The Wisdom of the Olive Tree pt 1
Judges 9:9-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?
Today it may be well with us Christians to consider the astonishing wisdom of this olive tree. And what may we charge this credit of wisdom to? Alas, it is charged to a rejection of what was surely a deceitful promotion. As the story is told this parable is a distinct lesson, in that, this tree did choose to reject the promotion of kingship of the forest, to simply remain an olive tree. To what sensible aspect do we call this wisdom? Is it wise to reject such a promotion of position and power? In this account, yes.
Consider these thoughts today about the olive tree. Why should he leave his fatness? His fatness is defined as the oil produced from the squeezing of the olives which grew on the tree. How greatly used this oil was in Bible days. Olive oil anointed kings, fueled lamps, and was a staple in cooking among many other things. By what reasoning may we say it is better to make oil than to lead a forest as a king? Let us think in this light, is it natural for an olive tree to produce anything other than an olive? No. Should we expect an orange to be produced on an apple tree? By no means. Here we see the temptation that satan delivers to God's people: disguise a demotion as a promotion. Get God's people busy producing anything other than what is natural for them to produce and tell them their unnatural production is better.
Dear Christian, this oil of the olives represented in your life is your God-given talents and abilities. To think, your talents are distributed by the Lord's own hand for use in God's glory and in the edification of men. See the text verse, the fatness is good for God and man. What God has gifted the believer with should be put to use for the good of men and the glory of a gracious God. Why should we leave our fatness to follow that which is unnatural? Why would we leave the service of the King for the business of the world? How can we live guilty of trading our usefulness in the body of Christ for a job that requires us to miss the Lord's place of worship on Sunday? Do we expect God's blessing on such unnatural production? In no way; for it is written Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
So we see the wisdom of the olive tree, the wisdom which saw the demotion in the promotion. We would be better serving God as a pauper than serving the devil as a king.
Wise Application
Has God called you to a purpose? Has He gifted you with an ability for the glory of His Kingdom? Ask God to help you sharpen this gift to maximize it’s effectiveness and prayerfully use it for His glory in the service of the King.
