I'm rather fond of the parable of the bramble.
Daily Devotion
"When Gideon died his son Abimelech wanted to become king over the nation of Israel. He was corrupt as well as ambitious, murdering his brothers who might have given him competition for the position. But Jotham, one of the survivors of this crime, showed up at the coronation and told a parable of the trees (Judges 9:7-20).
He told how one day the trees went out to anoint a king over them. The olive tree declined because it had more important work to do in providing olive oil. The fig tree declined the office because it had to produce its wonderful fruit. The vine would not be king over the trees because it had to produce wine that cheered the heart. Finally the trees asked the bramble bush to be king. The bramble bush said that if the trees really wanted him to be their king, then they should come and take refuge in his shade; but if they did not, fire would come out and consume even the cedars of Lebanon, the proudest of all the trees.
The point, of course, is that Abimelech is this bramble bush. But what does this say about the new king and his reign. A close study of the bramble bush, or thorn bush as it is sometimes translated, will show that whatever grows up under its branches becomes hopelessly tangled and cannot thrive. Moreover, the root system of the bramble is large, taking up all the water that might go to the surrounding trees. They cannot survive in the area of the bramble bush. And finally, the bramble bush produces nothing of value for the community."
