Bible Trees

The Fir Tree

 

Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

I know we are now a third of our way into September and the inevitable garden centre’s display are already dusting off their fir tree display in early anticipation of the advent season. Fir trees; a symbol through the ages of life - eternal life. Fir trees are coniferous trees belonging to the genus Abis and family Pinaceae.

The genus Abis is derived from the Latin word “Abies” which means “rising one” due to the ability to the plant’s trunk to grow upward in a straight and simple manner – a great characteristic which makes it different from other types of plants. The fir tree is also a symbol of truth, forthrightness, honesty, friendship, hope, promise, renewal, endurance, and determination.

The fir tree is closely associated with Devon’s St Boniface, a missionary to the people of Germany and the Netherlands. Boniface knew that in winter the inhabitants of the village of Geismar gathered around a huge old oak tree (known as the “Thunder Oak”) dedicated to the god Thor. This annual event of worship centred on sacrificing a human, usually a small child, to the pagan god. Boniface desired to convert the village by destroying the Thunder Oak, which the pagans had previously boasted the God of Boniface could not destroy, so he gathered a few companions and journeyed to Geismar.

Boniface steadied the nerves of his friends and as they approached the pagan gathering he said, “Here is the Thunder Oak; and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god Thor.” Boniface and his friends arrived at the time of the sacrifice, which was interrupted by their presence. In a show of great trust in God and born from a desire to enkindle the fire of Christ in the German pagans, Boniface grabbed an axe and chopped down the Thunder Oak of mighty Thor.

The Germans were astounded. The holy bishop preached the Gospel to the people and used a little fir tree that was behind the now felled oak tree as a tool of evangelisation. Pointing to it he said, “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.”

Perhaps the verse from Isaiah says to us that we should allow God to remove the thorn in our lives and plant there a Fir tree in our hearts.