Publisher description:
“The Bible talks about trees more than any living creation other than people. Perhaps you’ve missed the forest…and the trees.”
“In this groundbreaking walk through Scripture, former physician and carpenter Dr. Matthew Sleeth makes the convincing case why trees are essential to every Christian’s understanding of God.
Yet we’ve mostly missed how God has chosen to tell His story–and ours–through the lens of trees. There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis and the last page of Revelation. The Bible refers to its wisdom as a Tree of Life (Proverbs 3:18). Every major Biblical character has a tree associated with them. Jesus himself says he is the true vine (John 15:1). A tree was used to kill Jesus–and a tree is the only thing the Messiah ever harmed.
This is no accident. When we subtract trees from Scripture, we miss lessons of faith necessary for our growth.
This is the rare book that connects those who love the Creator with creation, and those who love creation with the Creator. It offers inspirational yet practical ways to express our love for God–and our neighbors–by planting spiritual trees and physical trees in the world.
Join Dr. Sleeth as he navigates the Bible’s trail of trees to explore the wonders of life, death, and rebirth. You’ll be amazed at how science is just beginning to catch up to the truths described in Scripture thousands of years ago. Once you discover the hidden language of trees, your walk through the woods–and through Scripture–will never be the same.”
My review:
“There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis and on the last page of Revelation. The Bible refers to itself as a tree of life. (Proverbs 3:18). All major Biblical characters have trees associated with them.” (Quote from back cover of book.)
This is one of the most unusual Bible devotional books that I’ve ever read. I knew that the Bible mentioned trees in many places, but until I read this book, I had never really considered the how those references could have an impact in a deeper understanding of God’s Word. There’s so much rich detail that Dr. Sleeth shares in this book. He writes in a very readable and relatable style, and I was amazed at the way that he tied everything together. My favorite part of the book was the last section, “The Fruit of the Tree: The Messiah Tree; Christ, The True Vine; Christ and the Cross; Christ the Tree of Life.” I’m glad that the author shared the lessons of faith that we can learn from the study of trees in the Bible.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.