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| Billie Silvey |
| 3 Trees in Scripture |
| July 2007 |
| Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil The first tree mentioned in scripture is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It appears in the second chapter of the first book, Genesis. After God had made the heaven and the earth and all the living things--including a person--that populated it, he prepared a special environment for that person he'd made. "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasant to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:8-9). God gave the garden to the person he'd made, "to work it and take care of it." God knew that people need three things to survive: food, structure and work. "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die'" (Genesis 2:16). He also knew that people need companionship, so he made woman as a co-worker with man to be united with him in the work of the world. But something about people makes us chafe at restrictions. Of all the trees in the garden, there was just one that they were not to eat, and that was the very one they were tempted to try. They did, and lost both their innocence and their garden home. Life grew harder after that. |
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| Tree by the Water Another tree in scripture is a tree which is used to represent a righteous person. It is the tree planted by the water in Psalm 1. This person is contrasted with the wicked in the first verse. This person delights in God's law and meditates on it day and night. "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:3). |
| The lesson for us is clear. We need to delight in God's law and think about it constantly. Then we, too, will find a fruitful freshness in life. And we'll be cared for by God himself. "For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous" (Psalm 1:4). |
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| Tree of Life The final tree mentioned in scripture was also mentioned at the beginning. Remember the tree of life which God placed in the Garden of Eden? When Adam and Eve sinned, an angel with a flaming sword was placed at the entrance of the garden to keep them from eating of it. But later, in the book of Revelation, it appears again--this time doubled! |
| "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:1-2). Again, a wonderful picture of satiation, of provision, and of healing. And that tree grows "for ever and ever." |
| There are many trees in scripture, but three hold special significance --one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end. They grow intertwined with our lives, and represent some of God's greatest promises. |