9/25/2023 0 Comments Tree of life symbol christianity![]() ![]() He wanted us to hunger and thirst for Him above all else.Īdam and Eve’s act of disobedience showed they wanted to be self-reliant and independent of God. To eat from the tree of life represented desiring God’s wisdom, love, and guidance. He met their physical and spiritual desires of hunger and thirst in abundance. He produced bountiful and delicious fruit for food. God made a beautiful garden space for humanity to live and fellowship with Him. His desire was for Adam to choose life over death.Ī life of blessings was theirs if only they would completely trust and obey God. Reread that verse- God was crystal clear on His instructions. The choice was really not which fruit to eat, but whether to believe and rely on God’s direction and guidance. God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat the fruit from all the trees- including the tree of life- except for one. ![]() “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’” (vv16-17) God places Adam in this lush and spectacular garden to work it and take care of it. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” NIV. “And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground- trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. “And there He put the man He had formed.” Gen 2:8b NIV. We are told it is in the “east” and named “Eden”, a name which means “delight” in Hebrew. God, the original Master Gardener, designed and planted a garden in His sacred and created world as the perfect spot for humanity to live with Him. We will look at them all but let’s start at the beginning. There are also four Proverbs where we see its symbolism used in different ways. We find it first mentioned in Genesis and again in the book of Revelation. Our focus, of course, will be spiritual contemplation on the original Tree of Life- created by God and placed in the center of the Garden of Eden. Sacred trees that promised a divine life were a big part of ancient Middle Eastern art and culture. They prescribe harmony, balance in life, magic properties, enlightenment, and deep connections to the physical world, positive energy, etc. Islam, Judaism, Buddhists, Hinduism, and Celtic religions, just to name a few, all have different interpretations. Surprisingly (to me!) the Tree of Life is a prominent theme in many religions, philosophies, and myths. I’ve been trying to connect the dots between the Biblical version and the artistic versions ever since. There is a sculpture there titled “Tree of Life.” According to the sculptor, it is a symbol of renewal meant to inspire spiritual contemplation. A recent visit to the USS Arizona Memorial site in Hawaii brought it back to my memory. A friend sent me a photo she took of a gorgeous stained-glass window depicting the Tree of Life (it’s in the Pinterest Pin below.) I’ve wanted to write a blog post about it ever since. ![]()
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