2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Friends,
Yesterday, I spoke with you about a great example of God’s grace, His love for Israel. For a long time, He has put it in my mind to study the Scriptures that deal with the metaphor of the olive tree as it applies to Israel to gain a deeper understanding of this example of His grace. I will have to cover them in more than one message, but I suspect you will find the path He took me on illuminating. The symbolism of the Bible fascinates me. Anyone who has taken a course from me knows that. See what you think.
GN 8: 11 takes place in a passage depicting the end of the great flood. “[The dove] returned to [Noah] in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew the water had gone down.” We usually associate the symbol of a dove with the Holy Spirit and that of an olive tree with Israel. Now, I understand that this was before Abraham’s time and before God established Israel as a nation through him, but isn’t it possible that this verse is a prophecy of things to come? Food for thought and prayer.
EX 27 deals with the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. Both EX 27: 20 and LV 24: 2-4 speak of God’s command to the people of Israel to bring the best olive oil for the lamp, so that it can be lit each evening to burn until the next morning. A light called the Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) is to burn outside the curtain in from of the Ark of the Covenant in the Lord’s presence. It too, is lighted with olive oil, and olive oil is often used in the Scriptures as a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
T 28: 40 is in a passage referring to the consequences of disobedience to God. “Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land, but you will not have any olive oil because the olives will drop off. “ Considering the symbols in this passage, isn’t it possible this could be a prophecy of the dyasporas (scattering of the Israelites and temporary loss of nationhood for Israel in response to her disobedience) to come and the loss of God’s presence revealed in Ezekiel’s vision in EZK 10: 4? Food for thought and prayer.
Judges 9 takes place in that interesting part of Israel’s history where she is rejecting God as her political leader in favor of a human king. This is in response to the heavy influence of idolatrous Baal-worshipping nations that surround her. When you read this chapter, as I hope you will, you will see that worship in Israel at that time is a reflection of man’s effort to rationalize the combining of monotheism with idolatry, the sin that God hates the most. Gideon’s son, Abimelech, is one of his 70 children. He is from Shechem and is named king of Israel. He gets a group of evil men together and arranges to have all of his brothers killed. However, his youngest brother, Jotham, hides and escapes being murdered. Jotham goes up to Mt. Gerizim and shouts to these men in (7-9), “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, and God may listen to you! Once upon a time the trees went out to choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king,’ and the olive tree answered, ‘In order to govern you, I would have to stop producing my oil which is used to honor gods and men.’ “ Later in (18) Jotham asserts, “Just because Abimelech is my father’s son by a servant girl and your relative, you made him king of Shechem.” After this in (21& 22), we learn that Jotham runs away due to his fear of his older brother. Abimelech ruled Israel for only three years, during which he turned his men against the inhabitants of the land. During a battle a woman dropped a millstone on Abimelech’s head, fracturing his skull. The fallen king then ordered one of his men to kill him with a sword, so that no one could say he was killed by a women (53-54). The great lesson of this story is that the consequence of disobedience to God is death. You already know that this is not the only place in the Scriptures this lesson is to be found.
The next mention of the olive tree is found in 1 Kings 6, a chapter which contains the description of the building of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. I K 6: 23 “Two cherubim (winged creatures) were made of olive wood and placed in the Holy of Holies….” (31) “A double door made of olive wood was set in place at the entrance of the Holy of Holies…” Anyone who has read the Scriptures knows that everything placed in the temple had symbolic significance and was clearly a result of God’s very specific commands.
2 Kings 18 deals with King Hezekiah’s reign over Judah. This king was righteous and pleased the Lord. During his reign, the Assyrians, who had already taken the kingdom of Israel into captivity, came down from the north to threaten the southern kingdom of Judah. This was during the time that Isaiah was the main prophet serving God. Emperor Sennecherib of Assyria boasted and lied to the Judean people telling them in (32), “Do not listen to Hezekiah and let him fool you into thinking that the Lord will rescue you. Surrender and you will eat grapes from your own vines, figs from your own trees, drink water from your own wells, make bread from the grain of your own fields, and have your own olives, olive oil, and honey.” Sennecherib’s plan was not God’s, and we know from later passages that his men were struck dead just outside of Jerusalem.
PS 52 is about God’s Judgment and Grace. It compares putting trust in the material wealth of man with trusting God. PS 52: 8, “But I am like an olive tree growing in the House of God; I trust in His constant love forever and ever,” David sings. The message of Israel’s need (and ours) to follow David’s example is strong here.
When we collect up the lessons of these Scriptures, we are being told sin leads to death, trust God, and reject idolatry. Inherent in all the symbols is the reminder of God’s presence in our lives. In that, we can find great comfort. Tomorrow, I will continue with the revelations made in this Scripture search that the Lord has taken me on, so that you can see the tremendous outpouring of His grace that has been showered on His people. For now, join me in this prayer:
PRAYER: O Lord, You have been with us from the very beginning, showering your grace upon us in the greatest demonstration of love imaginable. We praise you for the lessons you reveal to us through the Scriptures and for the patience You show us in the face of our sins. Help us to appreciate Your righteous sovereignty over us and the even-handedness of your parenting. All we are and all we have is from You. In Christ’s name, amen.
Peter and I send you our love. We hope you will feel the warmth of God’s presence in your lives today and always.
Standing in awe of His most excellent grace,
Lynn