LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 29: Family feud

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for July 29: Family feud focuses on Judges 8:22-12:15.

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We often assume certain opportunities must be from the Lord. If our child is offered a scholarship to a particular college, that must be God’s will. If a friend is offered a highly influential position in the church, certainly God is in it. If you are offered a promotion at work, no doubt the Lord is behind that advancement. Right?

Not necessarily.

In Judges 9, we read about Abimelech’s power grab in Israel. The nation kept on asking for a warrior king like all the other nations, and beneath this request was a lack of trust in the Lord as their protector and leader. Abimelech seized the situation, ruthlessly grabbing power by murdering all but one of his brothers to ensure no threats to his reign (9:1-6).

Jotham, the only brother to escape slaughter, indicted Abimelech’s ambition and the Shechemites’ willingness to make him king by telling a great parable in 9:7-15, one from which we can learn much.

The parable tells the story of the trees of land who searched for a leader to reign over them. First, the trees asked the olive tree, “Reign over us,” but the olive tree refused to abandon his post of olive production for the kingship. Then the trees approached the fig tree with the same request. The fig tree, like the olive tree, declined, saying, “Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?” (v. 11) The trees next went to the vine, who refused to abandon making wine.

Finally, the trees went to the bramble. The bramble is not a noble plant. It’s prickly and low and rather useless. The trees stooped quite a ways from the olive tree they first approached. However, unlike the more noble plants who declined to reign over the trees, the bramble accepted the position.

Jotham ends the parable with these telling words from the bramble 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” (v. 15).

Bramble bushes have no shade of any substance. And what little bit of shade they have would not be worth coming under the pointed thorns of the bramble. This invitation to safety really was an invitation to destruction.

One obvious lesson from the parable of the trees and their ruler is that we should be really careful who we put in positions of leadership over us. If the rush to feel safe, we shouldn’t appeal to a lowest common denominator in such decisions. No leader is better than a bad one.


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But there is another lesson in the parable of the trees to be found in the examples of the olive tree, fig tree and vine. As the lesson instructs us, we should choose self-giving service over self-advancement. If the Lord truly calls us to advancement, that is one thing, but we should not assume every offer is from the Lord.

Why shouldn’t the olive tree or the fig tree have become king of the trees? There were other trees to yield those fruits. Why shouldn’t the vine give up its grapes in order to reign over the trees? The vine said, “Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?” (v. 13)

Each of these trees recognized they were pleasing God and serving men exactly where they were. They did not automatically assume more power and influence would mean greater worship and service. Neither should we.

I fear we so equate worldly comforts with spiritual blessings that we do not pause long enough when certain offers come our way. Should a pastor automatically leave one church for another if it would mean preaching to a greater number of people? Should an assistant manager assume the promotion he is being offered is God’s will? Wouldn’t more money mean more opportunities to give? Wouldn’t greater influence lead to greater impact for God’s kingdom?

In answering this question, let’s look where we ought always look for answers—Jesus. At the beginning of John 6, Jesus performs the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. The people were so amazed, they determined Jesus was the long-awaited Prophet like Moses who was promised to come (6:14).

Then we read in John 6:15, “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

Isn’t that how it is all going to end, with Jesus as king? Isn’t that where this whole story is headed? Why didn’t Jesus become king when he had the chance during his first coming? Think of the influence he could have had, much more than a wandering rabbi. Think of the authority and opportunity that would have come.

But Jesus declined. More than that, he ran and hid from opportunity. Why? Because he knew that God had called him not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In Jesus’ kingdom, we are taught that the least shall be greatest and the last shall be first. Why then should we assume that advancement in the kingdom of this world in God’s will?

I’m not saying Christians never should accept promotions or have positions of authority. On the contrary, we should rejoice when God puts his people in these roles. But we also should not assume we never will have to turn down what appears to be a great opportunity.

Sometimes saying no to power is one way we are called to be like Jesus.


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