Bible Trees

The Ash Tree

Ash wood is strong, durable and generally light in colour. It is coarse but the grain is fairly straight. As a result of its strength and durability, ash wood has an array of uses but is commonly used in the making of tools, furniture and frames.

The Authorised Version uses the word Ash where as many of the subsequent translations prefer the word pine; for example “He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.” Isaiah 44:14

The object of this passage is to show the amazing stupidity of those who should worship a god made of the same material from which they made a fire to warm themselves, or to cook their food.

Image-making is described, to expose the folly of idolaters. Though someone may use part of a log for fuel, they also fall down before an image made of the remainder, praying that it would to deliver from some impending ill. However, we might shake our heads and think how preposterous that in our enlightened age we might be drawn into such thinking.

You might even find yourself reading through the prophets and nonchalantly grazing past the verses on idol worship without stopping to think twice. You may be tempted to think that they don’t apply to you, because you don’t struggle with those things.

We may also think we’re far too advanced for such simple thinking. We live in a day and age with advanced science, technology, and education. We wouldn’t even consider idol worship as a temptation.

It’s easy to fall into this way of thinking when you only understand idols based on the examples given in scripture. 

But idols aren’t limited to graven objects crafted by human hands. Idols are anything that you give your life to,that you pour every ounce of your energy into in hopes of it bringing you the things you desire in return. Anything you place above God. There are many idols we struggle with and many of them creep into our lives without us even realising.

We assign far too much value, energy, and hope to these things. The idols we build in our lives are serious offences against God. We need to be aware of our temptations and the idols we build in our lives without realising. 

Bible Trees

The Apple Tree

The word “apple” appears 8 times in the King James Version and 7 times in other English translations. “Apple” is used as the translation of 4 different Hebrew words:

One such use is that of Beth-tappuah meaning “place of apples” (a town in Judah). Tappuah was the name of 3 other ancient biblical places.

There has long been discussion of what this fruit refers to. Most accept the apple, others suggest the apricot or quince or orange. There is currently no clear evidence that apples grew in Israel (due probably to the heat). But they were certainly not unknown in Israel, and the land does have cooler hill country. They definitely grew north of Israel in Lebanon. The ancient Romans cultivated apple trees extensively. It is possible that climatic conditions may have been more favourable in ancient times in Israel. Today, more than 40 types of fruit a commercially grown in Israel. Apples are grown successfully in the northern hills of Israel and in Gaza.

The apple tree is listed among the most valuable trees of Israel (Joel 1:12) and is frequently referred to in the Song of Solomon, and noted for its beauty.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,

So is my beloved among the young men.

In his shade I took great delight and sat down,

And his fruit was sweet to my taste. —Song of Solomon 2:3 NASB

Sustain me with raisin cakes,

Refresh me with apples,

Because I am lovesick. —Song of Solomon 2:5 NASB

Beneath the apple tree I awakened you;

There your mother was in labor with you,

There she was in labor and gave you birth. —Song of Solomon 8:5b NASB

Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a word spoken in right circumstances. —Proverbs 25:11 NASB

In Psalm 17:8 David uses the “apple of His [God's] eye” in his prayer: Just as light is reflected on the shiny skin of an apple, and images are reflected in the eyes of a human beholder, God always and constantly let my image be before You and use your power to protect me.

Loving heavenly Father, how happy I am to know that You are my Almighty God and You are ever watchful to save me from all the dangers and enemies in this world! I surrender myself and my family under Your special care.  I submit my sitting, standing, walking and travelling under Your precious saving grace.  Cover me and all of us under Your protecting wings.  Be a wall of fire around me. May Your beautiful name be glorified through me.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Trees

The Almond Tree

As Autumn approaches  and the foliage of the trees begins to change colour, I thought that we could look at the ABC of trees mentioned in the Bible.

We start with the Almond Tree.  First a little bit of Arboriculture. The almond (Prunus dulcis) is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries but widely cultivated elsewhere. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree.

Almonds are mentioned six times in the Scriptures and only in the Old Testament. The first reference is in Genesis 43:11 where Jacob, in an apparent attempt to curry favour with the ruler of Egypt, orders his sons to take some of the "best products of the land" including almonds. The best-known reference to the Aaron’s almond rod that budded (read the whole episode in Numbers 17). This is miraculous because the flowering, budding, and fruiting of the almond in nature are always separated in time.

The almond motif was also part of the divine design for the lamp stand in the tabernacle, where Moses was instructed to make the bowls of the lamp stand in the shape of the almond flower. 

The last reference to the almond is in Jeremiah 1:11. "The word of the Lord came to me: 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' 'I see the branch of an almond tree', I replied." The Hebrew word for almond sounds similar to that for watchful. Was God using the play on words to capture Jeremiah’s attention; to be watchful.

Paul in writing to the Colossians advocates watchfulness, “… continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; and pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.”

Prayer: Father, open my eyes and heart to understand that apart from You I can do nothing. You are the shepherd upon whom I can rely, to whom I can go in the hour of anguish and find the strength to do what You are calling me to do. Amen

A Covenant People

And Finally - “So be it And the Covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven Amen”.

WHAT DOES AMEN IMPLY IN SCRIPTURE?

1. True assent. The apostle directs the Church to pray, read and preach in a known tongue so that even the unlearned hearer may say Amen, that is, give assent to what he hears with understanding (1 Corinthians 14:16).

2. Earnest desire. When the prophet Jeremiah heard the prophecy of Hananiah concerning the return of the king of Judah to his kingdom, and the other captives to their land, and of the vessels that were taken away to the temple, he knew it to be a false prophecy. Yet to show how earnestly he desired that it might be so (Jeremiah 28:6), he says Amen. And fully to declare what he meant by that, he adds, “The Lord do so.”

