Of Trees and Men: What Shepherds Need to Know

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Of Trees and Men: What Shepherds Need to Know

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Title: Of Trees and Men: What Shepherds Need to Know

1
Of Trees and Men What Shepherds Need to Know

An Interactive Self Study
Part 2
Presented by
Barbara L. Klika, MSW
Personal Life Coach
Undershepherd
Set Apart Ministries
December 2009

2
Shepherds Need to Know About Trees?

Scripture uses many images to teach us. Trees are
often mentioned but not often pointed out as a
primary concern. To many of us, they just seem
like part of the scenery!
As we study thematically, we begin to see the
importance
of themes such as that
represented by trees.

3
A Beginning Prayer

Once again, Abba, we come before you in a desire
to know more about Your Word and all that you
have for us in it.
As one who leads your people, whether it is in a
family or a community, I want to understand all
that You have provided for me. Will you please
guide me as I study this matter of the message of
trees?
I ask in the Name of our Messiah, Yeshua.
Omayne!

4
What trees come to mind?

Consider what you already know about trees from
the Bible. You may want to write down a list of
them with a brief note of what you know BEFORE
you start this study. When you have finished the
study, see what you can add!
Then, perhaps you could go to an online Bible and
search out all references to trees. This can also
be done with the Englishmans Concordances for
both Old and New Testaments.

5
Rule of First Mention

One guideline for the interpretation of Scripture
is to consider the first use of a term or
concept.
As we know from other studies, our God has
defined His terms as He has presented all we need
to know from the beginning.
Trees are first mentioned on Day 3 when they were
brought into existence.

Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation,
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the
earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in
them" and it was so.
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants
yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing
fruit with seed in them, after their kind and
God saw that it was good.
Beresheit/Genesis 111-12 NASB

7
The next mention of trees

The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in
Eden and there He placed the man whom He had
formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow
every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good
for food the tree of life also in the midst of
the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.
Beresheit/Genesis 2 8-9 NASB

8
Narrowing our Focus

In the beginning, there were two trees of special
interest!
These two trees affected all of creation.
This brings up two big questions
How did they arrive at such importance?
Do they have any importance for us today?
Lets find out!

9
Check all the verses that refer to both the
Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil.

(There are only a few of them!)
You can do this with an online Bible or an
Englishmans Concordance.
Many people have several Bibles. Get out several
versions and check the verses side by side.

10
Several Levels of Understanding

Most commentators have noted that these two trees
were there to provide a test or an opportunity to
walk in obedience or disobedience.
One confirmation of this is through recognition
of the phrase in the midst which refers to the
location of the tree of life.
This phrase is the Hebrew word betok which is
Strongs 8432, from the root word tavek which
literally means to center and midst but can
also be translated as middle, separation and
deceive.

11
In the Midst

This is the same word translated as separate or
divide on Day 2 of creation when the upper and
lower waters were divided with an expanse set in
the midst. This day has been recognized as a day
of division and unrest which was not declared
good. (Beresheit/Genesis 16-8)
This concept of separation is a recurring theme
throughout Scripture, dividing what is of God and
what is not or providing the opportunity for two
witnesses in a matter. One can be separated out
for what is good or separated out for what is
bad.
In this context, the choices of obedience or
disobedience to His instructions about the trees
are the test -- dividing or separating.

12
Second Mention of Trees is also the First Mention
of these Two Trees Together

The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden,
and there He put the man whom He had formed. And
out of the ground the LORD God made every tree
grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for
food.
The tree of life was also in the midst of the
garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and
evil.
Genesis 2 8-9 NKJV

13
Did you notice something about these trees?

They had TWO things in common
1. Pleasant to the sight
2. Good for food
The Tree of Life is said to be in the midst of
the Garden. Was the other tree there, too?
(Opportunity for separation?)
What made them different from each other, then?

