What is God’s deal with trees?
What do trees show us about God’s kingdom?
Neal Arnold
I know thinking about trees when it comes to the bible might not be normal. However give this a chance – it might surprise you. Some of it I am sure you have already heard but maybe not in this way. I know it made me think a little differently. It even gave me a little internal wonder tingle.
As we have discussed earlier – all of creation speaks of God and his kingdom – so let us explore one of the biblical pictures given to us with trees.
We start in the beginning. In the Garden of Eden, there were many trees – however, there were two of the trees that were highlighted. One was ok to eat the fruit of and the other one was not ok to eat. The good tree was called the Tree of Life. The forbidden tree was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now we all know that the serpent deceived Adam and Eve and they were disobedient and ate from the wrong tree. This brought about the fall of man. From this time forward, man was forced to live in an inferior kingdom of toil, decay and pain. This separation has had a profound impact on all of us.
Have you ever stopped to think why the forbidden tree was - the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
It would seem good to have access to the knowledge of good and evil. There must be something else going on here. The knowledge they gained eating from this tree was man’s definition of good and evil, not God’s. They had partaken from an inferior, finite kingdom out of their own free will despite God’s instruction and warning. They had created a new reliance on their own knowledge and they had closed the door on the intimate connection with God’s wisdom and plan. God knew the price we would pay for this self-reliance.
Why does it say their eyes were opened – and they were naked and ashamed (Genesis 3:7)?
Again, a curious set of statements. Their eyes were obviously open prior to this time in the garden but in a different way. Therefore, this must be referencing something else. They lost the ability to see in a supernatural way or into a kingdom beyond our human capability. Their open eyes were now only able to see in the natural realm. Let this sink in. We see now in a mirror dimly. But in the Hebrew language the word used here is ayin. Ayin has several meanings beyond seeing. They include a fountain, spiritual and mental perception or discernment and countenance. Adam and Eve felt naked so they knew they had lost something. This was their countenance – God’s light bringing supernatural wisdom into their spirit. We were created to reflect God’s glory and they lost this.
Adam and Eve lost a divine connection in the garden and the stain of their guilt of disobedience caused them to hide from the superior kingdom of God. They lost a perfect and continuous union with God himself. We must remember it was their choice not God’s choice. In God’s perfection, he no longer could be joined with something stained by sin.
Their fall changed the course of history – not just for them but also for all of us. May our eyes be opened to what we lost? However, a redeemer has reopened this divine union for us. Just like Adam and Eve, we must forsake our knowledge and choose a greater kingdom largely unknown to us. The finite world is a poor substitute for a restored and perfect one – even if we are not in charge.
Now let us turn to another set of trees in the bible. In the book of Zechariah still in the Old Testament – Zechariah, a prophet to the nation of Judah, returning from captivity in Babylon, had a vision – he saw into another dimension or kingdom.
Zechariah was having a conversation with the Angel of the Lord. He sees two olive trees with golden oil continually poured out into a bowl that fed a lampstand. This oil fueled the light or fire as it was in those days. The lampstand called a menorah and its design was shown to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 25: 31 – 40. The lampstand design was to be made of solid gold; it had seven branches or one in the center and three on each side. The purpose of the lampstand was to provide light in the tabernacle of God. This is a picture in the natural but is also a pattern in the spiritual realm we see in Isaiah 11 – the dimensions of the seven spirits of God. Seven is the picture of perfection. Divine insight has a source. The oil represents the presence of the spirit of God.
This lampstand also had hammered into each branch the following: a seed, a bud and a fruit. This might seem a little strange. Creation processes are part of this picture. God’s kingdom is continually growing in us and around us. We will discuss this another time.
What did Zechariah see back during this time in his vision? John saw much of this same picture in Revelation when he was in prison on the Isle of Patmos. We see the bible ties our seeing or our eyes to supernatural revelation. This is the ability to see from God’s perspective not ours. This only happens by divine intimacy with God. In other words when our spirit is open to God’s spirit. The bible reminds us I believe more than 40 times about our eyes. Matthew 6:22 - "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. However, God also in the next verse gives us a warning. Matthew 6:23 – “but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! We are certainly in this kind of time. We must ensure we are seeing and carrying a light from the right kingdom.
