Before Abimelech, consider another example; trees not only represent “living souls, but living people as well. They also represent strength as the tale of the Leviathan in the Bible was likened unto cedar, and cedar also represents height, sturdiness, and longevity in different places in the Bible. Cedar, specifically, represents royalty, to wit: “Joash, king of Israe,l sent to Amaziah, king of Judah, saying, ‘The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife.” One king, surely, Joash, portrays himself as the “cedar” and his son, Amaziah, as the “thistle” as Amaziah was not king at that time, but Joash was. At first, Joash was righteous and a mighty king, but he turned to other gods, and his subjects cut him down as they would a cedar tree.
The “thistle,” Amaziah, became king after his father was assassinated, and
reigned for 29 years. The mere “thistle” became a “cedar” in due time.
Now examine Jesus: The Jews put a crown of thorns on his head to mock His
Kingship just as Joash mocked the would-be king, Amaziah. Like him long before,
the lesser Amaziah was likened unto a lowly thorn bush. When the crown was
placed on the head of Jesus, he became the “thistle bush.” The Almighty “Tree
of Life” was diminished to a mere prince of the Jews, as was Amaziah.
Cedar wood also represents eternal life. In the Old Testament, the procedure
for cleaning a leper was to take cedar wood, scarlet, blood, and running water,
and take a bird killed from an earthen vessel, and cleanse it. That would vicariously
cleanse the leper. The dead bird from the earthen vessel would lay on the cedar
board, blood and water poured over it, and that would do the cleaning. Then,
after several other rituals with various substances, including the sacrfice of
a lamb, the priest would make an atonement for the leper (Lev 14).
As you can see from that sacrifice, “This is the law of him in whom is the
plague of leprosy” (Lev 14:32). It does not say that the fleshes of lepers were
made alive, but they became clean. They again can commune with them in tabernacle
worship; thus, it represents the souls of “dead” men being preserved.
The point to that, in this commentary, is that the footrest of Jesus was
likely of cedar wood. (I have written before that it is believed by many that
the post and the cross were from the acacia wooden poles, of course without the
gold wrap, from the Ark of the Covenant).
Just as the cedar wood made the lepers alive by the sprinkling of the
water and blood, Jesus made all those who trust Him alive by the sprinkling of
His Blood and Water on the cedar footrest. The bird from the earthen vessel,
would represent Jesus, not from the tomb in the earth, but as one destined for
the tomb.
Cedar would not only represent kings in the Bible, but THE KING OF THE
JEWS on the cross… in His “tree” as Paul called it (Acts 13:29). Whenever scripture
names “trees” in the Bible, it has a deeper spiritual meaning. Why else would
the Temple be lined with the best cedars from Lebanon? They represent royalty. Now, for the key verses:
KEY VERSES: 8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, “Reign thou over us.” 9 But the olive tree said unto them, “Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 10 And the trees said to the fig tree, “Come thou, and reign over us.” 11 But the fig tree said unto them, “Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 12 Then said the trees unto the vine, “Come thou, and reign over us.” 13 And the vine said unto them, “Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, “Come thou, and reign over us.” 15 And the bramble said unto the trees, “If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. (Jud 9:8-15) (Note the underlines were added by me anywhere a tree was named).
The key verses are an allegory symbolic of Abimelech’s treachery to be king of the Hebrews in Shechem, rather than the legitimate heirs, if there was to be a king. Remember that this was in the era of judges before there were kings over all Israel. Thus, the coup d’etat was not to determine king of Israel, but to be a mere tribal “king,” hence not a true king at all.
Now for the list of trees from those passages: trees and “all the trees,”
olive tree, fig tree, the vine, the bramble, the “shadow of the bramble” (not
underlined), and the cedars of Lebanon:
Lewis Ginzberg's "The Legends of the Jews" records the following remarks on Abimelech: "Tan B 1 103. The parable of Jotham is said to refer to the prominent judges: Othniel [=Olive tree], Deborah [=fig tree], Gideon [=vine], and Elimelech [=bramble]. (Wikipedia; “Abimelech”)
Ginzberg’s comments may be true, but perhaps there were also
spiritual “trees” involved. For instance, Jesus is represented as the “Vine” (John
15:1). Vines, spread and provide shoots that make saplings. John 15:1 also says
that “ye are the branches.” The “trees” were not only the people of Shechem but
the spiritual “branches” from the Vine, Jesus.
