Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 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.’ “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— for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian, 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— 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. 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.”This is a parable telling how choosing an unworthy person to be a leader is not a good idea. It is difficult to understand the details of this narrative, but various authors helped me see:
And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and lived there, because of Abimelech his brother.
Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. And the leaders of Shechem put men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way. (Judges 9:14–25)
- A lowly bramble could destroy a noble cedar, just as the lowly-born Abimelech could ruin the lords of Shechem.
- We must not be deceived into judging the fitness of a man for any post by the eagerness with which he seeks it.
- For myself, I need to never be motivation by self-seeking in any part of life. This is a low and dangerous sin that will bring harm to me and dishonor the Lord.
- But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. (James 3:14–16)
- Weakness is better than selfish power as it encourages trusting in God’s strength.
- Better have no king than a bad king. As a good government is the first blessing of a nation, so a bad government is its greatest curse.
- Entering blindly into needless obligations will open eyes when these activities begin to cause harm.
- It is easier to confer power than to withdraw it from an ambitious person.
- There is one King under whose leadership all people can be secure and rest:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1–5)
Jesus was mocked as King of the Jews, yet Revelation 1:5 calls Him “the ruler of kings on earth” who is seated on an eternal throne. Blessed are those who have positions of authority and who listen to this One who rules over them.
Lord and King Jesus, ‘kings’ who do not listen to You are obvious, yet You are King and can use their decisions for Your purposes. You can set kings up and take them down. May leaders in this world fear You and pay attention to Your Word. May “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” This pleases You because You desire all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1–4)