OF GARDENS AND TREES
#169 OF GARDENS AND TREES
Scripture Genesis 2:8-9; John 19:41, NIV Orig. Date 8/8/1965
Rewr. Dates 7/23/1990
Passage: Genesis 2:8-9 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 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.
John 19:41 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
Purpose: For a Sunday evening message define the scriptural flow of gardens and trees through creation to crucifixion.
Keywords: Christ Crucified Miracle Creation Sin
Timeline/Series: Ben. Old Testament Miracles
Introduction
The direction taken this evening will plot a course from the Garden of Eden, by way of Gethsemane to Golgotha, and find our way to Glory, the only name befitting the garden where stands the “tree of life” as depicted in Revelation.
As chapter one describes the larger facet of creation, chapter two defines a specific place somewhere in the vestment of time where man was brought to his full potential. The place was called a garden. In the garden were trees. The trees were there for man’s aggrandizement. One was for his use and control. The other was to symbolize sensitive spiritual nature. His disuse of the tree was the means to that end.
When he selfishly tried to manifest control over this tree also, he was driven from the garden. Interestingly, Jesus brings us back to the garden. He went to one, Gethsemane, with His disciples to pray; then to another, Golgotha, to die for sin.
A tree was the nemesis of man that caused him to lose his place of favor in the garden. Now, another tree in a garden outside of Jerusalem offers man access once again.
John 19:41 “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden.”
Acts 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a cross.”
Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates to the city.”
I. Do We Comprehend the Miracle?
V8 “And the Lord planted a garden.” Understanding the beauty of creation. Imagine the struggle with words to describe such a place. Our self-seeking words would fail. Human vocabulary not sufficient. We are limited in describing gardens that we have seen: Hodges Gardens at height of rose season; Bellingrath Gardens in February for azaleas; Natchez Pilgrimage in Spring; New England when leaves are turning; Smokies in early Summer for the Rhododendrons; Our own dogwood vistas. Our best description is visual.
People of many persuasions scoff at such a concept. They applaud what the hand of man conceives, creates, crafts, crowns. Yet they scoff at such a place as a Garden of Eden. Study the order of development (evolution) claimed by geology. Chaos: Light: Firmament (Expanse): Dry Land: Vegetation: Life (water, air land): Man (Lockyer-Miracles.)
Read the order of development in scripture. 1:2 Void: 1:3 Light: 1:6 Firmament: 1:9 Dry Land: 1:11 Grass: 1:22 Living Creatures (fish/fowl): 1:24 Beast of the earth: 1:26 Man.
More important, see that garden as a place of sinlessness. Evil influence had not yet corrupted. Where had he came from. Who knows? What had he been doing? Only now free to corrupt. Caught them at a time alone. Slithering serpent came to symbolize an attractive, reasonable agent. The woman left her sphere of safety. She parlayed with Satan. She made the word of God complicated. Genesis 3:3 “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” We don’t know how Adam reported it to her.
II. Do We Contest the Miracle?
2:9 “And out of the ground the Lord made to grow every tree . . .” The keeper of the garden. We are given his name. The word “man” in 2:7. The same word “Adam” in 2:19. Called “husband” in 3:6 (maleness). What we know of the woman.
2:23 “woman” (24/wife) ishshah – female
3:20 “Eve” life chavvah
3:20 “mother” em
Recent genetic study called attention to human mammal going back to a common source (called Eve).
Human uniqueness. In comparative anatomy (Lockyer) rank among vertebrates is determined “by the proportion of brain to spinal column.” Fish 2-1; Reptiles 2.5-1; Birds 3-1; Mammal 4-1; Man 33-1. Genesis 2:7 “God breathed into his nostrils, the breath of life, and he became.”
The garden that was to be kept. The text speaks only of the tree. The larger text speaks of grass, herbs, fruit yielding [trees] (Genesis 1:11). The following (2:10) “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden.” Hardly a month passes that PBS does not have a program. 326 million cubic miles (S104p71) of water on the planet. 97% sea/2% ice caps/1% to exploit for man. Animals—National Geographic Society—50 years ago 10million elephants. Today maybe 750,000. Zoos may furnish gene pool necessary to keep.
We must view thee spiritual content also. Parallel between “tree” and “cross.” Arthur Pink
(G18p27) Contrasts.
God planted 2:9/ creature Matthew 27:35
Pleasant 3:6/ “saw no beauty” Isaiah 53
Forbade eat 2:17/ Revelation 2:7 “I will give to eat of the tree of life.”
As Satan tempted of the one, he tempts to restrain from the other
First (2:17) brought sin and death; Second (John 6:53f) “Except ye eat.”
Adam (3:23 turned out)/ thief Luke 23:42
III. Do We Contemporize the Miracle?
V9 “The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Our world is a garden, and we are keepers. There are places of great beauty. Evidence of care and skill abound. Other places in the garden do not reveal such husbandry.
The garden testifies to the burden of sin. As Adam was driven from the garden, man is left with a world under the serious struggle with sin.
Not only do we need to be ecologists, but spiritual economists as well. God’s voice is still heard. It rings out amid the degradation. To Adam in the overburden of the garden. To Solomon in the flotsam of decadence. John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, I have chosen you.”
The battle is still going on. We are caretakers in His garden. It is easy to become distressed about the physical world. The beckoning voice directs us to the spiritual needs also. The fruit of Calvary’s tree is food for the soul. It also is pleasant to eyes of faith. At the foot of that tree is the ground where God meets the sinner. It is the place of the finished work of Christ. It is the final source of wisdom. I Corinthians 1:18 “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
Conclusion
Trees offer us interesting instances. We have seen it depicted as curse (Genesis 3:17). Baker (Genesis 40:19): “hanged,” others. See it as comfort. (Genesis 18:1f) Three messengers “rest under the tree.” (See Jeremiah 50:6.) Revelation 14:13 “that they may rest from their labors.” Communion is next found. Genesis 18:8 “Under the tree they did eat.” Revelation 3:20 “Will sup with him and he with me.” Finally, there is cleansing. Exodus 15:23f “And the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, were made sweet.”