tree

Nature Nugget – The Tree of Life

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Native to Africa, the Shepherd’s Tree grows in hot, arid and semi-arid regions. It is one of the few trees that will grow on the slopes of sand dunes where the shifting sands constantly expose roots, making survival a struggle for most plants. The Shepherd’s Tree is a stocky evergreen that can grow to a height of over 36 feet (11 meters) but is usually much shorter. It has a dense, round to spreading crown and a distinctly smooth, whitish trunk. The tree has heavily scented, small, star-shaped flowers in clusters that are yellowish-green and fruits that are berry-like. The secret to the Shepherd’s Tree’s survival is its root system which reaches deep into the earth to tap underground water sources. Its taproot can extend to a depth of 223 feet (68 meters) in search of underground water. This is why it is one of the few species of trees that can grow in the Kalahari Desert.

The Shepherd’s Tree is so named because during periods of drought, shepherds cut limbs off this tree to feed their flocks. The tree is often called the Tree of Life, as it offers sustenance to both humans and animals. Herbivores in savannah areas, such as giraffe, gemsbok, and kudu, browse the nutritious leaves. Red hartebeest and porcupines are known to feed on the bark. The fragrant flowers attract a host of pollinators, and the leaves are the larval food of a number of butterflies. The fruits are eaten by birds, primates, foxes, jackals, and elephants.

This tree is a valuable source of shade, especially in the desert areas where trees are rare. Daytime temperatures beneath this tree have been found to be as much as 21 degrees Celsius cooler than that of the surrounding open area. The big cat species of Africa are fond of resting under these trees during the heat of the day, and tree rats and numerous bird species nest in the tree’s shaded boughs. The shaded area under the tree also provides an important microhabitat for a great variety of invertebrate fauna.

The Shepherd’s Tree also has a large range of indigenous uses by man, especially during periods of drought when there is little else to eat. The root is eaten raw, pounded to make porridge, or boiled down into sweet syrup. The fruits are eaten raw, cooked in traditional dishes, or used to make jams. The flower buds are used in place of capers. The tree also has numerous important medicinal uses. For instance, the green fruit is used to treat epilepsy, and a cold fusion of the leaves is used to treat eye inflammations in cattle. The roots are used to make an extract for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The powdered root also has preservative and mold inhibiting qualities and is used by local tribes to preserve milk and butter fat.

One day soon we will have access to the real Tree of Life if we are faithful. “The fruit of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden possessed supernatural virtue. To eat of it was to live forever…

“The redeemed saints, who have loved God and kept His commandments here, will… have right to the tree of life. They will eat freely of it as our first parents did before their fall.” Maranatha, 325.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – The American Chestnut

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The American chestnut was one of the most important trees of eastern North America. Reaching heights of up to 150 feet tall with trunks up to 10 feet in diameter, the rapidly growing American chestnut was known as the redwood of the eastern forests. Found east of the Mississippi River from southern Canada to Mississippi, this deciduous hardwood tree was once an important timber tree. Its wood was rich in tannins, which made it highly resistant to decay.

The American chestnut was also a prolific bearer of nuts, with usually three nuts enclosed in each spiny, green burr. These nuts were very important to wildlife, providing much of the fall masts for species such as White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and Black Bears. The nuts, known as chestnuts, were also once an important economic resource in the United States and were commonly roasted and sold on the streets of the larger cities during the Christmas season.

The chestnut blight, an airborne bark fungus, was accidentally introduced into North America in the early 1900s on imported Asiatic chestnut trees. The American chestnut was highly susceptible to this rapidly spreading disease, and by 1940, mature trees were virtually extinct. It has been estimated that before the blight, there were three billion chestnut trees in eastern North America and that 25 percent of the trees in the Appalachian Mountains were American chestnuts. Now the surviving number of large chestnut trees within the tree’s former range is estimated to be less than 100.

Despite the devastation caused by the blight, the root collar and root system of the chestnut are fairly resistant to the blight, so a large number of small chestnut trees still persist as shoots from existing root bases. These shoots are seldom able to grow large enough to reproduce, however, before the blight attacks them. Fortunately, a few adult trees are surviving with apparent resistance to the disease. Several organizations are using these trees to breed blight resistant trees for reintroduction to their former range.

“There is a blight upon everything. The earth feels the curse that God pronounced upon it, because of the disobedience of our first parents. They broke the command of God in eating of the forbidden tree, after he had given them the privilege of eating of all the other trees in the garden. They listened to the tempter, ate of the forbidden tree, and were expelled from the beautiful garden of Eden.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 1, 1856.