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in
the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden you may freely eat
but of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it
you shall surely die.
Genesis 2 15-17 NKJV

15
The only apparent difference is that YHWH said
not to eat from that one.

Although He did not give a reason,
He did clearly state that death
would result from doing so.
He is our Good Shepherd
and we are to trust His leading.
Therefore, we know that this tree could also
be considered a tree of death, in counterpoint to
the Tree of Life.

16
At this point, there was no similar caution about
the tree of life from which they were free to eat.

But we all know that things changed!
The next time we hear of the two trees, it is
in the context of the serpents subtle
questioning.
(Notice the different words used)

Now the serpent was more subtle than any
beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,
Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may
eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.

But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not
surely die
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her and he
did eat.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and
they knew that they were naked and they sewed
fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Genesis 3 1-7 KJV

21
Now there are 3 criteria?

1. Pleasant to the sight
2. Good for food
AND
3. Desirable to make one wise
Where did the third one come from?

They quickly learned that this was NOT desirable
after all as YHWH confronted them and sent them
out of the Garden.
Didnt He want them to be wise?

23
Next Specific Mention of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the
ground for thy sake
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life Beresheit/Genesis
317 KJV
Didnt He want Adam to listen to his wife?

24
Cursed to eat of the ground?

A usual understanding of this verse is that we
are cursed to eat of the ground all the days of
our lives
BUT
We did and would eat of the ground whether cursed
or not since that is where food comes from!
I suggest that there is a poetic parallelism here

25
Not the ground but the tree!

The phrase
cursed is the ground for thy sake
is just an interjection here between the two
references to the tree.
The ground is cursed, as was satan.
So it is the tree that would be eaten of in
sorrow all the days of life, having now eaten of
the seed of it.

26
The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil is now a part of all of our days of life.

Yes, this ancient event does apply to us
today.
If so, we should know more about it!
What else can we learn about this tree?

27
Next Specific Mention of the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil

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 forever

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he
was taken.
So he drove out the man and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every way to keep the
way of the tree of life.
Genesis 322-24 KJV

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil will
now be a part of all of our lives. It is equated
with being wise and with death.
The tree of life is guarded and kept.
Did you find any further specific references to
either of these trees?

30
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is not
identified specifically by this name again.

The Tree of Life is mentioned many times by
name in many contexts from Genesis right through
to Revelation.
Here are a few of them.

31
References to Tree of Life

She wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay
hold upon her and happy is every one that
retaineth her. Proverbs 318 KJV
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and
he that winneth souls is wise. Proverbs
1130 KJV
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life but
perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
Proverbs 154 KJV
(Note ESV renders it a gentle tongue and
NASB has soothing.

32
The Trees leave us with more questions!

If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was
to be a part of our daily lives, why isnt it
mentioned again?
If the way to the Tree of Life is guarded, why is
it a consistent concept throughout Scripture?
There must be something else here.

Observations from Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament
The trees were not magical, but were the means of
confronting man with Gods will, giving man a
decisive Yes or No to say with his whole being.
It is morally significant that God fenced these
two trees not with a wall but with his word!
It is no accident that human sin which began at
the foot of a tree, the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, found its resolution on another
tree, the cross of Calvary.

Satans victory over the woman (and the man!)
beneath the branches of that primal tree led to
his own defeat beneath the crossed beams of
another tree
TWOT Page 689
Thematically, then, the two trees can be located
in what we call the New Testament in this way
though only the Tree of Life is specifically
mentioned.

35
So now, what about the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil?

You will remember that it is not mentioned again
by name throughout Scripture!
We have already seen that it is foretold to be a
factor in all of our days.
How do we learn anything more about it?
Thematic Study! Remember the twos!

36
Tree of Death

At the beginning, we saw that the Tree of Life
had a counterpart the forbidden Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil.
We saw that to eat from it was equated with
being wise and with death.

