Chapter 3.20
Tree of Life
The Bible teaches about LIFE
giving food in
our garden as well as snakes that bring DEATH.
A Little Tradition
Tradition; at one time
there was a Jewish custom to plant a tree at the birth of a child; a cedar tree
for a boy and a pine tree for a girl. When
a couple married, their trees were cut down and used in the construction of the
huppah;
the bridal bower which was a room, a hut, a rustic cottage or retreat. More Tradition; if a son turned out to be
evil, the father would cut down the son’s tree and he would
be disowned. I never
knew you.[1]
Tree of Knowledge of good and evil
Scholars believe that the
tree of knowledge of good and evil was just an ordinary tree planted for the purpose of testing Adam. By eating of the tree, Adam did not receive universal knowledge, but received experiential knowledge; he experienced
the knowledge of right and wrong. The
omniscient (all knowing) God already
knew Adam would fail. The universal law
of “sin and death” had already been put into effect. “If you sin you will
die”.
Knowledge of the Good
in you will
never redeem you from the
evil that’s in you.
The way to God
is not knowledge, nor a formula, nor a ritual; it’s a person.
Two Trees
We hear a lot about the tree
of knowledge
of good and evil that was planted in the garden, but there was also
another special tree planted, but with very little said about it. The Tree of Life was
also planted in the middle of the garden and was available without any
restrictions.[2]
Did you see it? The Tree
of Life was not hidden, it was in full view, fruitful and available. Why is it that forbidden fruit is considered
the sweetest? Why are we drawn to what
is off limits to us? It was Sin that separated
Adam and US from the Tree of Life.
Tree of Life
After the expulsion of
the “Adam’s
Family” from the Garden; we learn for the first time that the Tree of Life would have provided everlasting life or
immortality. The properties of the tree
had not been previously revealed. Did you see it? We have
no idea what God has in store for us.
NOTE:
God permitted by decree that Adam could eat freely from the tree of life
and He did not withdraw that decree. But
when Adam sinned, two Cherubim Angels blocked the way to the tree. God sent His Son Jesus to provide THE WAY back to the
Tree. Jesus the Messiah is the only way
to the
Here is what Adam and Eve and all mankind missed out on by being
separated from God. It was a fruit
bearing tree with leaves with healing properties. Eating the
fruit of the tree produces good works, blessings, fulfillment, sensitivity,
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. The Tree revitalizes and
renews; it imparts wisdom; the
knowledge of Spiritual things providing entrance through the sacred gate into
the Kingdom of God’s eternal life.
Tree of Life Footnotes [3]
Seed
You can draw a parallel from the
two trees; that of Christ as Life and
Satan as Death.
You can see the symbolism of good seed and
bad seed.
From the first woman came two
seeds. Abel was considered a
prophet; the good seed, and Faithless Cain was the bad seed. A Good tree does not bear bad fruit;
likewise, a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.[4] A seed always produces after its own kind;[5] you
will know a good tree by its fruit, or you could say YOU will be known by your fruit.[6] You will
reap what you sow and you reap far more than you expect and far longer than you
expect.[7]
If you have sown some bad seed, this would be a good time to pray
for a crop failure.
From the Apocrypha
Since little is found in
scripture about the Tree of Life, I thought it would be fun to
look slightly outside the Bible into the Apocrypha concerning the Jewish thoughts
about this tree.
The books in the Apocrypha were at one time a part of the Jewish Talmud,
but overtime were dropped from the Protestant Bible. The founding Scholars did not deem them as
inspired of God as those they kept in the KJV Authorized Version Bible. These books are still found in the Catholic
Bible; Inspired or not, I sure enjoy them as they let you taste the flavor of
what they were thinking at the time.
The Tree of
Life is
described in color like
golden fire, as having a fragrance beyond all fragrances and leaves and wood
that never withers. The fruit of the
tree resembles palm tree dates and the blooms are beautiful in appearance; it provides
rest, goodness and wisdom.
The tree stands
as the difference between corruptibility
(death) & incorruptibility (Life).
1 Enoch 24:4 –
A tree like none other
4 And the SEVENTH
Mountain was in the midst of these, and it excelled them in height, resembling
the seat of a throne: and fragrant trees encircled the throne. Amongst
them was a tree such as I had never yet smelt neither was any amongst them nor
were others like it: it had a fragrance beyond all
fragrance, its leaves & blooms & wood
wither not for ever:
5 and its fruit is beautiful,
and its fruit n resembles the dates of a palm.
