King of Trees

King of Trees

Gideon ruled as a judge over Israel for 40 peaceful years, and during that time he had 70 sons. However, one of his sons wanted to be king, and after the death of his father, Abimelek killed all of his brothers…except one. Jotham, the youngest son escaped and gave a scathing rebuke to the people of Shechem who supported the slaughter of his brothers. In that rebuke, he reminds both them and us that if we, in pride and selfish motives, commit such evil, we will receive the consequences of that evil back on our own lives.

<iframe id="embedPlayer" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/king-of-trees-the-book-of-judges/id1646273281?i=1000591301000&amp;itsct=podcast_box_player&amp;itscg=30200&amp;ls=1&amp;theme=dark" height="175px" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; clipboard-write" style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px; transform: translateZ(0px); animation: 2s ease 0s 6 normal none running loading-indicator; background-color: rgb(228, 228, 228);"></iframe>
Judges 9:15
In our previous episode we saw how God whittled the Israelite army down from 32,000 to just 300 men to fight the Midianites, proving that God, and not their own strength, had given the people victory. Then we saw how Gideon led his men in an unconventional attack on the Midianite forces, confusing and terrifying them in the night so that they turned their swords on each other. God’s name was glorified, and peace was restored among the people. In today’s reading we’ll learn how Gideon rightly refuses the people’s request for him to be their king, as he reminds them God is to be the king of His people. But we’ll also see how his to take many wives and concubines would end in tragedy. One of his sons, Abimelech will let selfish ambition creep into his heart, leading to betrayal and murder.
Share this devotional:

More Bible in a Year Episodes

The Passover

The influence Jesus now held over the people was too much for the religious leaders to bear.

Den of Thieves

As Jesus and His disciples walked into the temple gates, He saw a marketplace set up where the nations were meant to worship.

The Triumphal Entry

Mary came up to Jesus and poured a full bottle of spikenard on His head and feet.

Zacchaeus and Bartimeaus

The crowds were thick as Jesus was passing through Jericho.