Do You Grasp The Meaning of Trees in the Bible?
Good Morning Friends,
Last night I attended a distinguished speaker’s event at Moorings Presbyterian Church. The speaker was the Holy Spirit. A rare occurrence for Presbyterians. But not all heard. Tony Campolo, evangelist, story teller, political advisor and healthy mission promoter was the featured presenter. It started out with a Haitian Children’s Choir and local Haitian Praise Band of young professionals. The stage was set as we became part of a lesson on the power of overcoming adversity as we sought the Kingdom of God on earth. And indeed the church has accomplished great things in this regard but on this night had serious technical sound difficulties. And so too do we when it comes to understanding poverty. But somehow God used the situation to turn the focus on God, Missions and Haiti. The timing was almost six years to the day of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The message was about how adversity shapes us and how our economic, mission and political policies can promote poverty for others. Our actions can be toxic and devastating to others. Think of how Haiti was raped of its trees for economic return. And so this morning I have been meditating on trees as a beautiful reminder of the resurrection. I have been thinking about how trees furnishes shade and protection and fruit and how they present a vantage point for people to see. I am thinking about how the Bible is filled with stories about trees. A tree is in the beginning and the ending of the Bible. A tree is right at the center of the story with Jesus on the cross. Trees even once they have been sacrificed and cut down form the raw materials for the vocation of Christ and a symbol of the calling of Christ. It is sad when a tree dies. So today we take a look at trees in the Bible and their stories as a metaphor for a life’s work… of boats and crosses and tables and yokes and Temples and that in each there seems to be
more than just a tree…in each there is something lasting for Jesus has his craftsman’s hand in its making. Do you grasp the meaning of a wooden bell with no clapper? Do You Grasp The Meaning of Trees in the Bible?
Scripture: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NRSV)
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Genesis 2:15-17 (NRSV)
Message: There are thirty-seven different trees mentioned in the Bible. Some of them have been Anglicized in translation. Regardless the stories of them stand tall. It is understandable why trees have such a relevant role in religion for embedded in them is something important. Trees are bigger than we are and they stand when we fall and they endure when we pass away. Yet we can muster the power to overcome trees. We can chop them down and put them to use. As I reflect on the meaning of trees in the Bible, I remember how it feels to be climbing them and to be walking along a forest path and I remember the stories of my youth set in forests. They are the setting for an adventure. Snow White knew it, and so did Hansel and Gretel. Trees and forests, with all their branches, paths, and hiding places are perfect for suspense and surprise, and drama. In the story we need to be aware of great trees as living things and their wisdom. We need to listen to the rustle of leaves and needles and learn from the symmetry and sway of a bough bending in our direction with a message. Friends, today’s scripture gives us instruction on nature’s way, God’s way. The scripture’s theme is one of grace abounding in God’s plan… the very process of nature. The image of the tree is at the center of it all in today’s scripture and throughout the Bible. Adam, the man, hid behind a tree in shame having eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He needed to come out. Elijah, the man filled with self-pity, under the broom tree needed to get back to work. Zacchaeus, the small man in the sycamore tree, needed to come down to meet Jesus. Jesus, hung on a tree, needed to die to free us from the curse of sin, so we can come to the tree of life and be lifted up. The message in the role of trees in the Biblical narrative is that we too are to grow tall and strong, and leafy, so that people can shelter from the fierce heat of the sun. But understand this, the trees that flourish are not just growing for their own benefit. Fruit grows, a valuable source of nourishment. Fruit from the Tree of Life is a kind of antidote to death. It is here that we might come to realize that the cross on which Jesus died also suffered the nail holes. Friends, the men and women of the Bible are like trees. Walk in their stories and learn. Be connected to the shoot that grows out of the stump. Rejoice in the date palm, olive, pomegranate and fig trees. Rejoice more in the men and women that make them seem more than just trees.
Pray we plant a tree. Pray we appreciate the sacred symmetry of trees. Pray we realize that trees give shade and lumber and fruit and beauty, but that God gives the trees. Pray we see in trees a way to see the world as charged with the power and glory of God. Pray that our giving has roots anchored into the fabric of the universe. Pray we adore the giver and his gifts. Pray we realize that some trees are for food and others for beauty. Pray for understanding of God’s beautiful tree of life as it reappears at history’s end to heal us with her beauty, bestowing fruits of the Spirit. Pray people find relief in our shade. Pray we grow in ways that helps others find relief from suffering. Pray we are nourished in the strength and blessing of the one true God who is the source of all joy. Pray the Great Gardener prune us into fruitful production. Pray the Good Carpenter takes us and turns us into something useful. Pray we listen for the sound of the trees.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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