APPENDIX By Stuart H. Pouliot

Transcription

1 APPENDIX By Stuart H. Pouliot Appendix The Word of God uses many agricultural and horticultural metaphors. In particular, the tree is often used as a metaphor for people or nations or kingdoms or national powers. Parable of the Trees The first indication that trees refer to people and nations is given in one of possibly the oldest parables in the world, as spoken by Jotham to the men of Shechem. But before looking at the parable, some background is needed. When Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal, died at a ripe old age, the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god (Judges 8:33). Abimelech, one of Gideon's sons born to one of his concubines in Shechem, did not show kindness to Gideon's household, which included 70 sons who were his direct descendants. Abimelech went to his mother's clan in Shechem and spoke to them about who should rule over them, the 70 or himself. "Speak, now, in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you?' Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh." (Judges 9:2 NASB) His mother's clan was inclined to follow Abimelech, so they gave him 70 pieces of silver, which he used to hire worthless and reckless fellows so that they could help him slay Gideon's 70 sons, which they did. However, the youngest of the sons, Jotham, hid himself and was spared. Then the men of Shechem made Abimelech king. When Jotham heard this news, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim and called out to the men of Shechem, speaking the parable of the trees. (8) Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, Reign over us! (9) But the olive tree said to them, Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees? (10) Then the trees said to the fig tree, You come, reign over us! (11) But the fig tree said to them, Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees? (12) Then the trees said to the vine, You come, reign over us! (13) But the vine said to them, Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees? (14) Finally all the trees said to the bramble, You come, reign over us! (15) The bramble said to the trees, If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon. (Judges 9:8-15 NASB) Jotham followed up with a challenge to the men of Shechem. 1

2 (16) "Now therefore, if you have dealt in truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have dealt with him as he deserved--(17) for my father fought for you and risked his life and delivered you from the hand of Midian; (18) but you have risen against my father's house today and have killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your relative--(19) if then you have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. (20) "But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech." (21) Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer and remained there because of Abimelech his brother. (Judges 9:16-21 NASB) To make the story short, the end result was that God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to Gideon's sons, and the curse of Jotham came upon all the men of Shechem as well. It is in this context that we are to understand the parable of the trees. On one level, the trees of this parable are a people seeking to anoint a king over them; this is the story of Gideon, Jotham, and Abimelech. The men of Shechem could have chosen the fatness of the olive tree, the sweetness of the fig tree, or the cheerful wine of the vine. Instead, they chose the bramble, the most undesirable of the lot that is only good for shade, which signifies darkness not light. The bramble signified the rule of Abimelech that was consumed by fire, that is, the judgment of God. Yet, on a prophetic level, the trees themselves represent a kingdom or nation seeking another kingdom or nation to reign over them as represented by the olive tree, the fig tree, the vine, and the bramble. Again, take note that the tree nations are each characterized a certain way. The olive tree is known for its fatness. The fig tree is known for its sweetness that comes from its fruit. The vine is known for its new wine that cheers God and men. The bramble is known for its shade, presumably to shield others from the scorching sun, and fire, which I take to refer to firewood, meaning that the wood of the bramble is only good for use as fuel for fire. There is much that could be shared about these trees, especially the olive tree and the fig tree, but this is left for other appendices. What needs to be highlighted is that there seems to be a progression of status among the tree nations that goes from the richest to the poorest in character or purpose, or from the greater to the lesser. It doesn't mean that the lesser are worthless, simply that they have a lesser value or place in the economy of God, just as Paul saw the character of vessels contained in a large house, meaning God's house or kingdom. Some are for honor and some are for dishonor. Some glitter like gold and silver and some have no glitter, just practical functionality. 2

3 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. (2 Timothy 2:20 NASB) The olive tree is the greater of the kingdoms or nations and the bramble is the lesser. Another way of looking at it is that it is a prophetic picture of the degradation of the nations of the earth. It starts with the olive tree, which signifies spiritual Israel, the conquerors or overcomers in a living covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus who will reign with Christ in the next age. Although the olive tree started with genealogical Israelites, a remnant has been grafted into this tree from every tribe, and tongue, and nation on earth, based on their conquering faith. It then moves on to the fig tree, which signifies the good fig tree of Judah, comprised of all those who have applied the blood of the Lamb to their hearts, being justified by grace through faith. As with the olive tree, the fig tree also started with genealogical Judahites, but many of the faith of Abraham have been grafted into this tree from every tribe, and tongue, and nation on earth, based on their justifying faith. Next is the vine. By definition, a vine is any plant with a long, thin stem that grows along the ground or climbs a wall or other support by means of tendrils, etc. Thus, it could be argued that it is not even a tree, at least in the traditional sense. Presumably, this vine is the grape vine that produces grapes from which are pressed sweet wine that brings cheer to one's heart. However, to get the wine, the grapes must first reach a certain ripeness and then be pressed in the winepress to break the hull of the grape and crush the flesh of the grape in order to release its juice. This speaks of the nations of the world that in the last days will be gathered and crushed in the great wine press of the wrath of God (Revelation 14:17-20). Many people see this as something bad; but is it? Truly, it is the judgment of God upon the nations, but it is not for destruction but for restoration so that they will come to know the love of God. The blood that comes out of the wine press speaks of the sweet wine made ready for God's communion table. Thus, the vine signifies the nations coming into communion with God, not being cast away from Him forever as some would claim. Last is the bramble. By definition, the bramble is a prickly shrub. The word prickly refers to anything that is stinging, smarting, or tingling. Its Hebrew word means "to pierce" and is associated with a thorn tree or a buckthorn. Shade is of value to protect one from scorching sun and heat, but it can also signify darkness or the obscuring of light, such as the truth of the Word of God. In other words, it casts shadows over the other trees to hide truth. There seems to be something evil about the bramble, which is signified by Abimelech. Further, the bramble seems to be living up to its meaning as a "prickly shrub," for it seems to have an edge about it. "If in truth you are anointing me" has some doubt in it as well as a 3