Now think in terms of Jesus. Who would be the olive tree?
The Vine itself as the olive represents “Peace on Earth” (Luke 2:14). The Vine
would become the branch of olive tree. Perhaps the olive also represents the
Tree of Life since that is allegorical for the Godhead, Jesus being the “branch”
that Adam could see.
The fig tree, perhaps, represents the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil since it was obviously a fig tree. That makes sense as Adam and Eve
made themselves “aprons of fig leaves” (Gen 3:7) while standing under it. I
have proposed that the “Judas Tree” on which he hanged was also a fig tree for
many reasons. Thereon, Satan withered because he was in Judas, just as the fig
tree withered in the Parable of the Fig Tree.
The bramble bush would represent, not Elimelech, but Abimelech
himself as pretender to the throne. Abimelech himself is a type of Judas, both pretenders
to the throne. Not that Judas, the man, sought the throne belonging to Jesus,
but Satan within him did. Now, the key verses can be rewritten, with those
assumptions:
8 The Hebrews went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the Tree of Life, “Reign thou over us.” 9 But the Tree of Life said unto them, “Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the multitude? 10 And the multitude said to the Tree of Knowledge, “Come thou, and reign over us. 11 But the Tree of Knowledge said unto them, “Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 12 Then said the multitude unto Jesus, “Come thou, and reign over us.” 13 And Jesus said unto them, “Should I leave my wine (blood), which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the multitude?” 14 Then said all the multitude said unto Judas, “Come thou, and reign over us.” 15 And Judas (Satan) said unto the multitude, “If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the Judas Tree and devour the Temple of God of Lebanon.
I had not identified the cedar tree. It lined God’s House that
would be built by Solomon — the house for God that He did not want, and by a king
that He did not want. The Second Temple was torn down in 70 AD, as Jesus foreknew,
because it would no longer be needed for worship. Satan directed Titus to tear
down the Temple. He was not aware of it, but the Temple of God was at that time
the souls of men! The pillars of God’s Temple were built of “Lively Stones” and
inside the hearts of those “stones,” there should be linings of cedar! Cedars
are noted for strength, mightiness, and longevity. Steadfast Christians are as
mighty cedars.
As such, Christians are the Temple of God, and the Devil is
in the Judas Tree. That points toward the Devil devouring Christians, “Be
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet 5:8). A “roaring lion”
instead of a tree? Yes, Satan can take on the form of a man, a tree, or a beast.
He is also the “fiery flyjng serpent” (Isa 14:29) which explains the “let fire
come out” of him in verse 15.
What was the “shadow” of the “bramble bush?” If the bramble
bush was Judas, then the “shadow” would be Satan in him. Once Judas died, Satan
came out, and from this time forward, until he enters the Antichrist, he is a “shadow”
that blends in with all the shadows of people’s “trees.”
Perhaps the key verses explain the competition for Abimelech
to be king, but why would that matter enough to be Holy Scripture? Because it
has much different, but primary meaning! Perhaps that the Temples were lined with
cedar does represent Christians. Of course, not in reality, but allegorically.
If indeed God’s “footstool” — the footrest on the cross — was of cedar, His
blood and water that redeemed mankind, flowed on that cedar just as the vicarious
death of a bird, made a leper alive, in the first example. Perhaps the “cedar
lining” in Christians is the blood and water that Christians “drink” when they
trust the death of Jesus as propitiation for the loss of their own blood!
Now for my personal comments: Of all the scripture that is
written, this one was the hardest for me to understand! Maybe it is not exact
to my comments, but somehow all scripture points to Jesus, mankind, and to
grace. By grace God’s blood was sprinkled on a bird on cedar plank. My bet is
that, that bird was a dove. Why a dove? It is the motion of the bodily-shaped Holy
Ghost had when it glided onto Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:22). Indeed, there
is nothing new under the sun!
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