Our first reading is from the book of Judges, a book from the Hebrew Scriptures that perhaps is not very familiar to us. The Book of Judges tells the story of the different Judges and Prophets who call Israel back to its covenant with the Lord. In today’s reading, Abimelech, the son of the great judge Gideon, is made the ruler to succeed his father. However, he does so treacherously, having killed his 69 half-brothers to eliminate all of his rivals, with his youngest half brother Jotham the only one surviving. His reign is recorded as being unprincipled and ambitious, with him often battling his own subjects for power and control.
When Jotham is told about his brother Abimelech being made ruler of Israel, he recounts a parable about some trees. All of the trees who bear great fruit and who produce much for society do not want to be made king, because that would compromise their productivity and their gifts. However, the briar, which produces no fruit and has the leisure to accept this position, is the one who consents to being king, even though it cannot even provide shade or anything of worth for the other trees.
Israel wanted a king because their other neighbors had one. They were not content with God alone. We all have heroes and people we admire in life, and hopefully we all have heroes and people we admire for their faith. Do we admire them for the right reasons, or is this just folly? May we choose our leaders and our heroes wisely, guided by the truth and the values of our faith.
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