Resting in the Shade of a Thornbush

 

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

When Jotham heard about this, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem!  Listen to me if you want God to listen to you!  Once upon a time the trees decided to choose a king.  First they said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’  But the olive tree refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’  “Then they said to the fig tree, ‘You be our king!’  But the fig tree also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing my sweet fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?’  “Then they said to the grapevine, ‘You be our king!’  But the grapevine also refused, saying, ‘Should I quit producing the wine that cheers both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?’  “Then all the trees finally turned to the thornbush and said, ‘Come, you be our king!’  And the thornbush replied to the trees, ‘If you truly want to make me your king, come and take shelter in my shade.  If not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”  Judges 9:7-15

Lent is nearly passed; in 5 day’s time it will be Palm Sunday, and the Passion of our Lord will have begun.  The waving palms of adulation by Jerusalem crowds will give way to the crown of thorns from the thornbush.  And blood will flow!

The symbolism we find in Scripture is not always comfortable, but brings much comfort when understood.  And so many of the symbols are of the land, and simple things; simple things are hard to misunderstand if you’re awake at all.

In the time of the Judges southern Judah had a king.  The northern tribes were still depending on those charismatic unofficial leaders who would arise to meet threats by gathering the people to act as one.  Their king was the God of no name or face. 

Jotham, a descendant of Gideon, was such a spur-of-the-moment leader.  A crisis had arisen in Israel.  Abimelech had manipulated his relatives to have him proclaimed king.  They gave the power-grabber some money, and he used it to hire thugs to kill most of Jotham’s family.  But Jotham escaped and stood in the public place to tell the parable of the trees.  The olive tree, fig tree, and grapevine all refused the pomp and circumsance of being the king of the trees, so it fell to the only tree that would never produce the ease of shade, the thornbush.

Pretty easy to get the meaning:  Be careful of pressing-after that for which you’re not qualified. 

There is truly only one King; it was He who wore the crown fashioned from the thornbush.  That was certainly no comfort for the humanity of Jesus.  The spikes from that crown were meant to discourage any human flesh from getting too near it.  But Christ wore the crown of thorns, that we might be set free. 

For You Today

Jotham asked a key question to those who sang the praises of Abimelech:  Have you done right by the sons of Gideon?  And Jotham’s question stirs the question for us today:  Have we done right by the Son of God? 

For those who claim the title “Christian” discipleship is not a title, it is an active, lifelong process of asking, seeking, and knocking that aligns with Heaven’s demand to worship the only true King. 

The outcome is an up or down vote…rest in the shade of whatever comfort you prefer, or rest in the shadow of the thornbush.  It’s a solemn choice that will be heard around the world in Holy Week.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©