Are We Trees God Can Use?
Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy. (Deuteronomy 20:20)
Read: Deut. 20:16-20; Matt. 7:17-20; Luke 3:9
What Is God Saying?
It is hard to reconcile the warlike actions commanded in this and other portions of the Old Testament with the curse of war as we view it today. Christ has a better solution for dealing with enemies, demonstrated in such a profound and ultimate way by His death at the hands of enemies on the Cross. But we must first consider the threat that the evil Canaanite customs and their idolatry represented to the new nation of Israel. They were strangers, outnumbered, and struggling. They were emerging from their amazing exodus and wilderness journey. Any confusion of loyalties, any compromise with godless immorality, and any countenancing of the shameful practices of Canaanite religions would be like inviting a deadly virus to take up residence. So God commanded utter destruction of all that was in open and defiant opposition to His holy laws and pure worship.
In Deut. 12:1, we note these instructions, some of them very drastic- ‘These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to do in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.’ One such commandment was to refrain from cutting down any trees if they were fruit-bearing trees.
How Does This Apply To Us?
We come down to modern times. Conservation of trees is a growing concern for all of us. Can this renewable resource keep pace with the ever-accelerating demands? Trees that yield fruit are especially vital now as then. Food is a high priority in these days of growing population and diminishing resources. In the kingdom of our Lord, fruit-bearing trees and vines are of special importance. How much our Lord needs trees that produce food is seen by the drastic action He takes in Matthew 21:18-19. He also stresses the importance of having fruit-beanng branches in the Parable of the Vine (John 15:5). The call is to be fruit-bearing disciples. Prayer is the doorway to fruitful living.
Pray With Me
God, You are the Lord of all nature. Your design is perfect. You have said certain trees are to be saved from destruction because they are for food. Is this not true also of the souls which You have created? Let it be my life's primary goal to become and remain a good tree that brings forth good fruit. Let me bloom and bear fruit where I am planted. Keep me from the restlessness and anxiety that would make me want to move from the place of Your planting. As a tree sends its roots down into the ground, so I hunger for Your love. Let me draw on the wisdom, purity, and strength of Your Spirit. As rain washes the leaves, so let Your grace cleanse me. As the rain prepares the soil for its work, so let Your grace prepare me for spiritual growth.
Teach me the secret of abiding. Show me the joy of abiding. Give me the victory of abiding. When You see me growing restless in that one place where I can be blessed and used, break through the clouds with Your truth. When I am discouraged by poor results and envious of the easier lives others seem to have, lay upon my fretful spirit Your hand of healing. Teach me the lessons of contentment. Here alone is safety and peace, security and enjoyment, usefulness, and the blessings of God.
In the name of Him who promised that if we abide in Jesus Christ, the True Vine, He will bear fruit through us. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
It takes time for the sun the rain and the soil to bring abundant growth to food-producing plants. It takes time in prayer (listening and responding to God) to produce fruit that glorifies God and blesses others. But the waiting is worth it. ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength (Ps. 40: 12), Behold the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and late rain (James 5:7).’ For the cultivation of spiritual fruit, there must be the same kind of patient waiting and the same kind of rest and exposure to God's grace in the exercise of prayer. Then, results. Then, fruit.
