Set free to do my work

My Old Testament studies are showing me ways that these ancient Scriptures point to Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was promised by God as early as Genesis. However, before He came, the people of God must learn that their ways were sinful, their own efforts to be good were futile, and that they must obey God all the time. He graciously made and confirmed His covenant with them, but like us, they kept turning away from Him.

Their lives after the Exodus provide many examples. They had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, but instead of being thankful that they were free from bondage, they started griping about everything.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” (Exodus 15:23–26)

This story is a mini-picture of the work of Christ. First, they discovered the bitterness of the water, just as sinners must realize the bitterness of sin. Then they grumbled against Moses. Moses represents the Law that God handed down to them, the Law they could not keep and that was too hard for them. They didn’t like the high standards of God nor the hardships of the life God gave them.

Since they were not praying for themselves, Moses, as their leader and God’s prophet, interceded for them. God immediately showed him a log. Could this fallen tree be a symbol of the tree upon which Christ died? It reminds me of it, for only the Cross of Christ can change my situations of grumbling into blessing. Their story then ends with a rescue, but also a command and a promise from God if they obey.

In this story, God speaks to me about the importance of Moses’ prayer. For many years, I have known that prayer is my main ministry, and that most of my struggles are against the enemy’s efforts to stop me from praying. Some think it useless to pray because they feel sure of having His blessing, but I know that taking God’s blessings for granted is a dangerous assumption. I also know that just as these people needed a cry for their deliverance, so does everyone else caught in the bondage of sin, Christians and those who do not yet know Christ. I also must daily seek the Lord for His blessing in my own life.

The bitter water was made sweet by the introduction of a tree. Surely it is the tree of Calvary that changes the bitterness of life. This week, my sister talks of God’s grace as she and her family experience a devastating flood. She knows the power of that tree. Her voice is sweet, not bitter.

Only the Cross can so powerfully sweeten our thoughts and even our desires. It is the tree that makes us realize what would be our portion had God not sent His Son to die for our sin. That “log” is a great symbol of the life-giving power of God.

Today’s devotional says that healing does not come because of a prayerless faith. God wants me to pour out my heart before Him so He can pour blessing into my soul. In this story, the people did not pray. I wonder what would have happened to them if Moses had not prayed on their behalf?

The Scriptures describe other situations like this one where if Moses not interceded, God may have destroyed them. This is also true for those in my life who are bitter and complaining. They need the grace of God to change their hearts and bring healing to their lives, not destruction.

I am convinced that being inclined to pray is also the work of that tree. Otherwise, I would not do it. The Cross and the death of Christ is my death also. His resurrection is my new life. He changed me so I do not have to be in bondage to sin and bitter toward God. In Christ, He gives me a sweet life, filled  with His virtue and faith, pure and refreshing.

No matter what is tossed into my life to keep me from doing what He wants me to do and to keep me from praying as Moses did, I am released from the clutches of the one who would stop me. Because of that tree, and because of Christ, instead of being angry at my sin God can say to me, “I am the LORD, your healer.” 

The tree of life . . . and death . . . and life forever

As an artist and quilt maker, I’m drawn to the beauty of trees. I know others who use this motif exclusively in their art. There is no end to the various ways trees can be depicted. I’ve even a couple of books whose only topics are how to draw trees. Today I learn a bit of why they are so attractive.

In Recalling the Hope of Glory, author Allen P. Ross points out that the ‘tree of life’ in the garden of Eden was designed to be a source of life. After Adam and Eve sinned, God prevented them from eating from this tree lest they live forever as sinners.

Ross then describes how the religions of the ancient Near East and other areas picked up the idea that a ‘tree of life’ existed somewhere with great healing powers. They used images or representations of a tree as part of their idolatrous worship. The Asherah pole is one of these idols, forbidden to the people of God, yet they fell into worship of Asherah and this object anyway and were judged for it.

Yet the tree of life was also part of Israel’s sanctuary, not as an idol but a reminder and symbolized by a lampstand with branches and almond blossoms made of pure gold. This object was also a source of light, another necessity for life. We call this lampstand today a Menorah.

Trees still signify life in arid places. Wherever a clump of trees there is water, and in the desert, water is life. We also marvel at how trees can grow in the rocks on the upper sides of mountains, or sprout from cracks in city cement. Trees have a tenacious power to live.

In the age to come, John’s vision in Revelation includes a Tree of Life with “leaves for the healing of the nations.” He describes it with words that compel readers and stir a desire to be there. In that time, the people of God will again have access to all that the tree represents. Revelation 2:7 says, “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

In older Bible versions, verses about Jesus dying on the cross translate the word ‘cross’ in what seems an odd way. I’ve wondered why they did it as the word puts an odd image in my mind. After reading about the tree of life and its significance both in the Bible and in pagan worship, I am seeing a small glimpse of something that is both startling and awe-inspiring.

In Acts 5:29-30 Peter is speaking to those who put him and the other apostles in prison for teaching in the name of Jesus. He says, “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.”

This term “tree” instead of “cross” is repeated in several places. My Bible always cross-references it to Deuteronomy 21:22-23: “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”

Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”

That which was a symbol of life, even everlasting life, and became an object of pagan worship and then the place where the Author and Giver of Life died for our sins. Jesus was not guilty. He had committed no sin, never mind a sin that deserved death, but He willing became “accursed of God” for our sakes and allowed Himself to be hung on a tree.

People wear little crosses as jewelry, often thoughtlessly regarding its symbolism. Others recognize and remember that their cross on a chain represents the death (and if it is empty, the resurrection) of Jesus Christ. Some even come close to worshiping this symbol.

I’ve never seen anyone wear a tree on a chain, as much as most of us like trees. Now I am wondering if a tree is a stronger symbol than a cross. It points to that which was lost in the garden, regained at Golgotha, and is forever mine because the Son of God willingly did what He had to do to give me—and all people—access once again to eternal life.