Job 14 New King James Version (NKJV)
“Man who is born of woman
Is of few days and full of trouble.
2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
3 And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
5 Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
6 Look away from him that he may rest,
Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
2 He comes forth like a flower and fades away;
He flees like a shadow and does not continue.
3 And do You open Your eyes on such a one,
And bring me to judgment with Yourself?
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
No one!
5 Since his days are determined,
The number of his months is with You;
You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.
6 Look away from him that he may rest,
Till like a hired man he finishes his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth,
And its stump may die in the ground,
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud
And bring forth branches like a plant.
Job continued this discourse, lamenting that even though there is "hope for a tree," it appeared that there was no hope for man. In fact he began this discourse in verse 1 pointing out that life is short and full of trouble. Of course, we know by reading the end of Job's story, that Job was delivered from his troubles and there is hope for man.
Pastor Burgess pointed out that "temporary trouble is only for permanent improvement!"
In this message that there are many commonalities between man and trees:
Both need oxygen.
Both can stand upright.
Both have circulation.
Both reproduce.
Both grow.
The main commonalities are what takes place under the surface: Trees are rooted and grounded under the surface of the earth. We are rooted and grounded in the things that are of God.
Pastor Burgess ended his sermon by pointing out that, The cross that Jesus died on came from a tree! Our healing came from a tree over 2000 years ago! Our salvation came from the cross!
Pastor Burgess is not a long-winded preacher. Knowing that people can only absorb but so much in one sitting, he encourgages the congregation to read more on their own at home. In my reading, I found more in God's word concerning how God does liken man to a tree. One of my favorite passages is from Psalms 1:
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Job, in Job 14:9, said that, "at the scent of water, a tree would bud and bring forth branches like a plant." What if our "water" is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God? Wouldn't we also bud and bring forth branches? Notice that Psalms 1:3 says "planted by the rivers of water." This indicates a deliberate planting. These are not trees just growing in the wild, they (we) are trees that are being nurtured! We're planted by rivers (plural) of water. Even if one source dried up, another would take its place!
David wrote in Psalms 52:8, " But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."
Psalsms 92: 12-14 tells us:
12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Psalms 92:13 says we are "planted in the house of the Lord," then we'll flourish outside in the courts!
The nurturing and the watering that we receive in the sanctuary will be evident when we're about our daily tasks.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us:
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear[b] when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear[b] when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
We don't have to fear when the pressures of life come against us and we don't have to be anxious in the years of drought. There is hope for a tree and there is hope for us!
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