“When the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear in ‘the beauty of the Lord our God’ (Psalm 90:17), what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature’s voices, and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one handwriting—in the vast universe behold ‘God’s name writ large,’ and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.” God’s Amazing Grace, 365.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Nature Nugget – The Pinyon Pines

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The Pinyon Pines and their Avian Planters

There is a group of eight closely related species of pines growing in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that are known as pinyon, or piñon, pines. They are short and scrubby trees, most commonly found growing in association with junipers. Pinyon pines generally grow at elevations between 4,500 and 6,500 feet above sea level. This elevation span is above the deserts, grasslands, and sagebrush, but below mountain forests, into which these trees merge. In the southern Rockies, they can sometimes be found growing as high as 9,300 feet above sea level on the warmer, south-facing slopes. Annual precipitation where the pinyon pine grows is 12 to 18 inches. Pinyon pines are rarely more than 20 to 30 feet tall and often much less. They are slow growing and may reach 100 years before producing cones. Their average lifespan is 350 to 450 years, with a few achieving 1,000 years!

Pinyon pines are most famous for their seeds or pine nuts, as they are called. Being 50 percent fat and 25 percent protein, a single pea-sized seed can yield as much as 20 calories. This is important to the wildlife that depends on them for survival through the winter. Many species of wildlife—such as black bears, mule deer, turkeys, porcupines, squirrels, chipmunks, wood rats (pack rats), mice, and many species of passerine birds—feed on the seeds.

The seeds are also important as a staple to many Native American tribes who extensively collect them throughout the pines’ range. The seeds are of immense cultural and economic importance to the tribes who often own the seed harvest rights in many areas. The seeds are sometimes robbed from pack rat nests where they have been stored up in large quantities.

There is a unique relationship between the pinyon pines and several species of jays. The whole pinyon pine ecosystem is dependent upon these relationships. These birds function as types of foresters or tree planters. The most famous of these birds is the pinyon jay. Not only do they love to eat the pinyon pine seeds, but they plant the seeds also.

The jays can carry up to 56 seeds in an expandable pouch in their throats. Pinyon jays occur in large flocks in the fall and winter. A flock of 200 jays can harvest, in minimal time, 10,000 or more seeds from a stand of pinyon pines, especially if the trees are producing a bumper crop of seeds, which they typically do about every six years. The jays quickly eat their fill and start burying seeds in the soil for future needs. They hide many more seeds than they will be able to refind and eat. These overlooked seeds sprout to produce the next generation of pinyon pines.

In one study done on pinyon jays, during a bumper crop year, it was estimated that one flock of 250 jays buried about 4.5 million seeds from September through January. In Arizona, a Clark’s Nutcracker, a close relative of the pinyon jay, was seen to carry 95 pinyon pine seeds in its cheek pouch for 14 miles. Approximately a ton, or four million seeds, can be cached by 150 nutcrackers!

Just as the jays and nutcrackers plant pinyon pine seeds abundantly, even carrying them to far away places, we are to be planting the seeds of truth. “You are to sow the seeds of truth in every place. Wherever you can gain access, hold forth the word of God. Sow beside all waters. You may not at once see the result of your labors, but be not discouraged. Speak the words that Christ gives you. Work in His lines. Go forth everywhere as He did during His ministry on the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 36.

David Arbour writes from his home in DeQueen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – Healthy Root System

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January 3, 2010 – January 9, 2010

Key Text

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:12–15.

Study Help: In Heavenly Places, 34; Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 18.

Introduction

“The tree of the desert is a symbol of what God means the life of His children in this world to be. They are to guide weary souls, full of unrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water. They are to point their fellow men to Him who gives the invitation, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.’ John 7:37.” Education, 116.

1 What does the word of God say about the righteous? Who will be fat and flourishing? Psalm 92:12–15.

Note: “Prove the promise of God that ‘those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; and they shall be fat and flourishing; to show that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him’ [Psalm 92:13–15].

“Keep your heart and mind young by continuous exercise.” The Review and Herald, April 6, 1886.

2 We want to be as a “cedar in Lebanon” as mentioned in Psalm 92:12; Psalm 104:16, 17. How do we become that cedar?

Note: “The cedar of Lebanon was honored by all the people of the East. The class of trees to which it belongs is found wherever man has gone throughout the earth. From the arctic regions to the tropic zone they flourish, rejoicing in the heat, yet braving the cold; springing in rich luxuriance by the riverside, yet towering aloft upon the parched and thirsty waste. They plant their roots deep among the rocks of the mountains and boldly stand in defiance of the tempest. Their leaves are fresh and green when all else has perished at the breath of winter. Above all other trees the cedar of Lebanon is distinguished for its strength, its firmness, its undecaying vigor; and this is used as a symbol of those whose life is ‘hid with Christ in God.’ Colossians 3:3. Says the Scripture, ‘The righteous … shall grow like a cedar.’ Psalm 92:12. The divine hand has exalted the cedar as king over the forest. … The cedar is repeatedly employed as an emblem of royalty, and its use in Scripture to represent the righteous shows how Heaven regards those who do the will of God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 450.

