THE TREE OF LIFE
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 ¶ And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Genesis 2:16 ¶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:22 ¶ And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Adam didn’t have to be taught to eat. He only had to be instructed as what to eat. That Hebrew word, here translated “soul,” is the word “appetite.” This is the same concern in the spiritual birth. For the Lord Jesus said, Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Mankind started eating from trees in Genesis two, the first book of the Bible. Redeemed mankind winds up eating from a tree in Revelation two, the last book of the Bible. Both are in a paradise. Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Eating from the tree of life after the fall with them in their sinful condition would have perpetuated the pair in a continuous sinful state. See Genesis 3:22 listed above. Eating from the tree of life in our glorified state will perpetuate that glory! Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
To eat from the tree of life continues ones life “for ever.” He that continuously feeds by faith from the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal life! John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life!
Jesus Christ is the blessed Potentate! 1 Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
And the “blessed” man is “like a tree!” Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life!
The Tree of Life was at the beginning (Genesis 2:9), and shall be at the ending of time. Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending! Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. The Tree of Life reveals the Lord Jesus Christ! Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from (or, by) the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Everywhere he went all the sick were healed! Matthew 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; The Tree of Life’s leaves heal the nations! Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Jesus Christ IS the Tree of Life!
Jesus Christ rules over his kingdom! And his kingdom is like a tree! Luke 13:18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
The king of Babylon was a picture of this. Daniel 4:20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; 21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: 22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. Jesus Christ is this king’s King! He is the Tree of Life!
Wisdom is a Tree of Life. Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
And Jesus Christ is all wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life!
Access to this tree brings life. Jesus Christ IS LIFE! John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The Tree of Life reveals the Lord Jesus Christ!
The tree was made from the same ground as was man! Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Jesus Christ was “made like unto his brethren.” Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. He is the Tree of Life.
God, in his absolute sovereignty, used sin, (although he did not originate sin. Sin came from the heart of the creature.), to cause grace to super abound! Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: The law in saying, “Thou shall not eat,” amplified their guilt when once they did eat. This rendered sin exceedingly sinful. Romans 7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
God again used sin in order that we might attain righteousness! For the Lord Jesus was made sin, who knew no sin, in order that we might attain righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
But that is strictly in God’s realm! Sin is God’s servant. It is our ruin! We must therefore shun evil and sin in every degree! Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Christ suffered the full weight of the curse so we might be afforded the full glory of his redemption. And he did so upon a tree. Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
The only thing that God told Moses to add to the bitter waters was a tree! And the cross is the only thing which can be added to our lives to make them tasteful! Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Jesus Christ added to the lives of mankind is the only hope of eternal, glorious life. He is the Tree of Life!
There are those in every age who are religious sinners! They have partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, having participated in the natural birth, but falsely claim to have partaken of the tree of life. And according to that Genesis 3:22 verse they shall eternally live in an unregenerate state! Listen as the Lord Jesus deals with these hypocrites:
Matthew 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
For the elevation into the knowledge of good and evil renders one more susceptible to an increased judgment by God! James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Luke 12:47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
And a bare, intellectual knowledge of the gospel can render a soul moral, but without the spiritual birth to render him righteous, he is in a far worse state than before. For then you just have a washed sow on your hands, and not an obedient sheep! For they have only dealt with their natural habits, and not their needed holiness. 2 Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
This can only be remedied by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit granting the new birth! John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Pastor Gene breed
November 04, 2021
