🌳Tree🪾

 Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.

World War 1 a man named Alfred Joyce Kilmer many may have never heard of his name. He was killed by a sniper's bullet in France on July 30 1918. He was an American writer and poet remembered for his poem “Trees.” You may have just heard someone quote the last sentence like I have which reads; “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.” Is that a true statement? This put my tin cup mind to thinking. First I looked up how many times the word tree is mentioned in the KJV Bible and found it to be mentioned 201 times. Then I looked up the first time it was mentioned. It didn’t take long Genesis 1:11 (KJV) And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

If you were to start reading the benefits that trees provide you would be amazed.  The first mention we see that God made to produce fruit after his kind. So there was a purpose and that was to produce fruit.  

Genesis 2:16 (KJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

There were 2 trees that were specified: the tree of life and the tree of good and evil. Yet there was only one tree God told Adam not to eat. 

Genesis 2:17 (KJV) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Two trees, one choice. The choice being the tree of life. Oh but like the sign that reads “wet paint do not touch” we do what? Touch to see if the sign was telling the truth. So did Adam and Eve and just like the one who touched the wet paint now has paint on their finger. God said “DON’T EAT!” Adam and Eve did the same but it’s not paint on their fingers it is now death in their lives. Warnings on tobacco "SMOKING CAUSES LUNG CANCER.” Don’t be surprised if you smoke and end up with lung cancer. For you were warned. Now you may not but there is a possibility that you might get lung cancer. Now this tree of good and evil there was no, maybe you might die no, God said if you eat you die! Guest what? The human race is still dying. What God said about dying was not just physical death because Adam and Eve didn’t drop dead. What happened then? Everything was fine up to the point of eating the fruit that God said don’t eat. When Adam and Eve took their first bit things immediately changed. 

Genesis 3:7 (KJV) And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

They went into hiding. It happened just the way God said they both died. Fellowship and relationship with God were gone, they did not want to see God nor talk with God. They were no longer looking for God now God was looking for them. Why? Their spirit died that day, that moment. For the Bible says “the eyes of them both were opened.” They got what they wanted but they didn’t want what they got. That is why we don’t see the need to read the Bible, that is why we say we don’t understand it. That is why we don’t pray. That is why we don’t go to Sunday School. That is why we don’t go to Church. We are still hiding from God among the trees. Just like Adam and Eve, God knows where we are. God has given us the same opportunity as He gave Adam and Eve “Where art thou?”

 Genesis 3:9 (KJV) And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Adam said he heard the voice of God and the reason for his hiding was he wasn’t dressed appropriately.

Genesis 3:10 (KJV) And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Oh, I see said God and why do you think you aren’t dressed appropriately? Have you done what I told you not to do? Genesis 3:11 (KJV) And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

Adam teaches us all how to respond to a question that we are guilty of. Well yes Lord I did but it wasn’t all my fault this woman that You gave me it’s her fault this all happened.

Genesis 3:12 (KJV) And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

Now God turns to Eve and says, is this true? Eve said wait Lord it was the serpent's fault he tricked me into eating it.

Genesis 3:13 (KJV) And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Then God said to the serpent  because you have done this I will curse you.

Genesis 3:14 (KJV) And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Well at this point it appears that the culprit got what was coming to him. Adam and Eve must have felt a sigh of relief at this point😓Adam and Eve were thankful they told the truth and the serpent got what was coming to him. Temptation is our enemy and always works against us. When temptation comes and we part take of it it’s not the temptations fault we failed it’s ours. Adam and Eve both were punished for their actions in disobeying God.

Unto Eve Genesis 3:16 (KJV) Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Unto Adam Genesis 3:17 (KJV) And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Then life changed as Adam and Eve had known it Welcome to the non garden world. 

Genesis 3:24 (KJV) So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.