3 If the righteous shall grow like a cedar, what is the first prerequisite or condition in ourselves we need to experience before we can receive righteousness, a condition acceptable to God, as found in Matthew 5:6?

Note: “We are to come to God in faith, and pour out our supplications before Him, believing that He will work in our behalf, and in the behalf of those we are seeking to save. We are to devote more time to earnest prayer. With the trusting faith of a little child, we are to come to our heavenly Father, telling Him of all our needs. He is always ready to pardon and help. The supply of divine wisdom is inexhaustible, and the Lord encourages us to draw largely from it. The longing that we should have for spiritual blessings is described in the words, ‘As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God’ [Psalm 42:1]. We need a deeper soul-hunger for the rich gifts that heaven has to bestow. We are to hunger and thirst after righteousness.

“O that we might have a consuming desire to know God by an experimental knowledge, to come into the audience chamber of the Most High, reaching up the hand of faith, and casting our helpless souls upon the One mighty to save. His loving kindness is better than life.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1146, 1147.

4 From Whom only should our soul’s expectation be? Psalm 62:5.

Note: “A divine element unites with human effort when the soul reaches out after God.” Gospel Workers, 99.

5 What is it that we need to drink if we do not want to ever crave the world’s advantages and attractions? John 4:14.

Note: “ ‘Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst’—never crave the world’s advantages and attractions—‘but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life’ [John 4:14].” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1134.

6 What is the water that Christ referred to in John 4:14? The water of life flowing from whose heart will water the hearts of others? What are we to seek for and why?

Note: “You must seek to have an indwelling Saviour, who will be to you as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life. The water of life flowing from the heart always waters the hearts of others.” Ibid., 1134.

7 Why should we want to be a “palm tree” Christian? Explain what a “palm tree” Christian is. Psalm 92:12.

Note: “The palm tree well represents the life of a Christian. It stands upright amid the burning desert sand, and dies not; for it draws its sustenance from the springs of life beneath the surface.

“See the weary traveler toiling over the hot sands of the desert, with no shelter to protect him from the rays of a tropical sun. His water supply fails, and he has nothing to slake his burning thirst. His tongue becomes swollen; he staggers like a drunken man. Visions of home and friends pass before his mind, as he believes himself ready to perish in the terrible desert. Suddenly those in advance send forth a shout of joy. In the distance, looming up out of the dreary, sandy waste, is a palm tree, green and flourishing. Hope quickens his pulses. That which gives vigor and freshness to the palm tree will cool the fevered pulses, and give life to those who are perishing with thirst.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1151.

8 What is the gift of God and the living water? John 4:10.

Note: “The water that Christ referred to was the revelation of His grace in His Word. His Spirit, His teaching, is as a satisfying fountain to every soul. … In Christ is fullness of joy forevermore … Christ’s gracious presence in His Word is ever speaking to the soul, representing Him as the well of living water to refresh the thirsting. It is our privilege to have a living, abiding Saviour. He is the source of spiritual power implanted within us, and His influence will flow forth in words and actions, refreshing all within the sphere of our influence, begetting in them desires and aspirations for strength and purity, for holiness and peace, and for that joy which brings with it no sorrow. This is the result of an indwelling Saviour.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1134.

9 A “tree of the desert” draws the thirsty traveler because there is water where that tree is. Where does a Christian go to satisfy his thirst? John 7:37.

Note: “The tree of the desert is a symbol of what God means the life of His children in this world to be. They are to guide weary souls, full of unrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water. They are to point their fellow men to Him who gives the invitation, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.’ John 7:37.” Education, 116.

10 If we are to be a sturdy “tree of the desert” in these last days under very trying circumstances, where should our root be? Ezekiel 31:7; John 7:37.

Note: “As the palm tree, drawing nourishment from fountains of living water, is green and flourishing in the midst of the desert, so the Christian may draw rich supplies of grace from the fountain of God’s love, and may guide weary souls, that are full of unrest and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to those waters of which they may drink, and live. The Christian is ever pointing his fellow-men to Jesus, who invites, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.’ This fountain never fails us; we may draw, and draw again.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1151.

Additional Reading

“If the Christian thrives and progresses at all, he must do so amid strangers to God, amid scoffing, subject to ridicule. He must stand upright like the palm tree in the desert. The sky may be as brass, the desert sand may beat about the palm tree’s roots, and pile itself in heaps about its trunk. Yet the tree lives as an evergreen, fresh and vigorous amid the burning desert sands. Remove the sand till you reach the rootlets of the palm tree, and you discover the secret of its life; it strikes down deep beneath the surface, to the secret waters hidden in the earth. Christians indeed may be fitly represented by the palm tree. They are like Enoch; although surrounded by corrupting influences, their faith takes hold of the Unseen. They walk with God, deriving strength and grace from Him to withstand the moral pollution surrounding them. Like Daniel in the courts of Babylon, they stand pure and uncontaminated; their life is hid with Christ in God. They are virtuous in spirit amid depravity; they are true and loyal, fervent and zealous, while surrounded by infidels, hypocritical professors, godless and worldly men. Their faith and life are hid with Christ in God. Jesus is in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Faith, like the rootlets of the palm tree, penetrates beneath the things which are seen, drawing spiritual nourishment from the Fountain of life.