Then I said: 'How beautiful is this tree, and fragrant,
and its leaves are fair and its blooms
very delightful in appearance
2 Enoch 8:3-5 – It looks
like golden fire.
3 And in the midst of the trees that of life, in
that place whereon the Lord rests, when he goes up into PARADISE; and this tree is of ineffable goodness
and fragrance, and adorned more than every existing thing; on all
sides it is in form gold-looking & vermilion & fire-like and covers all, and it has produce from all fruits.
4 Its
root is in the garden at the earth’s end.
5 And paradise is between corruptibility and incorruptibility.
2 Esdras 8:52 – In it is
found rest, goodness and wisdom
52 For unto you is paradise opened, the tree of
life is planted, the time to come is prepared, plenteousness is made ready, a
city is builded, and
REST is allowed,
yea, perfect GOODNESS
and WISDOM.
The Take Away
Satan makes our load heavier,
giving us a sense that God’s word is false; seemingly lies. Satan gets our mind off of God’s promises of the Tree of
Life and onto our daily burdens. Satan says; surely God did not say that you
will die; touch it, smell it and take and eat just a tiny bite.
The
Menorah or the SEVEN light lamp stand found in the Temple is often
referred to as forming the sacred Tree of Life, which is God’s unseen presence in the temple.
Our names are already written in The Book of life; it’s our unbelief that
removes our lampstand from His presence and blots out our name from His Book.
Pray that God will show you His way, that you may know Him and find His
grace.
We have no idea what God has prepared for us; it’s beyond
description.
Exodus
5:9 – Satan makes God’s promises seem like false promises
9 Make the work harder for the men so that
they keep working and pay no attention to lies (God’s
promises)."
NIV
Exodus
25:31 – Make a lampstand with buds and blossoms
31 "Make
a lampstand of pure gold and
hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be
of one piece.
NIV
Exodus
25:37 – Seven is the spiritual number of completeness
37 "Then make its seven lamps and
set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.
NIV
Exodus
33:13 – Show me your way that I may know you.
13 I pray, if I have found grace in your
sight, show
me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in
Your sight.
NKJ
Revelation
3:5 – Your name is in the book; it’s up to you if it stays
5 He who overcomes will, like them, be
dressed in white.
I
WILL NEVER BLOT OUT HIS NAME FROM THE BOOK OF LIFE, but will
acknowledge his name.
NIV
Revelation
2:5 – Repent or your lampstand will be removed
5 I
WILL COME TO YOU AND REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND from its place if you do not repent,
NIV
1
Corenthians 2:9 – We have no idea what God has prepared for us.
9 However, as it is written: "NO EYE HAS SEEN, NO EAR HAS HEARD, NO MIND HAS
CONCEIVED WHAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM"
[1] Psalm 51:11 – Don’t cast
me out of your presence -- Matthew 7:23 – I will tell them plainly; I never
knew you.
[2] Genesis 3:22 – The Tree
of Life provided immortality -- Genesis
2:9 – Planted in plain sight in the middle of the Garden. -- Genesis 3:24 – Sin
separates us from the Tree of Life.
[3] Revelations 2:7 – Those
that OVERCOME
eats the Tree of Life -- Revelation 22:14 –The Tree of life is for the RIGHTEOUS believer Genesis 2:16 –
You are FREE TO EAT from
the Tree of Life -- Revelations 22:2 – The Tree of Life bears the FRUIT OF
THE SPIRIT --
Galatians 5:22-23 – Tree of Life fruit; love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
-- Proverbs 15:4 – The Tree of Life produces sensitivity.
-- Proverbs 3:13-18 - The Tree of Life produces Wisdom
-- Proverbs 3:18 - The Tree of Life produces Blessings
-- Proverbs 13:12 – The Tree of Life produces fulfillment.
-- Proverbs 11:30 – The Tree of Life produces good
works.
[4] Luke 6:43-45 – A good
tree bears good fruit, not thorns and thistles
[5] Genesis 1:11 – Every seed
is produced after its own kind
[6] Matthew 7:16-20 – You will
be known by the fruit of your works
[7] Galatians 6:7-8 – Good or
bad seed, you will reap what you sow
No comments:
Post a Comment