When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, “He is related to us.” They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels, who became his followers. He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal [Gideon]. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king. When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you….” (Judges 9:3-7)
The breach of the U.S. Capitol by rioters on January 6, 2021, a strong-armed attempt to prevent certification of the 2020 presidential election, was not the first insurrection in American history. But it was first direct threat to the peaceful transfer of power in the nation’s history and the only occasion members of Congress ever were forced to flee for their lives within their own building. Even the vice president’s life was threatened by the mob. Afterward, leaders of Congress from both political parties uniformly condemned the insurrection and rebuked the participants.
Perhaps it’s noteworthy that a similar event occurred in Old Testament history when Gideon’s son Abimelek hired some reckless scoundrels, murdered his brothers who stood in the way, and schemed to have himself proclaimed king. There are some interesting parallels to January 6th. Most striking is that the insurrection took place at a strategic site of historic, national importance to Israel, the great oak tree in Shechem. This is the landmark tree where the Lord had appeared to Abram and had first promised to give the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants (Gen. 12:6). This is where Jacob had buried his family’s idols when he returned home after fleeing for his life years earlier (Gen. 35:4). This is where Joshua had made a covenant with the people and had set up a commemorative monument (Josh. 24:25-26).
Hundreds of years after Abram met with the Lord at the great tree of Shechem, marking it as a holy site, that historic oak tree became an insurrection tree. There the people rejected their true King. There, at that tree, they followed an imposter, a usurper to the throne. There renegade lawlessness presented a public threat to personal safety.
And there, at that same tree, a young man named Jotham, the only other surviving son of Gideon, condemned the insurrection and rebuked the participants. He confronted them with a parable about trees, of all things! Jotham’s speech is one of the few fables in the Bible, a tale involving talking trees.
Yep, it’s not a misprint. Talking trees! That’s next time.
Prairie Pastor 