“When the love of Jesus is abiding in the soul, many who are now but withered branches will become as the cedars of Lebanon, ‘whose root is by the great waters.’ (Ezekiel 31:7.) The cedar is noted for the firmness of its roots. Not content to cling to the earth with a few weak fibers, it thrusts its rootlets, like a sturdy wedge, into the cloven rock, and reaches down deeper and deeper for strong holds to grasp. When the tempest grapples with its boughs, that firm-set tree cannot be uprooted. What a goodly cedar might not every follower of Christ become, if he were but rooted and grounded in the truth, firmly united to the Eternal Rock.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1151.

“There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers. One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, ‘I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.’ Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.

“Our great need is itself an argument and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do these things for us. He says, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you.’ And ‘He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ Matthew 7:7; Romans 8:32.” Steps to Christ, 95.

“By maintaining a connection with God we shall be enabled to diffuse to others, through our association with them, the light, the peace, the serenity, that rules in our hearts, and set before them an example of unwavering fidelity to the interests of the work in which we are engaged.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 460.

Lesson Studies were prepared by Judy Hallingstad of the LandMarks staff. She can be contacted at judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org .

Nature – The Mighty Oak

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An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus that is found mainly in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. There are about 600 species worldwide consisting of both deciduous and evergreen species. A few are found in the tropical regions of Asia and the Americas. The oaks are subdivided into five groups: the red oaks of the Americas; the white oaks of Europe, Asia, and North America; the Hungarian oak and its relatives of Europe and Asia; the Turkey oak and its relatives of Europe and Asia; and the Canyon Live oak and its relatives of southwestern North America. Most oak trees take hundreds of years to reach maturity. One tree in Windsor is over 800 years old and was planted during the reign of King John. There are others known to be over 1,000 years old. Oak trees can get quite large also, with circumferences over 60 feet, and heights pushing 100 feet, with crown spreads of over a quarter acre in size.

Oaks produce flowering structures called catkins in the spring and a nut called an acorn in the fall. Acorns take 6 to 24 months to mature, depending on the species. Acorns are rich in nutrients containing large amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats as well as the minerals calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, and the vitamin niacin. They also contain tannins, which are bitter to the taste and poisonous to some domestic animals. Many wild animals such as squirrels, deer, bears, and pigs consume large amounts of acorns and birds such as jays, woodpeckers, and turkeys eat their share also. Native American Indians used to gather the acorns in the fall and soak them in water to leach the tannins out, then dried and ground them to make flour.

Oak wood is famous for its great strength and hardness and is especially valued for shipbuilding, flooring, furniture, railroad ties, barrels, tool handles, and veneer. Like the acorn, the wood of the oak is high in tannins, which helps protect it against insect and fungal attacks. The oak tree is considered to be one of the most significant and magnificent trees in the whole world. Transcending times and cultures, the oak has symbolized strength and endurance, and for this reason, it has been chosen as the national tree of the United States, England, and several other countries. Overall the oak tree is a very strong and sturdy wood, and represents many things, including that of the concept of longevity and of wisdom, and is a tree that was truly designed to stand the test of time.

There are spiritual lessons to be learned from the strength and size of the mighty oak. “You should learn to rely upon your own energies and upon your heavenly Father. Youth who have been thrown upon their own resources will generally put forth the effort necessary to develop and invigorate their moral and intellectual energies. There are too many youth like the swaying willows that grow beside the meadow brook. You want to make your life the sturdy oak, springing from hardy soil amid the clefts of the rock. These have battled with the storm and tempest and yet grown into giant proportions. The great men who have done service to our country were not reared in the lap of luxury. Our greatest men are self-made.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, 192. “When Solomon should have been in character as a sturdy oak, he fell from his steadfastness under the power of temptation. When his strength should have been the firmest, he was found the weakest of men.

“From such examples as this we should learn that watchfulness and prayer are the only safety for either young or old.” The Retirement Years, 178.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – The Book of Nature

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January 15, 2012 – January 21, 2012

Key Text

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3.

Study Help: Child Guidance, 53–60.

Introduction

“There are lessons to be learned in God’s book of nature.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 307.

1 AWE-INSPIRING THOUGHTS

  • What was the prophet Nehemiah inspired to say about nature? Nehemiah 9:6.

Note: “There is beauty in the valley’s awful grandeur, in the solemn, massive, cleft rocks; there is majesty in the towering mountains that look as if they touched the heavens. There are the lofty trees with their delicately formed leaves; the spires of grass, the opening bud and blossoming flower, the forest trees, and every living thing. They all point the mind to the great and living God. Every faculty of our being testifies that there is a living God, and we may learn from the open book of nature the most precious lessons in regard to the Lord of heaven.