37
If Wise Counsel comes through the Tree of Life

Then clearly, unwise counsel must come through
the tree of death.
What was unwise about what came to mankind
through this tree of the knowledge of good and
evil?
Lets review what happened there

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in
the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden you may freely eat
but of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it
you shall surely die.
Beresheit/Genesis 2
15-17 NKJV
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of
the field which the LORD God had made. And he
said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall
not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We
may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.
But the fruit of the tree which is in
the midst of the garden, God hath
said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall
not surely die
For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye
shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her and he
did eat.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and
they knew that they were naked and they sewed
fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Beresheit/Genesis 3 1-7 KJV
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the
ground for thy sake
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of
thy life Beresheit/Genesis
317 KJV

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 forever
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he
was taken.
So he drove out the man and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every way to keep the
way of the tree of life. Genesis 322-24 KJV

43
Consequences

Knew they were naked and were ashamed
Felt compelled to cover themselves
Cursing of satan and the ground
Put out of the Garden
Toil, Pain and sorrow
Will eat of the tree of knowledge of good and
evil all the days of life.
Way to Tree of Life now guarded

44
They left the garden to live elsewhere.

They didnt die that day so how do we know what
was really wrong about all of this?
Was satan telling the truth then that they
wouldnt die while God wasnt truthful?
Why was it wrong for Adam to listen to his wife?
Why was it wrong for them to desire knowledge and
wisdom?

45
Two Core Questions!!

If they and their generations, meaning us, had no
access to the Tree of Life why does it still
appear both by name and inference--throughout
Scripture?
If the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
(Death) was to be a part of mankinds life why
isnt it visible throughout Scripture?

46
Physical and Spiritual Implications

Although it is true that Adam and Eve did not
physically die in that 24 hour period, they did
lose the ability to walk with and see YHWH our
God. He did allow them to continue to hear Him
however, as we can yet today, Praise Messiah!
Physical realities are His way of showing us
pictures of spiritual truths.
Physical death is the natural outcome for one who
has lost access to the fruit of the Tree of Life.

47
People and Shepherds

Whether we find it complimentary or not, the
truth is that there are always going to be people
who have need of leaders to help them find the
good fruit and people who are called to do so.
Scripture warns of false shepherds among the good
ones, just as we are told there are different
kinds of sheep.
We are not automatically
assigned to a group but
need to exercise care and
discernment as to what
group or leader we
choose another physical
picture of spiritual truth as
Shepherds are another kind
of covering for their people.

The Tree of Life continues to be visible
throughout Scripture because Messiah is always
available to us through His Spirit.
Mercifully, Adam and Eve were sent from the
Garden so that they did not eat from that Tree of
Life in their fallen physical state. If they had,
they would have had eternal physical life in that
fallen state.
As it stands now, when we receive the Messiah and
His work on our behalf, we are receiving the
fruit of the Tree of Life which confirms our
eternal life though we will still experience
physical death.

Since Messiah is always available to those who
believe, the spiritual representation of the Tree
of Life is guarded in the sense of being kept FOR
those who seek Him.
When we love and obey Him, we have access to the
spiritual reality of the Tree of Life and
eternal life with Him.
When He returns, those who have walked with Him
will again have access to the Tree in the New
Jerusalem.

I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end, the first and the last.
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 into the city.
(Revelation
22 13-14 KJV)

51
Now, what of the Tree of Death?

Yes, it wasnt CALLED tree of death but by
thematic comparison, it had to do with death and
stood in opposition to the Tree of Life.
So back to one of our original questions Why
would Knowledge of Good and Evil be equated with
being wise and with death? Arent we supposed
to be aware of these things throughout our lives?
Consider the process by which that 3rd criteria
was added to Gods counsel.

52
The Adversary Caused Doubt

By inferring that God was somehow holding out
or keeping back something of value, satan
deceived Eve into questioning His intentions and
His character.
He implied that Eve might have reason to fear she
was missing something important.
From there, it is only a few short steps to
falling back on our own reasoning ability.