4 questioning of the sincerity of the other trees. But there might be more, for it should remind us of the old serpent's conversation with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5), or the devils tempting of Jesus while in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Indeed has God said If You are the Son of God If you fall down and worship me Could it be that, prophetically speaking, the bramble signifies the condition of most nations on earth in the latter days of Man's Day that have rejected God's King (Psalm 2)? They have believed the lie that they can rule the world apart from God the Father and His Son. So, the progression of the tree nations starts with the conquering, justified ones, and then proceeds to the justified ones. It then digresses to the nations that bear fruit; but, to be of benefit to God, their fruit must be trodden in the wine press to break (kill) the outer hull and trod the flesh in order to release the sweet wine. Finally, it digresses to nations that produce no fruit at all, only shade and wood for fire. Presumably, their value comes forth through the fiery law of God, that is, God's work of restoration and restitution carried out through the righteousness of the lake of fire, which speaks of His law, the fiery law of God (Deuteronomy 4:24, 33; 32:2; Jeremiah 23:29). There is yet another way to prophetically view the trees and that is to see Christ in all four, the olive tree, the fig tree, the vine, and the bramble. It is easy to see Jesus in the olive as a symbol of spiritual Israel (the Kingdom), and the fig as a symbol the good fig tree of Judah (the King), and the vine as a symbol of abiding in His life and love (John 15:1-17). What about the bramble? The bramble is likened to a thorn tree. Do you recall the Lord meeting Moses in the burning bush, which was a bramble (Exodus 3:2)? The bramble was on fire, but the bush was not consumed because the Lord was the flame of fire coming out of the midst of the bush. Compare this with Judges 9:15 where the fire came out of the bramble. What does this mean? It means that the Lord Himself is a fire in the midst of all the nations of the earth, even the most fallen ones, and, through His fiery law, He is going to bring all the nations through to His end, so that God the Father may be all in all new (1 Corinthians 15:28; Revelation 21:5). Glory! This appendix is not meant to be a complete study of trees in scripture, for there are other types of trees that refer to kingdoms and nations. However, to conclude, let us briefly consider two other proofs. Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon Tree Nebuchadnezzar was given a vision of a tree in the midst of the earth and its height was great, which Daniel interpreted as the king and his dominion, that is, the Babylonian kingdom (Daniel 4:10; 20-22). Mustard Tree To teach His disciples the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, Jesus spoke the parable of the mustard seed that became a great tree, which is compared to the Kingdom of the Heavens. 4

5 (31) He put another parable before them, saying: The kingdom of [the] Heaven[s] is compared to a grain of mustard, which taking, a man sowed in his field; (32) which indeed is less than all the seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and roost in its branches. (Matthew 13:31-32 LITV [CV]) Jesus identified Himself as the sower and the owner of the field, which is the world (Matthew 13:37-38, 44). Thus, the mustard seed growing into a great tree speaks of the Kingdom of the Heavens becoming a great kingdom over the earth. However, just as darnel that sprouted from bad seed planted by an enemy is allowed to grow with wheat that sprouted from good seed planted by the Son of Man, so are birds allowed to roost in the branches of the great mustard tree. Later, John identified these birds in relation to the counterfeit kingdom of Mystery Babylon. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. (Revelation 18:2 NASB) That the birds are associated with Babylon is confirmed in type through Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great tree that symbolized his Babylonian kingdom. (11) 'The tree grew large and became strong and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. (12) 'Its foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches, and all living creatures fed themselves from it. (Daniel 4:11-12 NASB) Thus, the counterfeit kingdom of Mystery Babylon will grow on earth even in the midst of God's kingdom just as darnel and leaven grow and mingle in the midst of God's kingdom, until all counterfeits to God's heavenly kingdom are totally and forever destroyed at the end of our present evil or wicked age (Matthew 13:36-43; Galatians 1:4). 5

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