Tree
Rev. Justin Smidstra provides a theological meditation on trees as presented in Scripture, exploring their practical purposes (food, shelter, building materials) and spiritual significance in God's creation. The article particularly emphasizes the two special trees in Eden—the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil—as instruments through which God taught Adam and Eve about obedience, dependence, and the antithesis between life in God and death apart from Him.
Rev. Justin Smidstra, pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan On the third day God clothed His new world with living green (Gen 1:11). Standing tall among these plants are the "trees of the Lord," full of sap and fruitful (Ps. 104:16). God gave the trees "several offices" (Belgic Confession, Art. 12). He created them to yield lifenourishing fruit, "good for food" (Gen. 2:9), to supply the needs of man and beast. "Behold, I have given you," God told Adam, "every tree…to...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org