Trees
A Devo by Travis Longino, NCCT
Have you noticed the tree motif in the Bible? After people, trees are the living thing most mentioned in God’s Word.
Despite their scarcity, trees in ancient Israel provided figs, olives, and grapes to people. Notice the theme of trees in just a few verses:
Genesis 2:9 “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.”
Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Isaiah 53:2 “He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground.”
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Strangely enough, scripture continuously portrays trees as things that communicate. They clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12), shout for joy (1 Chronicles 16:33), and even argue (Judges 9:7–15).
What makes this pattern especially odd is that creatures that obviously do communicate — such as fish or birds – are virtually mute in the Bible.
Over the thousands of years people have been reading the Bible, this has been passed off as mere poetry.
But in the last two decades, tree scientists have discovered something fascinating about trees: they really do communicate.
They count, share resources, and talk with each other using a system dubbed the “Wood Wide Web.” Common fungi send out gossamer-fine fungal tubes which infiltrate the soil and weave into the tips of roots, joining together in a complex and collaborative structure.
One of the world’s oldest and most massive living organisms is a grove of quaking aspens in the Fishlake National Forrest of Utah. The Trembling Giant, or Pando, is a grove of approximately 47,000 trees covering 108 acres that share a singe root system. The grove is really a single organism. Talk about fascinating, especially considering the connection between trees.
For those of us who love being outdoors surrounded by our leafy friends at Teen Reach Adventure Camp, this should make us marvel even more at Creator God and His amazing creation.
Thank you, Travis, for sharing this interesting twist on trees. Thank you, too, for serving Teen Reach so faithfully over the last 12 years! You and Chantel will be missed. You are a treasure!
