Dictionary

II. The Parable of the Trees

“7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 And the bramble said unto the trees, 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.
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18 And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.” (Judges 9:7-21)

1. Jotham, by providence, was the youngest son of Gideon, and the only one to escape the slaughter at Ophrah.

2. The Mount of Blessing, Gerizim, became a mount of cursing, for it was from it’s heights which was very near to Shechem, that Jotham spoke his parable of the Trees. The acoustics must have been very good there, and the voice from the mountain could be heard.

3. His parable is a simple one: the trees wanted a king, for what purpose we do not know, for God was their king, and Gideon has refused to play the part, affirming the lordship of the Lord over them. This desire to be in subjection finally found fruition in the time of Samuel, and Israel rejected the Lord to be their king, and God acceded to their desire, but not to their benefit. It was not God’s perfect will for their to be a centralization of power and authority, for this is not profitable to godliness.

4. The best and most productive of the trees refused the kingdom, for they were already living full and productive lives: the olive, the fig, the vine. So the trees turned to the bramble, the thorn, that is fit only for burning in the fire.

5. Power over others is not attractive to the most noble, and those drawn to power are not often of the most noble minds and dispositions. Public service often leads to the abandonment of profitable and useful occupations.

6. Jotham calls God to witness, that if they have done evil to the house of Gideon [Jerubbaal] then fire would come from the bramble [Abimelech] and destroy Shechem and the fortification of Shechem.

7. Abimelech shows himself to be a child of the devil, for his work was lying and hatred. The devil was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies, and his work is murder and strife. When you find these things, lying and hatred, you find the devils work and the devil’s workers promoting them.

III. The Aftermath.

I am not going to comment to a great extent, for the events speak for themselves. Satan cannot build a lasting kingdom, for every work of the devil is laced with the arsenic of destruction and poison and has its own death within itself.

A. The rebellion of Gaal, and the destruction of Abimelech’s power.

“22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 26 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. 35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 37 And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. 39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. 41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. 42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. 43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them. 44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. 45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. (Judges 9:22-45)

B. The Overthrow of the tower of Shechem

46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. 47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. 49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.”

C. The Fall of Abimelech.

“50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. 51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.” (Judges 9:50-57 AV)

Application:

1. When men rebel against Jehovah and our Lord Jesus Christ, this does not mean that the reign of God and the Lord Jesus Christ is overthrown, for that cannot be.

2. God continues to rule over rebellious men, but to their hurt and not for their benefit. God was in all these events to bring upon the heads of Abimelech the just compensation for their deeds.

3. God takes the evil and men and uses it for his glory, and brings good from the evil. God does not make evil good or good evil, for that would be to deny Himself, but He does turn the evil [which remains evil] to a good purpose. It was good and just for Abimelech to be devoured with the evil of his doings

4. God can take from the evil lump of fallen mankind one portion to make vessels unto mercy that His grace may be displayed; He can also take of that same lump of fallen mankind another portion to harden as a vessel unto wrath and vengeance. He is just in both operations.

5. It is God’s will that men freely choose His kind and benevolent rule, but when they do not, then He will give them rulers of their own deserts, and will remove their freedoms and liberties and devour them by the same false rulers in which they put their confidence. The very security they sought from Abimelech was subverted by Abimelech, and the whole city and defense came to ruin. It was many, many years before Shechem was rebuilt.

6. The question is not, “Will God rule us?” for that question is answered many, many times in the Bible. The only question is this: “Will God rule us for our joy and benefit, or will He rule us for our despair and misery.” The fact of God’s rule is beyond question; the nature of that rule is the issue. Let us, by the grace of God, choose Him as our only king and ruler; let us submit cheerfully and totally to His word and Sprit that the rule of Christ might be manifest among us.

a. His rule is a rule of the Word and Spirit: a rule of conscience, informed by Scripture.
b. His rule is a rule of grace and mercy, by the persuasion and moving of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and consciences.
c. We are not to grieve or to quench the spirit, but welcome Him as the great gift of our Lord from heaven to each of the people of God.

7. It might be well to consider David’s mention of Shechem in Psalm 108: a poignant reminder as to who the true ruler of all things is and Who remains after all the rebellion of men has spent its force”

“1 O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. 2 Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. 3 I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. 4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. 5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;”

“6 That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me. 7 God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; 9 Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. 10 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? 11 Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? 12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.” (Psalms 108:1-13 AV)

Amen and Amen. May God bless you.