Trees: What They Tell Us about God.

Have you ever wondered why God made trees? He didn’t have to make them, but He chose to make them. Why? Because, God is purposeful. He created trees as a visible reminder to us of several spiritual principles and truths.

From the very beginning, trees held a prominent place in Scripture. Trees were created on the third day. Among other things, the third day represents the idea of being a perfect witness; that is, God revealing truth to us, as we shall soon see.

In Genesis 2:9 trees are again given a place of importance; “And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing 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.”

Notice that it was the “middle of the garden” where the “tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” were placed. In Scripture, the middle represents that which is most important, the place of prominence. The two trees are given this status because they are at the heart of every decision and choice humankind will ever make. Every decision placed before us is either an act of obedience or disobedience, good or evil, blessing or cursing, light or darkness.

I am not talking about preferences, like what your favorite food or color might be. I am referring to the moral and spiritual choices we must make everyday. Every thing in life is either born of God’s Spirit or born out of the spirit of man’s sin. The two trees in the Garden of Eden represent the spiritual and moral choices we make everyday.

In fact, these two trees are at the heart of the story of humanity and God’s salvation. It was because of a tree and its fruit that Adam and Eve sinned against God. Their decision to disobey God cast humanity into sin and set the stage for Christ to die on a tree in order to save us from our sins. As Galatians 3:13 says,

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

By the time of the patriarchs, trees had come to represent the ideas of strength and wealth. They were also used to mark a portion of land as a memorial to God, a place of remembrance. Abraham used trees in this manner and as a place to meet with God and worship Him:

Genesis 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.

The tamarisk tree was an evergreen and reminded Abraham that God is eternal. It also reminded him of the many times when Adam met with God by the trees in the garden. Trees reminded Abraham of God’s eternal plan for all humanity: fellowship with their Creator.

In addition, Scripture teaches that there are two categories of trees, just like there are two categories of people. There are good trees and bad trees, trees that produce fruit and trees that are unfruitful, trees that are blessed and trees that are under God’s curse. Thus, trees remind us to be fruitful and good, and to live in the Presence of God (Psalm 1).

Jesus also used trees in many of His parables to illustrate God’s truth (Matthew 13:31-32; Luke 6:43-45). For many Christians, the tree has reminded them of Christ’s death on the cross. As we have already mentioned, it was on a tree that Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins. In the truest spiritual sense, Christ is our “tree of life”.

If that were not enough, trees will also have a prominent place in Heaven:

Revelation 22:1-2 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 ² 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.

So, trees were important in the Garden of Eden, they were important to the patriarchs, Jesus used them in His teachings and they will have an eternal importance in Heaven. But again, what are we suppose to learn from trees? Why did God create trees and what do they teach us?

Taking into account the things already mentioned, we know that trees serve as a reminder for us to meet daily with God. Every time we see a tree we should ask our self, “Have I met with God today?” They also remind us to only eat good fruit, that is, good spiritual fruit, allowing only good things from God into our heart, mind and spirit. They remind us to be good and not bad, to bear holy fruit instead of sinful fruit. Trees also remind us that Christ died for us so we might live free from the old sinful nature.

A Few Natural Observations

By simply looking at trees we can be reminded of many other spiritual principles. For starters, trees are tall and stand above all the other plants. They rise from the earth being virtually impossible to hide, they’re just too big. Likewise, as Christians, our love for God and others should be visible and impossible to hide. We are to be a light on a hill, standing tall and being proud of our God!

It is also easy to tell if a tree is green and healthy or dry and dying. In the same manner, our Christian life should be apparent to all, and it usually is. People know if we’re really living for Christ or just playing church. Thus, the visibility of trees should remind us to be visibly Christ-like as we live before our family, friends, coworkers and nieghbors.

Something else we can learn from trees is that they need water to stay green and healthy.  We too need the Holy Spirit to grow in Christ (again see Psalm 1). When a tree is dry limbs tend to fall off and if you’re near the tree when a limb falls you can be seriously injured. In the same way, people who are not being watered by the Holy Spirit tend to hurt those around them; they tend to be judgmental instead of merciful like Christ.

Healthy trees have roots that go deep down into the soil, giving them stability and a strong foundation. We too must have spiritual roots that go down deep into the love of Christ. Remember, we must have a strong, unseen foundation of faith, before we can be visibly strong before others. And if we are going to be able to help others, the rule is: I must be watered before I can water someone else.

Healthy trees attract many of God’s creatures by providing shade and shelter. We too are to live in such a manner that the lost and hurting are attracted to the Lord we serve. And through the Lord’s help, we are to provide a place of comfort and safety for those in need. Last of all, trees begin with a seed, grow into a tree, and produce fruit with more seeds. This should remind us of our need to constantly grow in Christ. We are to produce fruit for our God and win the lost. As it says in Proverbs 15:4:

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Therefore, I pray that our life and conversation would bring healing to all who are in need.

For more verses about trees click here.

You are the one God loves and the one He loves to live through!