“In this study the mind expands, is elevated and uplifted, and becomes hungry to know more of God and His majesty. We have awakened in our hearts feelings not only of reverence and awe but of love, of faith, of trust and entire dependence upon One who is the giver of all good. And as I look at His marvelous works and see the evidences of His power I instinctively inquire, ‘What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?’ Psalm 8:4. …

“Why should we not converse more earnestly, and in a heavenly frame of mind, in regard to God’s gifts in nature? He has made all these things, and designs that we shall see God in His created works. These things are to keep God in our remembrance and to lift our hearts from sensual things and bind them in bonds of love and gratitude to our Creator.” Our High Calling, 250.

2 PONDERING THE PINNACLES

  • With what thoughts should we let nature inspire us? Psalms 19:1–3; 143:5, 6.

Note: “The great Architect has formed and fashioned the scenes of nature that they may have an important bearing upon man’s intellectual and moral character. These are to be God’s school to educate the mind and morals. Here the mind may have a vast field for study in the display of the majestic works of the Infinite One.” Our High Calling, 252.

“We have looked upon the lofty, terraced mountains in their majestic beauty, with their rocky battlements resembling grand old castles. These mountains speak to us of the desolating wrath of God in vindication of His broken law; for they were heaved up by the stormy convulsions of the flood. They are like mighty waves that at the voice of God stood still—stiffened billows, arrested in their proudest swell. These towering mountains belong to God; He presides over their rocky fastnesses. The wealth of their mines is His also, and so are the deep places of the earth.

“If you would see the evidences that there is a God, look around you wherever your lot may be cast. He is speaking to your senses and impressing your soul through His created works. Let your heart receive these impressions, and nature will be to you an open book, and will teach you divine truth through familiar things. The lofty trees will not be regarded with indifference. Every opening flower, every leaf with its delicate veins, will testify of the infinite skill of the great Master Artist. The massive rocks and towering mountains that rise in the distance are not the result of chance. They speak in silent eloquence of One who sits upon the throne of the universe, high and lifted up. ‘Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world’ [Acts 15:18.] All His plans are perfect. What awe and reverence should His name inspire!” Ibid., 251.

  • What message is written in every element of God’s creation? Psalm 121:1, 2.

Note: “The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.” Education, 132.

3 BASIC YET SUBLIME

  • Name two elements in nature that serve as object lessons of faith. I Samuel 2:2; Psalms 36:6; 125:1, 2.

Note: “God is Himself the Rock of Ages, a refuge for His people, a covert from the storm, a shadow from the burning heat. He has given us His promises, which are more firm and immovable than the rocky heights, the everlasting hills. The mountains shall depart, and the hills shall be removed; but His kindness shall not depart, nor His covenant of peace be removed from those who by faith make Him their trust. If we would look to God for help as steadfastly as these rocky, barren mountains point to the heavens above them, we should never be moved from our faith in Him and our allegiance to His holy law.” Our High Calling, 251.

  • What can we learn from the rocks?

Note: “The rocks are among the precious things of earth, containing treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In the rocks and mountains are registered the fact that God did destroy the wicked from off the earth by a flood.” Our High Calling, 252.

  • What question posed to Job humbles even the most self-confident? Job 38:16–18. What should God’s creatures as well as the sights and sounds of nature make us realize? Job 12:7–10.

Note: “From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean’s ceaseless roar, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with melody, nature’s ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth and sea and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell us of His power. The trees that wave their green banners in the sunlight, and the flowers in their delicate beauty, point to their Creator. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells of God’s care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and chrysolite among the rocks, is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is a representative of Him who is the life and light of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens, speak of God.” The Ministry of Healing, 411, 412.

4 THE PURPOSE OF MOUNTAINS

  • When contemplating the grandeur of the mountains, what should we ever keep in mind? Psalms 65:5, 6; 90:2; Hebrews 11:3.

Note: “The varied scenery in the towering mountains and rocky heights, the deep mountain gorges with their rapid, noisy streams of water coming from the mountains above, the many cataracts that come tumbling down from the tops of the mountains, the waters breaking as they strike the rocks, and scattering into spray like a veil, render this scenery altogether one of surpassing beauty and grandeur.

“Mountains contain God’s blessings. I have seen men and women look upon the majesty of mountains as though they were really a deformity of nature. They would sigh and say, ‘How needless! Let me have the level plain, the broad prairies, and I should be happy.’ The mountains contain treasures of blessings which the Creator bestows upon the inhabitants of the earth. It is the diversity in the surface of the earth, in mountains, plains, and valleys, which reveals the wisdom and the power of the great Master Worker. And those who would banish from our earth the rocks and mountains, the wild gorges and the noisy, rushing streams, and the precipices, as unsightly deformities in nature, and would have a smooth level—their senses are too limited to comprehend the majesty of God. Their minds are bound about with narrow ideas.

