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.

Jotham's Parable of the Trees

Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead."

Then the woman said, "Please let me speak a word to my lord the king."

"Go ahead," he replied.

The woman said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead. I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him. Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.' They would put out my only ember that is left and leave my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."

— 2 Samuel 14:2-3, 12-14 (NIV)

Joab, David's commander, sent this wise woman to help reconcile King David with his son Absalom. The story parallels David's own situation with his sons, particularly after Absalom killed his brother Amnon.

Wisdom in Approach

Justice and Mercy

Reconciliation

Parable of the Wise Woman of Tekoa

Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'

The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'

So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'

The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

— Luke 16:1-9 (NIV)

Jesus told this parable to His disciples, teaching about the proper use of material resources. It's one of the most challenging parables to interpret, as it appears to commend dishonest behavior.

Strategic Stewardship

Kingdom Priorities

Spiritual Wisdom

Parable of the Dishonest Manager

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. 'Lord, Lord,' they said, 'open the door for us!' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.'

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

— Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)

Jesus shared this parable near the end of His ministry as part of His teaching about His second coming and the end times. It emphasizes the importance of spiritual preparedness and perseverance.

wisdom

Jotham's Parable of the Trees

Parable of the Wise Woman of Tekoa

Parable of the Dishonest Manager

Parable of the Ten Virgins