Paul shows us further in Ephesians 1:17-18 – “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”
Paul is promising us we are able to see into this dimension as well. However, it says it is not with our natural eyes - it is the eyes of our heart. For most of us, our world is informed by what we see or understand in the natural. We must learn to see differently. To do this we must leave behind the eyes of man. This takes practice and it requires us to shut down our initial impressions driven by our understanding.
Zechariah felt the rebellion and pain of a whole generation of people living with the impacts of captivity. He was living in a place called Shinar. Now you might wonder why Shinar is important to this conversation. This was where the descendants of Ham in Genesis 11 attempted to build the Tower of Baal. Under their own strength, they were trying to build a path to heaven through their human efforts. Shinar is also the place where Joshua’s army suffered defeat because one of his warriors kept the spoils of war against God’s instruction. Spiritual blindness cost each of us. Our human understanding will never lead us to peace, harmony with nature, justice or prosperity. We will continually, be ruled by those in power with their form of corruption and promise of justice.
Now let us we turn to the New Testament for a picture of a tree in union with Christ. John 15:1 - 5 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Here Jesus was teaching how through his sacrifice he would reconnect God kingdom to us. This is the same union Adam and Eve had in the garden. The picture is quite clear. Apart from a divine connection with Him the fruit we produce will not last. He was trying to protect Adam and Eve from themselves and he is trying to protect us.
Now clearly we all can do things and we have done things – so this statement must mean do things in a different way. In other words not of ourselves – our strength – our power. Our fruitfulness has a source it is Him and it is not to be from us. This was his creation plan in the beginning. It has not changed.
Now let us look at the last book of the bible. Revelation 22:1-2 - Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Again, we must keep in mind John is seeing into another kingdom or dimension. God uses nature and trees to show us how this kingdom works.
John sees twelve kinds of fruit. Twelve is the measure of God’s perfect government (Jesus had twelve disciples, there we twelve tribes in Israel). Fruit is a symbol of the union of the divine and the natural life source coming through us. Remember in John 15 he says that unless we are joined with him we will not be fruitful. Joined to him we will have fruit – that will last. Fruit is the outgrowth of our relationship with Christ. We cannot produce this kind of fruit on our own. Fruit is not the target it is the result of our relationship with the true source. Let us also remember back in the beginning – what was it that got Adam and Eve in trouble? Eating the wrong fruit. We all need a new diet.
John 7:38 - Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Rivers flow out of us when we are connected to this supernatural realm source. We must see this with new eyes. You see Jesus did not say the river will flow out of our mouth, he did not say it will flow out of our brains. It says it will flow out of our spirit – in the inner most part of us connected to God. The picture of his kingdom is perfect. On earth as it is in heaven. Many of us have prayed this prayer – now we must live it.
Healing for the nations. God’s target all along has been healing for the nations. He is a God of Restoration. He wants you and me to walk in this kingdom with Him now. His great desire is for us – is to see Him and choose Him. Revelation 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 2 Corinthians 13:11 finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Our inescapable mission here on earth is restoration. It was Jesus mission and now it is ours joined with him.
Why does he say the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations? Matthew 24:32 - "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. Leaves show the condition of our heart as well. Tender hearted in the face of anger and opposition will bring forth fruit. We must remain in a posture of vibrant branches so that leaves come forth from the vine. Again, this is a picture of our intimate, interconnection to the source.
As we walk close to him, we will begin to feel as his heart does. Psalms 2:8 – “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession”. He wants us to bring the true gospel of healing and restoration to remove the curse of all of humankind. He longs to bring the nations back into the perfect union he had with Adam and Eve in the garden. This was and is his perfect plan. However, he still allows each of us to choose.
How much does God want perfect union again with us? He sent his Son to die for it.
He made the only sufficient sacrifice on a tree. On the cross. This was the place of payment for our sin of rebellion and disobedience but it also was the place of ultimate victory – permanent victory of God’s kingdom over man’s kingdom and the evil unleashed at the garden into the world. With a tree, Jesus took the authority again over all the evil and destruction in the world. Man’s fruit no longer had dominance.
In conclusion, God has used trees to signify a governmental choice set up from the beginning. It was true in the garden for Adam and Eve. It is true today for each of us. Whom will we serve? What governing power will have charge over us? – Will it be ourselves in our own understanding (tree of the knowledge of good and evil) or the tree of life (Jesus and His kingdom)? One has an everlasting destiny for each of us and one has pain, separation, animosity and decay. We must choose. Creation is waiting.
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