“God, the great Architect, has built these lofty mountains, and their influence upon climate is a blessing to our world. They draw from the clouds enriching moisture. Mountain chains are God’s great reservoirs, to supply the ocean with its water. These are the sources of the springs, rills, and brooks, as well as the rivers. They receive in the form of rain and snow, the vapors with which the atmosphere is charged, and communicate them to the parched plains below. We should look upon the irregular mountains of the earth as God’s fountains of blessings from which flow forth the waters to supply all the living creatures. Every time I look upon the mountains I feel gratitude to God. My heart is lifted up in praise to Him who knows the wants and needs of man. If the earth had been a uniform level there would be stagnant marshes.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 306, 307.

  • How can “mountains” of difficulties be removed? Matthew 17:20, 21.

5 MINDFUL OF THE DELICATE

  • Just as the Lord bids us contemplate the majesty of the mountains and oceans, to what else does He point us? Matthew 6:28, 29.

Note: “The great Master Artist calls our attention to the soulless flowers of the field, pointing out the beautiful tints and the wonderful variety of shades one flower may possess. …

“The Lord our Creator expends as much care, wisdom, and time upon the tiny flower as upon the great things He creates. In the tiniest flowers are seen a beauty and perfection that no human art can copy. The delicate tracery of the tinted rose, as well as the stars in the heavens, shows the penciling of the great Master Artist.” Our High Calling, 254.

  • What lesson can we learn from the variety of plants and flowers? Romans 12:4–6; I Corinthians 12:14–18, 22.

Note: “From the endless variety of plants and flowers, we may learn an important lesson. All blossoms are not the same in form or color. Some possess healing virtues. Some are always fragrant. There are professing Christians who think it their duty to make every other Christian like themselves. This is man’s plan, not the plan of God. In the church of God there is room for characters as varied as are the flowers in a garden.” Our High Calling, 254.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 Why is it important for our spirituality to spend much time outdoors?

2 What can we learn from the hills and mountains?

3 Name some interesting lessons we can learn from the rocks.

4 What environmental benefits stem from God’s design in making mountains?

5 What understanding does God want us to gain from the variety of flowers?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Nature – The Hercules’ Club Tree

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The Hercules’ Club tree (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis), also known as toothache tree, tickle-tongue, pepperwood, and Southern prickly ash, is a spiny tree or shrub in the citrus family, native to the southeastern United States. Rarely reaching over 30 feet in height, the tree gets its name from the odd spiny, warty projections on the bark of older trees, which is said to resemble the spiny club of Hercules. The leaves are pinnately compound with a citrus scent, and the spring blooming flowers are greenish yellow and produced in clusters located on the tips of the branches. The tree has a preference to grow on well-drained, light, sandy soil and is often found growing on river bluffs, woodland edges, and fencerows.

It is best known for the numbness it produces when the leaves or bark are chewed, similar to the effects of novocaine. Indians and early settlers both used it for toothaches, hence its other name, toothache tree, as well as for other medicinal uses such as sore throats, itches, ulcers, chest ailments, and venereal disease. More modern medicinal uses for the tree include poor circulation, varicose veins, chronic rheumatism, typhoid, blood impurities, skin diseases, and resistant staphylococcus. It also stimulates the lymphatic system and mucous membranes.

The tree is very valuable to wildlife. The blossoms are very attractive to bees and other pollinators, which in turn attract insect eating birds. The leaves are browsed by deer and used by a number of insect species including as a host for the larvae of the giant swallowtail butterfly. The fruits are eaten by a multitude of birds that help to disperse the seeds, which are also scarified by the birds as they pass through their digestive tract, which in turn helps them to germinate.

Just as the Hercules’ Club causes the mouth to go numb when partaken of, so our senses have been numbed by partaking of worldly amusements and sin: “A terrible picture of the condition of the world has been presented before me. Immorality abounds everywhere. Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now. The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence. The iniquity which abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer. Would that this were the case, but it is not. Many men and women who profess the religion of Christ are guilty. Even some who profess to be looking for His appearing are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself. They are not cleansing themselves from all pollution. They have so long served their lust that it is natural for their thoughts to be impure and their imaginations corrupt. It is as impossible to cause their minds to dwell upon pure and holy things as it would be to turn the course of Niagara and send its waters pouring up the falls. … Every Christian will have to learn to restrain his passions and be controlled by principle. Unless he does this, he is unworthy of the Christian name.” The Adventist Home, 328. “I tell you the truth. We are far behind our holy religion in our conception of duty. Oh, if those who have been blessed with such grand and solemn truth would arise and shake off the spell that has benumbed their senses and caused them to withhold from God their true service, what would not their well-organized efforts accomplish for the salvation of souls!” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 395.

