The Tree That Would Not Die

Trees fascinate me. As a kid I loved to climb them, build forts up in them, enjoy their shade and fruit, marvel at their fall colors, and jump in their castaway leaves.

As an adult I still love them. They have a majesty that few other living things have. I'm not sure I can define why.

Trees play a role in God's story from the beginning. A tree was the first meeting place for Satan and man. A "tree" was the figurative term for the mode of Jesus' execution. A tree figures in the final scenes portrayed in Revelation.

The tree that is most intriguing is the "tree of life" which appears in both the opening scene and closing scene of the Bible. Besides God, it seems the one consistent presence.

Several questions are apparent as we consider this tree.

• What was the purpose of the tree of life in the beginning of creation?
• Was the tree of life more or less enticing than the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
• Was the tree of life eaten from before the man and woman ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
• If so, what affects did it have?
• What is the purpose of the tree of life in the final scene in Revelation?
• Why is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil absent in that final scene?

I have failed to give too much brain power to these questions in times past because they seemed rather trivial, but the reality is that the tree of life seems a major player in these two crucial scenes, both being scenes which are eternal in nature - i.e. the original creation was intended to endure for all time, and the final "new heaven and earth" will endure for all time. Be it literal or figurative in nature, it is indicative of something in God's design that cannot be ignored. It had a part in His original plan, and a it plays a part in the final/eternal phase as well.

In Genesis 2 greater detail is given as to the work outlined in Genesis 1. We are told that God "planted a garden in the east, in Eden" and stocked it with many trees, all of them "pleasing to the eye and good for food." These traits are God-created and come into play later (see Genesis 3:6). The center of the garden was a special spot in which two trees stood - "the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

The fact that these two trees stand side by side geographically and textually indicate that they are both created by God and intended to be central to God's plan. It is as though they are both to be considered either in comparison or in contrast to one another. Soon thereafter, God places man in this spot as the gardener and gives an important command: You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.

This already prompts a question. Why? Why present an array of trees with similarly tempting traits and declare just one of them off limits? Is God simply providing man the opportunity of choice for the first time?

Consider the opportunity for choice in Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Should we view these trees as competing for the attention of man? Is God holding forth the options of life and death? A case could be made that the tree of knowledge of good and evil presents the option of man to seek to know and make moral judgements rather than allow God to be the arbiter of good and evil. This would actually make the statement of the serpent (Satan) true in Genesis 3:5. We should come to God to receive life, not moral authority.

Once this line was crossed, the tree of life became a forbidden tree as well (Genesis 3:22-24). To reject one, is to have the other withheld. To live forever in this state would be unbearable for man and for God.

This, too, raises a question. Was the tree of life some kind of elixir that would be needed periodically to maintain the unending life force in man's body? This seems to be a bizarre idea, for if God makes us eternal, why would we need some kind of supplement to maintain life? Is that why the tree of life appears in the heavenly in vision in Revelation 22 as well? We are given some more clues by Revelation 22:2.

On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

The tree of life provides a "healing" power. But why would healing be needed in the perfect environs of heaven?

More on this later. I need help in understanding.