53
Steps of Entrapment

FEAR of some kind of harm to self or loved
ones
which easily leads to
UNBELIEF Messiah cant or wont help me
which easily leads to
SELF-SUFFICIENCY/PRIDE
Ill have to figure it
out myself
(which
can be out of arrogance or desperation)
and finally, if unchecked along the way,
leads to
REBELLION so I will do it MY way.

54
What Changed?

When Eve entertained fear she opened the door to
the idea that our Father might not have good
intentions which she then saw as reason to employ
her human reasoning ability, add her own 3rd
criteria, and come to her own conclusion.
This new conclusion was no longer based on her
confidence in God but on the experience of her
own senses of sight and reasoning.

We might say Eve moved from being God centered
and led by His Spirit to being human centered
and led by her own experience.
She rejected Gods command based on her
observations. Adam did the same as he followed
suit, but Scripture says he did so knowingly,
while Eve was taken in with the deception.

By the way, you did notice that satan told
partial truth? They didnt die physically
immediately! (We are told Adam lived about 900
years, which is still within Gods determination
that a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as a day.)
2 Peter 38
It is more that YHWH generally allows people to
experience consequences of their choices than
that He puts them to immediate physical death.

57
Really Turning Life Upside Down

Their spiritual life and their confident
dependence on God was underminedliterally
overthrown or flipped over--in favor of their own
ability to use information and experience to
discern what was good. We might say upside down
when matters of flesh take priority over spirit.
The Disciples were accused of being men who
turned the world upside down, when in fact,
through Messiah, they were in the business of
turning it right side up once again!
Acts 17 6

Dependence on our own senses and ability to
reason can also be called self-sufficiency or
pride, the third step in the entrapment process.
Since we are not omnipotent, omniscient or
omnipresent how could our human understanding
even begin to compare to His? Clearly, this would
be Unwise counsel!

Yet this entrapment and appeal to depend on our
own experience or reasoning works as well today
as it did then.
We might call it chasing after wisdom and taking
pride in our human abilities, preferring this
over walking after our Messiah in His way.

60
Pride arrogance or desperation?

Because pride is a concept so often associated
with being arrogant, may I point out that in this
instance, it can be as much from personal
desperation and unbelief that anyone else cares,
could or would help, that this type of pride, or
self-sufficiency can be born.
The issue is the dependence on self to reason or
solve the current question, rather than looking
to YHWHs Spirit and His Word in trust for our
answers.

In our human understanding then we can easily
rationalize that we are not in rebellion but just
doing what must be done to avoid some kind of
harm.
Certainly, we are to use the talents and
understandings given to us but we are not to
assume that we know better than our almighty
Creator!

62
Elevation of Self?

Satan succeeded in reproducing his own sin of
pride through his desire to be like God in
mankind, man and woman. You can see a word
picture of this pride in Isaiah 14 where he
determines that he will be lifted up and
worshipped as God.
Just as he lost his position in the Garden as the
covering cherub through pride (Ezekiel 28) so now
did mankind lose their position in the Garden.

63
It is not that man shouldnt listen to his wife!

Adam should have been his wifes covering but
failed to act.
How blessed we are that
the second Adam did
not fail to cover His Bride!
We have only to depend on Him!
Please see article series on Shepherds Need to
Know the Biblical Meaning of Restraint/Nakedness
at www.setapartmingb.org for more information on
this aspect of covering.

Is there a Scriptural picture of what it looks
like to depend on human abilities?
YES!
There are many, but here is one that is a central
organization of most of these behaviors.

65
Proverbs 6 16-19

There are six things which the LORD hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him
     Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,    And
hands that shed innocent blood,     A heart that
devises wicked plans,     Feet that run rapidly
to evil,     A false witness who utters
lies,     And one who spreads strife among
brothers.

Again, we turn to the words of Solomon, the
wisest man who ever lived
Haughty eyes and a proud
heart, The lamp of the wicked, is sin.
Proverbs 214 NASB
These behaviors are of those who walk in sin.
Their way is lit by the lamp of a way other
than Gods. John tells us that sin is
lawlessness, or rejecting the commandments of
God. (1 John 34)
Rejecting YHWHs ways and substituting human
reason and understanding is easily seen as part
of this walk in sin!

