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IN THE SHADE OF THE BRAMBLE (20 OF 42)

by Mike Stone

Scripture: Judges 9:7-21
This content is part of a series.


In the Shade of the Bramble (20 of 42)
Series: The Coming King: Finding Jesus in Judges
Mike Stone
Judges 9:7-21

In those days there was no king in Israel and every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Our study of Judges is the story of Israel's rebellion and their longing for a king. But this book, like the whole of Scripture, is ultimately about the Lord Jesus.

That is, we can learn an awful lot about our present walk with Christ by studying the past experiences of these ancient saints. That includes the sad story of a bramble bush king who wanted the people to live in the shade of the bramble. (Judges 9:7-21)

Judges 9 tells a long, twisted, and sad story of ruin and rebellion. It is one of the more fascinating narratives in the book of Judges. The 57 verses tell one running story, so I hesitate to divide the chapter into multiple sermons. But the depth of information here warrants at least a few lessons.

Following the murder of his brothers, Abimilech was installed as the king in the city of Shechem. But according to the parable offered by Jotham, he was at best a "bramble bush king."

This message is a warning about giving our affection and allegiance to lesser things...of bowing our hearts and knees to serve our modern-day Abimelechs...and of trying to live life in the shade of the bramble.

1. The inferior purpose of the bramble (7-14)

To fully understand Jotham's fable and this broader text, you have to know what a bramble bush is. Far from being a tree, the bramble is a bush. It is a prickly shrub, that for us, most accurately resembles a blackberry vine.

The word translated as "bramble" literally means "to pierce" or "to fasten." Both of these words denote something that is painful and penetrating...something that has a hook in it...something that will pierce you and fasten you to itself.

It's hardly the kind of bush you would first turn to for comfort and protection.

A. Unfit for its reign

The bramble is technic ...

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