Audio By Vocalize
IEBC officials prepare for past by-elections. [File, Standard]
I should begin with a confession. I am an avid reader of the Bible. I read it every single day, first as a sacred text and secondly as one of the greatest libraries of human experience ever assembled. Beyond its theology, the Bible is an extraordinary collection of stories that teach about the complexities of society. Every so often, I stumble upon stories with an uncanny ability to explain the world we inhabit.
A few days ago, while reading the Book of Judges, I came across a story in the ninth chapter. It is hidden beneath the dramatic account of Abimelech's bloody rise to power. I think this narrative is one of the oldest political fables ever told. I read it several times, and each reading revealed something I had not noticed before. Now I am convinced that Jotham was speaking to our society.
Jotham was the only surviving son of Gideon after Abimelech had murdered his seventy brothers. He climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim and addressed the people below. Instead of denouncing them for supporting Abimelech, he told them a story. The trees, he said, once set out to anoint a king over themselves. They first approached the olive tree. "Be our king," they pleaded. But the olive tree declined.