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Inspiration – Christmas

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Christmas is coming,” is the note that is sounded throughout our world from east to west and from north to south. With youth, those of mature age, and even the aged, it is a period of general rejoicing, of great gladness. But what is Christmas, that it should demand so much attention? …

The twenty-fifth of December is supposed to be the day of the birth of Jesus Christ, and its observance has become customary and popular. But yet there is no certainty that we are keeping the veritable day of our Saviour’s birth. History gives us no certain assurance of this. The Bible does not give us the precise time. Had the Lord deemed this knowledge essential to our salvation, He would have spoken through His prophets and apostles, that we might know all about the matter. But the silence of the Scriptures upon this point evidences to us that it is hidden from us for the wisest purposes. …

The Day Not to Be Ignored

As the twenty-fifth of December is observed to commemorate the birth of Christ, as the children have been instructed by precept and example that this was indeed a day of gladness and rejoicing, you will find it a difficult matter to pass over this period without giving it some attention. It can be made to serve a very good purpose. …

The Interchange of Gifts as Tokens of Affection

The holiday season is fast approaching with its interchange of gifts, and old and young are intently studying what they can bestow upon their friends as a token of affectionate remembrance. It is pleasant to receive a gift, however small, from those we love. It is an assurance that we are not forgotten, and seems to bind us to them a little closer. …

It is right to bestow upon one another tokens of love and remembrance if we do not in this forget God, our best friend. We should make our gifts such as will prove a real benefit to the receiver. I would recommend such books as will be an aid in understanding the word of God or that will increase our love for its precepts. Provide something to be read during these long winter evenings. …

Let the presents you shall make be of that order which will shed beams of light upon the pathway to heaven.

Jesus Not to Be Forgotten

Brethren and sisters, while you are devising gifts for one another, I would remind you of our heavenly Friend, lest you should be unmindful of His claims. Will He not be pleased if we show that we have not forgotten Him? Jesus, the Prince of life, gave all to bring salvation within our reach. … He suffered even unto death, that He might give us eternal life.

It is through Christ that we receive every blessing. … Shall not our heavenly Benefactor share in the tokens of our gratitude and love? Come, brethren and sisters, come with your children, even the babes in your arms, and bring your offerings to God according to your ability. Make melody to Him in your hearts, and let His praise be upon your lips. …

Shall We Have a Christmas Tree?

God would be well pleased if on Christmas each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship. [Note: reference is made in this article to current building projects. As the principles set forth in this connection are applicable today, these specific references are left in the article.] Letters of inquiry have come to us asking, Shall we have a Christmas tree? Will it not be like the world? We answer, You can make it like the world if you have a disposition to do so, or you can make it as unlike the world as possible. There is no particular sin in selecting a fragrant evergreen and placing it in our churches, but the sin lies in the motive which prompts to action and the use which is made of the gifts placed upon the tree.

The tree may be as tall and its branches as wide as shall best suit the occasion; but let its boughs be laden with the golden and silver fruit of your beneficence, and present this to Him as your Christmas gift. Let your donations be sanctified by prayer.

Christmas and New Year celebrations can and should be held in behalf of those who are helpless. God is glorified when we give to help those who have large families to support.

A Tree Laden With Offerings Is Not Sinful

Let not the parents take the position that an evergreen placed in the church for the amusement of the Sabbath school scholars is a sin, for it may be made a great blessing. Keep before their minds benevolent objects. In no case should mere amusement be the object of these gatherings. While there may be some who will turn these occasions into seasons of careless levity, and whose minds will not receive the divine impress, to other minds and characters these seasons will be highly beneficial. I am fully satisfied that innocent substitutes can be devised for many gatherings that demoralize.

Provide Innocent Enjoyment for the Day

Will you not arise, my Christian brethren and sisters, and gird yourselves for duty in the fear of God, so arranging this matter that it shall not be dry and uninteresting, but full of innocent enjoyment that shall bear the signet of Heaven? I know the poorer class will respond to these suggestions. The most wealthy should also show an interest and bestow their gifts and offerings proportionate to the means with which God has entrusted them. Let there be recorded in the heavenly books such a Christmas as has never yet been seen because of the donations which shall be given for the sustaining of the work of God and the upbuilding of His kingdom.

The Adventist Home, 477–483.

Inspiration – The Barren Fig-Tree

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The treatment of the barren fig-tree by the Saviour of the world, shows how all pretenders to godliness will be treated. He pronounced upon it His withering curse, and left it seared and sapless, rejected by God (Matthew 21:19). This tree represents the Jews, who refused to respond to the love of Christ. Despite all the privileges and opportunities granted them, they brought forth only briers and thorns—no fruit to the glory of God. This blighted tree was a parable to the house of Israel—a most impressive lesson. It is also a lesson to the professed followers of Christ in every age. Reaching through all time, it speaks in unmistakable language to all formalists and boasters of godliness who stand forth to the world with high profession, but are utterly devoid of that vital piety which alone God recognizes as fruit.

