love trees. God loves trees. Lets go walking through the Bible looking for trees, ”
Sleuth does that in this book, He tells a lot of personal stories about his life and trees, He shows how trees are scattered throughout the Bible,
Yet what this book lacks is a biblical theology of the tree, How did the original writers think about trees How are they used as analogies that are carried through the storyline of the Bible Its not that he is not drawing attention to their use, but his point ends up being, “there is a tree at this significant event God cares about trees and we should plant more.
” I was looking more for something that focused on the literary metaphors: people being planted, the comparison of kings and kingdoms and trees, the righteous and trees, significance of various types of trees of any.
Some of this was present, but it was not the primary focus of the work, Therefore I was left wanting more, Theres a lot of great information in this book, Its easy to read with great stories and anecdotes along the way, And it certainly convinced me that trees are a significant theme throughout the Bible, But I wanted Sleeth to do more with the ways we as humans are compared to trees from a biblical perspective, Theres a significantand relevanttheme here that we ought to treat trees with the respect they are due as Gods creation, But I wanted to understand more about how that relates to humans who are compared to trees so frequently throughout the Bible, “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
” Isaiah:
Have you noticed how many references there are to trees in the Bible The Tree of Life begins and ends the Bible.
From Genesis to Revelation, we walk under trees, sit under them, and enjoy their shade, their fruits, and their beauty,
Dr. Matthew Sleeth wrote Reforesting Faith “first, to begin a conversation and, second, to inspire people toward action” p,. Action to plant trees and start conversations about stewardship of the earth and its resources, In fact, he founded Blessed Earth, a nonprofit organization with a mission of “inspiring faithful stewardship of all creation, ”
I was amazed by the number of references to trees that there are in the Bible and how they played an important part in the lives of Gods people.
Dr. Sleeth includes many Scripture references and facts, As with any book, the reader needs to read the Scripture as it is referred to in the book, reading it within the context of the whole counsel of God.
For example, on page, Sleeth states that “while in the garden, Adam and Eve ate freely from the tree of life, ” This is incorrect. Perhaps it was an overlooked error,
After they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the Tree of Life, Genesis:.
Sleeth introduces Romansby describing Pauls conversion as depicted by Carvaggio, He digs deeply into the roots of Christianity as Paul did in Romans, Judaism is the root of the domesticated olive tree, while Christians are the wild olive branches grafted into the domesticated olive tree, with Christ being “the deepest root of the tree and also the highest branch on its crown” p.
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Dr. Sleeth shares interesting insights into trees and their significance in Scripture, He also has some interesting interpretations of Scripture that I am going to think about,
Some biblical scenarios have been fictionalized or imagined,
Name calling almost caused me
to stop reading the book, On page, Sleeth writes, “Only a dullard begins a story by interrupting the narrator, ”
I love trees, and I am glad that Dr, Sleeth wrote a book about trees in the Bible, We arranged for a tree to be planted in Israel in memory of my father, Trees play an important role in my life, and because of this book, I will pay much greater attention to the trees mentioned in the Bible.
I recommend this book only if the reader is committed to looking up the Scriptures as they are mentioned in the book and considering what the Bible has to say about Sleeth's claims.
I received a complimentary Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, I was not required to write a positive review, The opinions I have expressed are my own, I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionsCFR, Part: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
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A progressive journey through the Scriptures on the topic of trees amp wood with personal stories intertwined,
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Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any living thing other than God and people, And every major character has a tree associated with it, Jesus died on a tree because it was prophesied in the Old Testament, Trees, like Jesus, give rather than take,
The Romans had many ways to kill people, Stabbing, stoning, burning, drowning, being torn apart by lions in the Coliseum for sportthese were all accepted means of execution,
But Jesus was killed on the Cross, a tree stripped of roots and branches, As a Christian, I believe that nothing that happens in the Bible is by accident, So why did God choose to have Jesus executed on a tree
Below are four ways that trees are central to our understanding of Scripture and Holy Week.
. Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any living thing other than God and people,
Theres a tree on the first page of Genesis, the first Psalm, the first page of the New Testament, and the last page of Revelation.
Whether it is the fall, the flood, or the overthrow of the Pharaoh, every major event in the Bible has a tree marking the spot.
Jesus said he is the true vine and that his Father is the dresser of the garden John:,
The Bible refers to itself as a Tree of Life Proverbs:,
We are told to be like trees planted by streams of water that yield their fruit in season Psalm:,
Trees are the oldest living things on earth, There are trees alive today that were already ancient in the time of Christ, In fact, God gives trees a ring to mark every birthday!
God is always trying to teach humans to think longterm, Trees can live as long as,years, Living just three score and ten years, we get blinded by shortterm gain and lose sight of eternity, God wants us to see the forest and the trees,
. Every major character has a tree associated with it,
Moreover, every major character in the Bible appears in conjunction with a tree,
Noah received the olive branch see Genesis:,
Abraham sat under the oaks of Mamre Genesis:,
Moses stood barefoot in front of the burning bush Exodus:,
At first glance, Joseph might appear to be an exception, but the Bible tells us that Joseph simply is a tree Genesis:.
The same pattern holds true in the New Testament,
Zacchaeus climbed the sycamore fig Luke:,
The blind man saw people as if they were trees walking Mark:,
The disciples gathered on the Mount of Olives Luke:,
The apostle Paul asserted that if we have gone for a walk in the woods we are without excuse for knowing God Romans:.
Paul also wrote that Christians are like branches grafted into Israels tree trunk, with roots that help us stand fast and firm no matter what troubles come our way Romans:.
. Jesus died on a tree because it was prophesied in the Old Testament,
But what about Jesus The only physical description of Christ says that he looks like a small plant or tree Isaiah:, He grew up in a carpenters home, He talked about seeds of faith and said that the kingdom of heaven was like a tree, He called disciples from under trees, and sinners from their branches, His favorite place to pray was an olive grove, The only thing he ever harmed was a tree, and the only thing that could harm him was a tree,
From the moment Christ was born, people tried to kill him, They tried to stab him, stone him, and throw him off a cliff, But it didnt work. He could go forty days without eating, climb into the ring with the toughest opponent on the planet, and walk away after three rounds.
There was no point in trying to drown himhed just walk away, No, the only thing that could kill Jesus was a tree, Why Because he who dies on a tree is cursed, not he who was stabbed, stoned, or starved Deuteronomy:,
In sum, Jesus died on a tree so that we wouldnt have to Galatians:,
. Trees, like Jesus, give rather than take,
Jesus on the cross is not a pretty sight, So why did God use a tree I think one reason is that Jesus never took he only gave, He never owned a house, and the only animal he ever rode was borrowed, He could have dressed like King Solomon, but he is only recorded to have owned one coat,
In many ways, trees are like Jesus, They give, and they keep giving, They give life and beauty, They give shade and rest, They clean the air. They hold back erosion. They offer shelter, food, and protection,
The worst possible thing to use a tree for is to kill someone, A crucifix is a picture of how low humanity can sink, and how far God will go to rescue us,
Symbolism of the Tree
Three days after Jesus was crucified and buried, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to pay her respects.
The tomb was empty. With her eyes burning from crying for days, Mary turned and saw Jesus, But she did not recognize him as Jesus, She thought he was the gardener John:, This was no mistake. Jesus is the Gardener. He is the new Adam Romans:, come to dress and keep the garden, not to destroy and plunder it, Adam tore the leaves off the fig, Jesus would not even bruise a reed Isaiah:,
The symbol of Jesus being lifted up on a tree is the only one that the Bible offers as a door to the eternal.
As Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself, ” John:Through the Messiahs death, we are offered life, Through his sacrifice, our sin is forgiven, None of this works without a tree,
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