67
Choose Life

Mankind lost direct access to the Tree of Life in
Eden due to sin and the elevation of self over
and against dependence on God, yielding to unwise
counsel.
Yet, when we yield to Messiah, we are partaking
of the fruit of Him as our Tree of Life in a
spiritual re-birth and life.
Those who believe and
walk after Him will have
the right to the physical
Tree of Life again in the New City.

68
.or death

Those who reject YHWHs Spirit and His commands
are yielding to the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, depending on their
own senses and experience above looking to Him.
They may look with haughty eyes on what is of
YHWH, in favor of their own ideas. Unwise
counsel!
It IS there all through Scripture though not by
that name! Every reference to these behaviors is
thematically linked to this tree of death from
the Garden. Like the adversary himself, it is
subtle.

The Tree of Life is now guarded and kept for
those who yield to Messiah and thus the way of
Life is described throughout Scripture. He
continues to call us!
The influence of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil depends on subtlety and innuendo.
Its fruit led to the rejection of the Tree of
Life.

It no longer needs to be identified by name
because it became a part of fallen mans nature.
It is what takes over in the absence of the
Tree of Life!

The overriding influence of rejecting His
commands in favor of personal experience and
senses remains a primary battle for all of
mankind today, all the days of our lives, as
foretold in the Garden.
Because the focus is on human behavior, THAT tree
is no longer mentioned by name but all it
involves leads to dependence on experience,
personal wisdom or the world and eventually to
deathboth physical and spiritual.

72
Didnt God want us to be wise?

It was not that God didnt want us to have
knowledge of good and evil, but rather that what
knowledge we have about it should come through
His leading and direction
not by our self-sufficiency
reaching out for it in our
timing and based on our
desire or fear.

73
Concept of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil is present throughout Scripture.

It is evident by the human behavior that is
described in Proverbs 616-19
The effect of the Tree of the knowledge of good
and evil as the basis for human superiority is
the rejection or absence of the Tree of Life.
Now, Life and Death will continually
be at war within Believers.

The Tree of the knowledge of good and evil has
been seeded into our very nature.
When we receive Messiah/Tree of Life, we have the
ability to resist the fruit of that OTHER tree,
though we should not be surprised at the daily
challenges.
Without His Life in us, we are so vulnerable in
our arrogance or desperation to the manipulation
of the evil one!

75
The Devil made me do it???

Too often, people want
to attribute poor choices
to demonic influence when
our unsubmitted flesh alone
is capable of very poor
choices even without unholy pressure.
Conversely, it is also true that when we are
walking in unsubmitted flesh or immaturity, the
evil one has many open doors to maneuver in and
through us! Sometimes it takes only a nudge to
fall into the 4 stages of entrapment.
In Messiah, our Tree of Life, we can be
overcomers!

76
Shepherds!

Which Tree will you yield to in your own life?
What kind of counsel can your people expect from
you?
Will you stand firm as a tree and speak His Truth
into the lives of your people?

77
People!

What tree are you eating from?
Will you be wise in your
own eyes or draw on our
Elohims wisdom?
Will you use His discernment about what teachings
or leaders you look to for covering, or fall back
on your own reasoning?

78
Choose Life!

1How blessed are those whose way is
blameless, Who walk in the law of the LORD.
2How blessed are those who observe His
testimonies, Who seek Him with all their
heart.
3They also do no unrighteousness
   They walk in His ways.     4You have ordained
Your precepts,         That we should keep them
diligently.     5Oh that my ways may be
established         To keep Your statutes!

   6Then I shall not be ashamed         When I
look upon all Your commandments.     7I shall
give thanks to You with uprightness of
heart,         When I learn Your righteous
judgments.     8I shall keep Your
statutes         Do not forsake me utterly!
Psalm 119 NASB

80
May you be blessed and strengthened as you learn
more about Trees and Men!