"Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
'Who can be compared with you in majesty?
Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon,
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.

The waters nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.

So it towered higher
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters...

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside...'"

— Ezekiel 31:2-5, 10-11 (NIV)

Ezekiel delivered this parable as a warning to Egypt, using Assyria's fall as an object lesson. It was given two months before Jerusalem's fall, warning Egypt about the dangers of pride and the certainty of divine judgment.

Pride's Danger

Divine Sovereignty

Historical Lessons

Parable of the Cedar Tree

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. One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'

But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'

Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'

But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'

Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'

But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?'

Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'

The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'"

— Judges 9:7-15 (NIV)

Jotham delivered this parable after his brother Abimelech killed their other brothers to seize power. The parable warns about the dangers of choosing an unworthy leader and the consequences of poor leadership choices.

pride

Parable of the Cedar Tree

Jotham's Parable of the Trees