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Around the country, today is Arbor Day. Arbor Day serves to remind us of the importance of planting trees in order to maintain the ecological health of our planet.
Was This the First Arbor Day?
While he wasn’t necessarily celebrating Arbor Day, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. Abraham had made a covenant of peace with a Philistine king by the name of Abimelech. After their covenant, a disagreement arose between some of Abimelech’s people and Abraham’s people concerning a well Abraham had dug. It’s a fascinating story you can read in Genesis 21:22-34.
After settling the dispute, the Bible tells us that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer Sheba and “called on the name of the Lord.” The place became a spiritual marker to which Abraham could return to remember God’s favor on his life.
The tamarisk tree served several purposes. First, it served as an identity marker. If there was ever any question about the well, all they had to do was point to the tamarisk tree. When Abraham planted the tree there, he staked his claim to the place.
Also, the tree served as a geographical marker in the area. You could tell someone to go down until they saw the tamarisk tree (a somewhat rare sight in the area) and follow directions form there.
But the tamarisk tree, when mature served a much more utilitarian purpose. During the evening hours, the tree would absorb the humid nighttime desert air and store the moisture in its leaves. Then, in the heat of the day, the moisture would seep out of those leaves. The condensation provided a cool shade in the desert heat. You could say this was God’s way of placing “air conditioning” in Beer Sheba.
The Catch to Abraham’s Arbor Day
The tree fulfilled the first two purposes from the moment Abraham planted it. The air conditioning purpose, however, only occurred when the tree matured. A tamarisk tree matured slowly, often taking two or three generations to fully mature.
Abraham was already more than 100 years old (Genesis 21:5) when he planted the tamarisk tree. He was 175 when he died. The tree was probably just beginning to reach maturity when Abraham died. Abraham planted the tree, but did not enjoy its benefit. Abraham did not plant the tree for himself; He planted it for future generations.
A Spiritual Arbor Day
I am 58 years old as of this writing. If I plant a tree today, I will probably never sit beneath its shade. But that shouldn’t stop me from planting trees. If I plant a tree today, it will be for my daughter and grandchildren to enjoy. If we don’t plant trees in our prime, our kids and their kids may not enjoy the shade.
But let me give you something more important to consider. What kind of spiritual trees are you planting for the next generation?
How are you investing spiritually in the next generation? We have a choice. Are we going to “have it our way”? Or are we going to love and reach the next generation? It’s not about me and my preferences and wants. It’s about passing the faith along to those coming behind me.
Let me challenge you to start today investing spiritually in the next generation. Start planting spiritual trees that will serve them well in their maturing years. The generation before us did the same for us. How can we not do it for our children and grandchildren?
Click here to read a past post, The Biggest Challenge for the Next Generation
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Today’s blog is the result of challenging teaching I received from Andy Cook of Experience Israel Now. Let me encourage you to watch the video below as he discusses Abraham’s tamarisk tree. Also, click here to look around the EIN website for more great teaching from the Land of the Bible.