Bible Trees

The fig tree is often mentioned throughout the Bible.  Today we consider how Jesus used the fig tree as a lesson for his followers. (You may wish to read Mark 11:11-25)

This is one of the odder miracles in the New Testament. Why was Jesus looking for fruit if it wasn't the right season? And when He found none, why did He blame the tree and curse it? Was this some sort of divine temper tantrum?

Actually, no. Common fig trees produce at least two crops of fruit. The "breba crop" appears in the spring, with the first leaves. You could say it isn't really a proper fig crop at all; the breba figs aren't that great, and a lot of people don't bother to harvest them. The main crop comes later and will taste much better.

But Jesus was hungry. So He went looking for the early breba figs, which should have been there if the leaves were out -- and there was nothing.

That's a bad, bad sign. A common fig tree that doesn't produce brebas around Passover isn't going to produce real figs at the right time either. The early failure is a sign of the much greater failure to come. And Jesus knew that. The words He said confirmed the disaster that was already on the way: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And within a day, the tree was withered up.

There are things like brebas in our own lives, too. Every day we live our lives in Jesus, growing in faith, and receiving His gifts of Word and Sacrament. And every so often the challenge comes -- are we producing the fruits that show that Christ is living in us? Do we have figs, or just leaves?

To be sure, most of the fruit we Christians produce is like breba figs -- small, relatively tasteless, not particularly good quality. Jesus must be really hungry if He wants our fruit! And yet He does. He is. And He rejoices when He finds an early fig, even a breba -- because it shows that the Holy Spirit is living in us, doing God's will through us. It shows that we belong to Jesus -- and one day, we will rejoice together with Him, at the real harvest time.

What did Jesus see?

• He saw a useless tree, drawing from the soil but giving no fruit: a parable for those who take out more than they put in. Not like Abraham Lincoln: “Die when I may, I want it said of me that I plucked a weed and planted a flower wherever I thought a flower would grow.”
• The owner looked at the tree as property, judging the investment by its return. The gardener saw an opportunity for growth and recognised that effort, nourishment and time were called for. Perhaps I should  consider how God looks on me lovingly, 'digs around me' and is patient with me. I humbly lay the fruit of my life before God.
• Knowing how difficult I sometimes find it to be patient with the others, I consider how through the attitude of the gardener they help me not to judge too quickly.

Bible Trees

The Cedar trees that grow in the mountains of Lebanon hold a very special significance for the Christian. Solomon used those strong timbers to build God’s temple (1 Kings 7:2-3). The Bible also refers to them as the basis of several metaphors.

DEEP ROOTS: For every ten feet of height above the ground, the tree roots go down 30 feet under ground. I want my “being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17) to reflect the Cedar.

PENETRATION: The tips of the roots are equipped with a substance that allows them to drill through the toughest of rock and continue the deep-rootedness of the tree. I want my life to drill through difficult times so that in the end, I am anchored in a rock foundation.

USEFULNESS TO OTHERS: Psalm 104:16-17 show that the cedars, which God created, serve to provide for the needs of other living things like the birds of the air. I would like my life, like that of the Cedar, to exist for the sake of other members of the world community.

RESISTANCE TO DECAY: The sap of the Cedar serves as a natural repellant to harmful insects and fungi. This internal resistance to decay and infection make me think of the “armour of God” which allows us to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Our spiritual “sap” should include truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and faith “with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:1-17)

UNITY: The limbs of neighbouring trees grow right into the foliage of the neighbouring tree and sometimes grow together as one. So even if one tree dies, its limbs will be sustained by merging with the surviving tree. Psalm 133:1, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity,” refers literally to siblings living together as members of an extended family or community. How different this picture is than that of competitive siblings quarrelling over possessions and power.

LONGEVITY AND VITALITY: Psalm 92:12, 14-15 is my favourite reference to the cedar in Lebanon because it provides encouragement to a man who is getting older but hopefully more righteous. “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree and will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock and there is not unrighteousness in Him.”

Holy Lord

As we look at this image of a Cedar we pray for Lebanon.

Restore its ancient blessing and let it be beautiful in its holiness.

Let it be a land of flourishing and peace once again.

Let its people be strong and united in lasting joy.

Let it become a jewel of your Kingdom where factions and corruption are only memories. 

May its neighbours heal their wounds and enmities and may they flourish so that Lebanon restored redeems the Middle East and brings the peace that the world so needs. Help us to plant the seeds of the glory of Lebanon through our prayers, our gifts and our acts of love and then, Father God restore the beauty and the promise of Lebanon so that the whole earth will praise your glorious name.

We pray this prayer in the power of your Holy Spirit through your son, our Saviour, Jesus, who knew this land and blessed it with His grace. Amen

Bible Trees

The Bay Tree

I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Psalm 37:35

David used a bay tree as a picture of the wicked in their prosperity. Yet Psalm 1 uses a flourishing tree as a picture of the righteous. Here it is used in reverse, the wicked being compared to a green tree which flourishes for a time but soon passes away and is seen no more. David reports that he has seen a wicked, violent, strong man tower over others like an overspreading tree that seems to be firmly grounded and immoveable. This reference might be entirely poetic. However, David's personal history included encounters with those who fit this description. Those ungodly people who exhibited their own forms of strength and power—wealth, physical prowess, or authority—but were eventually nowhere to be found (Psalm 37:36). 

However, to get the context of this verse, it is important to look at the surrounding verses. Verse 34 for example prefaces the image of the wicked with words that say, “Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land”

What is clear, is that there is real folly in relying upon acquired wealth and status, indeed there is a different kind of richness of an even greater value found in the  contentment  waiting upon the Lord in anonymous  poverty rather than showy boasting. 

Spiritual discipline is key to this. If a person relies on his own strength, he will fail to exercise restraint. Paul wrote that "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4). The way to achieve victory when the enemy attacks is to wait on the Lord to act and to keep His way (Psalm 37:34). Trust in the Lord and obedience to His commands are powerful weapons. If we trust and obey, the righteous will be exalted by the Lord and will dwell in the Promised Land. 

Lord, in my waiting, help me to be strong and filled with courage, lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. Help me to have patience and  may Your integrity and uprightness preserve me. Amen

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