3. Steadfast faith. Where Christ give a promise of his second coming, saying, ‘Surely I come quickly’: the Church, to show her steadfast faith in that promise, says, Amen, which implies, ‘Lord, I believe this: Even so, come Lord Jesus’ (see Revelation 22:20).

The proper reason for saying Amen is to manifest assent, desire and faith. Whoever says Amen, must understand what he says Amen to. In this case, two things must be understood: the words that are uttered and the meaning of those words (1 Corinthians 14:9).

Just one final thought in our covenant preparation. “Amen is not the end of a prayer, it just gets us ready to go to the next level.” Gary Busey

A Covenant People

So we come to the last line of the Covenant Prayer; “And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours”

David’s Psalm 35:3 follows a similar thought pattern.

The text informs me first of all that David had his doubts; for why should he pray, "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation'" if he were not sometimes exercised with doubts and fears? We can be encouraged that we are not the only ones who face a faltering faith. If David doubted, we need not conclude that we are not a Christian because we have doubts.

The text reminds us that David was not content while he had doubts and fears, but he proceeded directly to the mercy-seat to pray for assurance, for he valued it as much as gold. We too must work to foster a continual sense of being accepted in the Beloved and must have no joy when His love is not shed abroad in us. David went to his God in prayer, crying, "Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'" We need to be often alone with God if we are to enjoy a clear sense of Jesus' love. When our prayers cease, our eye of faith will grow dim.

We notice that David would not be satisfied unless his assurance had a divine source. "Say to my soul . . ." Lord, speak to me! Nothing less than a divine testimony in the soul will ever content the true Christian.

It is something life the old hymn written by Fanny Crosby that said,

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

The popular hymn reflects Crosby's walk of faith, as expressed by the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (ESV).7

A Covenant People

 ….I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

James Harnish (author of "A Disciple’s Path: Deepening Your Relationship with Christ and the Church"), in his discussion about financial generosity, insists that the starting point in a disciple’s understanding of giving is the recognition that everything that we have comes from God.

David writes in Psalm 24:1 (CEB), “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too.” It all belongs to God. James 1:17 (CEB) echoes this truth: “Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father.”

So once we really believe that all the things we have ultimately belong to God, we can go forward into the practice of giving back to God.

The following story illustrates the concept of tithing, the practice of giving back to God what really belongs to him anyway.

Once upon a time there was a man who had nothing, so God gave him 10 apples. The first three apples were for the man to eat, the second three were to trade for shelter, and the last three were to trade for clothing. God gave the man the 10th apple so he might have something to give back to God in gratitude for the other nine.

So the man did just that, he ate the first three and traded the others for shelter and clothes. Then he looked really hard at the 10th apple, knowing that God wanted him to give it back with a grateful heart.

But this last apple seemed so much bigger and juicer than the others, and the man reasoned that God already had all the apples in the world anyway. Why would God need his apple? So, the man ate the 10th apple and gave the core to God.

We should not give because we think God needs our gifts in order to be God, or that the church needs our money to be the church.

Harnish writes, “The people of God — you and me — give to the church and to God because of our gratitude to him. We give back to God what is God’s so that through our gifts the love of God can become a tangible reality in our world. Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives us and gave to us through Jesus Christ."

O God,

I lay my life at your feet,

And offer you all that I am.

May my feet follow your leading.

May my mind be renewed with your truth.

May my heart be full of your grace.

May my words be full of your wisdom.

May my mind be full of your truth.

May my dreams be full of your vision,

And my soul fill of your peace.

I lay my life at your feet

And offer you all that I am.

Amen.

A Covenant People

 

….let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing:

Today as we consider the above phrases from the Covenant Prayer, we spend time in prayer. It maybe helpful to have an empty plate and cup to hand.

In the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

We are connected by God's Spirit, 

hoping for a glimpse of the holy:

the One who brooded over Creation, 

who engulfed a bush in flame,

who made a path through the waters, 

who rolled away the tombstone.

We are connected by God's Spirit, 

hoping for a whisper of the truth:

the Word who first spoke in the silence,

the voice who raged with the prophet’s zeal, 

the host who sang of peace on earth,

the teacher who blessed the humble and poor. 

We are connected by God's Spirit,

hoping for a touch of compassion:

the tenderness that shaped the human body, 

the caress that opened eyes of the blind,

the soothing hand that brought healing calm, 

the warmth that embraced the lonely and lost.

We are connected by God's Spirit, in the presence of mystery: 

of One who is revealed and hidden, known and unknown, 

mother and father of Creation,

God-with-us, living Word, eternal Spirit, Three and One.

Breathe into us hope, faith and joy.

Breathe into us compassion, truth and holiness.

Breathe into us reconciliation, justice and peace. 

Breathe newness of life as we worship today

in this place and in many places

joined by your Spirit of comfort and hope.

Amen.

We hold up the empty plate...

It is Christ who is the bread of life,

who satisfies the hungry heart.

We hold up the empty cup...

It is Christ who is the cup of hope,

who revives the thirsty.

We place this plate and cup on the table.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

In faith and hope, we hold out our empty hands.

In our hands and in our hearts, 

we leave space for resurrection, 

for new life and for new meaning.

We shall not seek God among the dead.

We shall be bearers of hope among the living.

We shall carry the stories of our hurts 

and losses that we may tell the story of healing and resurrection.

Live then, in the promise of Resurrection Life!

Live according to the story of the One: 

Father, Son and Spirit. 

Knowing that the scattered community of God

is placed in the world, for the sake of the world.

Glory to God and Peace to All.