There is a decided lack of piety among us as a people. The true burden of the work for the salvation of souls does not rest upon us as it should. Like the barren fig-tree, many flaunt their foliage-covered branches before the Lord, proudly claiming to be his commandment-keeping people, while the heart-searching God finds them destitute of fruit.

We boast of our advancement in the truth; but our works do not correspond with our profession. We are sadly deficient in spirit, energy, and life. Leaf-covered trees are plenty, but they are destitute of fruit. The fearful condition of lukewarmness and unfaithfulness which would exist in the last days was described by the great apostle in these words:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away” (II Timothy 3:1–4).

We learn from the Sacred Record that this tree, upon which hung not a redeeming cluster of fruit, was clothed with green foliage. Notice the words. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” The doom of the fruitless fig-tree has an application to individual professors who manifest the natural tendencies of the unrenewed heart, and contradict their faith by their daily life. They do not represent to the world the character of Christ, because they have not Christ in them.

Our Saviour never turned away from the truly penitent, no matter how great their guilt. But He hates all hypocrisy and vain display. He addressed with the most severe and unqualified reproof the Pharisees and hypocrites represented by the fig-tree covered with green foliage, but destitute of fruit.

Fruitless professors, sad indeed is your fate; for the open sinner stands in a more favorable position in the sight of God. The blight of God’s curse is upon that class who hide the deformity of their lives under a profession of godliness. John, that bold, undaunted reprover of sin, who came to prepare the way for Christ’s first advent, thus addressed the multitude that flocked to hear him: “Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). Terrible words! And as we see the many who profess to be God’s commandment-keeping people, whose lives show that they do not the will of our Father which is in Heaven, we can come to only one conclusion—that in the doom of the fig-tree which bore no fruit, and upon which fell the withering curse of God, they may read their own fate.

The compassion and tender love of Jesus for those for whom He died, is without parallel. But when His love and mercy are insulted, when His life and example are misrepresented by those professing to be His followers, severe retribution will surely follow. Christ has bought man with an infinite price. Soul, body, and spirit—all that constitutes the man—is the rightful property of our Saviour; and when He sees the body, the temple of the soul, defiled and degraded by indulgence of appetite and lustful passion, and the heart polluted and defiled by sin—when He sees the soul which was the purchase of His blood, proving a curse rather than a blessing to the world, He dooms it as He did the fig-tree, and it becomes a fearful monument of His righteousness and avenging wrath.

Jesus is wounded and insulted by His professed follower whose unconsecrated lives disgrace their profession. He would purify the temple courts of the soul; but if His efforts to warn and reprove are not heeded, his forbearance and compassion will be changed to severity and judgment.

The Review and Herald, January 11, 1881.

Question & Answer – What is meant by the “green tree?” in Luke 23:31.

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“For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?” Luke 23:31.

To understand Bible symbols they first must be looked at in context. In this passage of Scripture Jesus is being led to Calvary to be crucified. Following Him was a wailing crowd. Turning to them He bid them to weep for themselves, predicting the days ahead and their own future. In verse 30 it says, “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.” Then the next verse Jesus calls Himself a “green tree.” The following gives us an insight as to what Jesus meant:

“The innocent were represented by the green tree. If God suffered his wrath because of the sins of the world to fall upon the Redeemer, in that He was permitted to suffer death by crucifixion, what might be expected to come upon the impenitent and unbelieving, who had slighted the mercies of God, purchased for them by the death of his Son? The mind of Jesus wandered from the destruction of Jerusalem to a wider judgment, when all the impenitent would suffer condemnation for their sins; when the Son of man should come, attended not by a murderous mob, but by the mighty hosts of God.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 152.

The green tree represents innocence, the dry tree guilt, ripe for the fire of judgment. Another way to explain this is that if an innocent person suffers in this way, what will become of the wicked person? The wicked are like dry wood for the fire.

In commenting on this verse, Ellen Write wrote, “As Christ told them the things He must suffer at the hands of wicked men, He said, ‘If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry’ [Luke 23:31]? If they do these wicked acts to your divine Lord, what will they do to those that bear the testimony that He came from God, that He was God in human flesh?” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 393.

Green wood is still alive. It has the sap in it and is capable of bearing fruit. This moisture also prevents it from burning well. Dry wood has been cut and is dead, which means it bears no fruit. It burns very easily. If the Romans were willing to put to death an innocent man, what would they do later to the Jews who were not innocent? History reveals the devastation.

“By the green tree, Jesus represented Himself, the innocent Redeemer. God suffered His wrath against transgression to fall on His beloved Son. Jesus was to be crucified for the sins of men. What suffering, then, would the sinner bear who continued in sin? All the impenitent and unbelieving would know a sorrow and misery that language would fail to express.” The Desire of Ages, 743.