Judges 9:16-21 – Be a person of gratitude

Gratitude helps us to make sense of the past, brings peace into the present and creates a vision for our future. Relationship with others will improve when we learn to live with gratitude. With gratitude, one’s mental strength will also increase. People who are grateful tend to be less aggressive also. It is, therefore, a great asset in life to develop this attitude. 

Apparently, Abimelech, as well as the people of Shechem, lacked this very element of gratitude. Abimelech revealed his lack of gratitude for what Gideon had done for him by killing 69 of his half-brothers. The people of Shechem demonstrated their ingratitude by abetting Abimelech in his ruthless spree. So, from a safe distance at mount Gerizim, Jotham, the son of Gideon who escaped the massacre, told the people of Shechem an allegorical tale warning them of the danger of pandering to Abimelech’s evil ambition.

Jotham followed up with his cleverly told story by reminding them of what his father, Gideon had done for them. He recapped for them what Gideon had done and predicted for them how they would end. He foresaw what would become of the ill-founded relationship with Abimelech.  How did he know? Common sense. Any relationship that begins with evil ambition, ingratitude, unfaithfulness, disloyalty always end up in strife and needless destruction. Having done with the warning, Jotham then escaped and went to reside in Beer and stayed away from the reach of Abimelech. From this account, we can see why the Bible encourages us to develop a life of gratitude. Let’s take this account as a call from God for us to cultivate a life of gratitude. We must never allow ourselves to take the low road of ingratitude and disloyalty. As the saying goes, we must always remember the source of the water we drink from.  So be grateful for all that God has done for us and respond to His call to live a life of faithfulness to Him, in truth and integrity.