"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean
depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his
bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars…"
(Psalm 148:7-9)
In commenting on Psalm 148:9, the great English preacher Charles Haddon
Spurgeon wrote:
'Fruit trees and forest trees, trees deciduous or evergreen, are equally
full of benevolent design, and alike subserve some purpose of love; therefore,
for all and by all, let the great Designer be praised. There are many
species of cedar, but they all reveal the wisdom of their Maker. When
kings fell them, that they may make beams for their palaces, they do but
confess their obligation to the King of trees, and to the King of kings,
whose trees they are. Varieties in the landscape are produced by the rising
and falling of the soil, and by the many kinds of trees which adorn the
land. Let all, and all alike, glorify their one Lord. When the trees clap
their hands in the wind, or their leaves rustle in the gentle breath of
Zephyr, they do to their best ability sing out unto the Lord' (The Treasury
Of David).
Within that area of the world that is known as the Fertile Crescent, a
bow-shaped tract of land in South-west Asia stretching from Jordan northwards
to southern Turkey, then swinging southwards to the borders of Iraq and
Iran and incorporating parts of Israel, Lebanon and Syria, trees played
an important part of the people's life.
Symbols, pictographs, writings, and art objects from the cultures that
occupied these areas in ancient times are full of trees, tree forms, and
references to trees. The date palm in particular, it was said, had as
many uses as there are days in the year
Physically, trees are important for a variety of reasons. They protect
the soil from erosion, affect the Oxygen/CO2 balance of the air, absorb
pollutants, affect climate change, provide shelter for wildlife and humans,
give fuel, building materials and paper, provide medicinal and food products,
and protect watersheds for communities.
Of course, trees also give focus, stability and beauty to the environment
in which they grow. The grandeur of a giant Redwood just cannot be ignored;
the flamboyant colours of Fall and delicate beauty of the Cherry blossom
are celebrated yearly in many countries. They are symbols of permanence
in a world that is constantly changing, landmarks that have survived through
some of the most turbulent times in earth's history.
Yet mankind is exerting its privilege of stewardship to make use of the
natural resources of this world, or should that be ab-use. Rain forests
are being levelled at an unprecedented rate and whole ecosystems destroyed.
That which is seemingly immovable is also dependant, vulnerable, and can
be felled by a simple axe. Stewardship is a big responsibility!
Spiritually, trees speak to us among other things, about maturity. We
all of us start our journey of faith as tender young saplings; easily
moved by winds of change, often uprooted by storms that assail us, sensitive
to the elements, shallow rooted, in constant need of food and water. We
require nurturing and without it we will often fail to grow and show fruit.
As we travel on our way, our spiritual roots become more deeply embedded
and able to draw on the natural resources that lie beneath the surface;
we become sturdier, protected to some extent against all the elements
throw at us; less prone to movement, more efficient and more useful -
we ourselves become a resource that can be used.
However, as with the mighty Redwood, we must remember that however tall,
mature or self-reliant we might become, there is still a vulnerability
which we must never lose sight of - the axe that falls might not be physical,
but the effect is still the same.
Vulnerability might be thought of as a sign of weakness, yet it is anything
but, acknowledging as it does that our strength comes not from within,
but from elsewhere - from the One whom Charles Spurgeon called 'the Great
Designer', who feeds and sustains us and is the firm ground into which
we are well rooted.
The lessons we learn from the tree are to be sure from where our roots
draw their strength, to remain deeply embedded in the firm ground of God's
Word and to reach high and wide. We need to be a place of shelter for
those in need and a source of help and comfort, to be exuberant in the
display of our faith and be a landmark in the place in which we are planted.
©John Birch, faithandworship.com (More Bible Studies avilable on the Faith & Worship website)