“And king Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spoke of trees…And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.” 1 Kings 4:32-34
Our spiritual ancestors of every culture were taught to respect and honor the earth. All the inhabitants of the planet were realized to be an extension of the Being we call God, the Creator. Since everything that grew from the planet was realized and known as such; that meant that everything on the planet is related to humans and it sacred. Nothing was taken unless it was necessary and then it was taken with thanksgiving and full acknowledgement of the consciousness within it. Animals were not killed for sports or trophies, they were killed with dignity in full awareness that it would be extended and become a part of a higher life form.
Our spiritual ancestors understood the mysteries of trees; they have personality and intelligence. Trees were often used as a metaphor for humans.
“You shall be like the tree planted by the river…” Psalms 1:3
“I saw men walking like trees.” Mark 8:24
What did king Solomon know about trees that caused dignitaries to travel for days to hear his talk about trees? Was there also a mystery about trees that Solomon could not figure out?
3500 years ago when Israel came out of Egypt into the Wilderness, they had no place to live; so they built huts or booths to live in. These Booths (sukkas) were made of specific trees. There is nothing done by coincidence in the Bible, everything written is shrouded in multiple layers of mysteries. Some of the ancient Rabbis believed that for every verse of the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible) there are 7000 levels of understanding or interpretations. So when we read about Yahweh instructing the people to use specific trees, we know there are much more deeper meanings behind it. “Deep calls unto deep.”
“And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths.” Leviticus 23:40-42 KJV
In the above scripture, the people were instructed to use (4) species of trees. Later, during the return out of Babylonian captivity in the days of Nehemiah and Ezra, they used (5). We wont discuss that mystery at this time. Nehemiah 8. Here are the 4 types of trees used.
Fruit (Hebrew word is per’iy) to be fruitful, produce offspring. In the Leviticus 23 verse, the English used for fruit tree is “boughs”. (It was and yet is customary to use citrus fruit branches).
Myrtle (Hebrew word is ha’dar) means an ornament, splendor, glory; beauty. The word “ha’dar” is where the name Hadassah comes from. Hadassah is the name of Queen Esther before she became queen in the Book of Esther. Myrtle tree or shrub is an evergreen. The branches were used to prepare the Bridegroom’s wreath in a marriage ceremony. The Myrtle wreath was also used to adorn the hoary head of elderly men.
Palm (Hebrew word is ta’mar) means palm tree, date palm; to be erect, a post. Tamar was the twice daughter in law of Judah, as well as the mother of his twin sons, Zerah and Pharez. Genesis 38 About 400 years later, Tamar, a descendant of Pharez was also the name of a rape victim. She was raped by her half brother Amnon; both were the son and daughter of David. 2 Samuel 13 (Karma can be a b*@*h if you don’t break the cycle). Deborah, the only recorded female judge over Israel, sat under the Palm tree (ta’mar) and prophesied all day.
Willow (Hebrew word is a’rab)the root words means, to pledge, exchange, barter; engage, give as a surety. The Willow tree is a symbol of grief and mourning. (There are so many messages in the trees – but we must stick with the basics here at this time).
4 TYPES OF PEOPLE (Trees) IN THE UNIVERSAL BODY OF CHRIST
The current tradition of Judaism teaches that king Solomon was mystified, when it came to understanding the complete mystery of the 4 types of trees and what they represented. Here is the scripture they used to support their belief. “Four I do not understand.” Proverbs 30:18 What is it about the 4 species, or was it really the mystery of the empty chair? What empty chair?
In the past, when we hosted or was invited to speak at a Feast of Tabernacles Conference; the crowd was really blessed by some teaching illustrations. We will try to share some of it here, but you will have to use your imagination. Let’s take a walk through the forest and choose the trees we will use to build the Booths. As we take each branch we will identify their personality, I am sure you will find yourself. (By the way, did you realize trees have a Zodiac sign as humans do? We wont talk about that, just wanted to pique your interest).
(1) WILLOW – A Willow tree has no smell and no taste. It is lush, green and beautiful- but has nothing to offer that brings life to others. These are the people who have had an experience with the Christ and tasted spirituality. But there is a problem: They have NO GOOD DEEDS & NO UNDERSTANDING of what or how to put their spirituality into practice. No smell and no taste. They are easily depressed, gloomy and critical of others. They wrestle with SIN CONSCIOUSNESS and are overly concerned with negativity, demons or what others may or may not be doing. Yes, they are there by the brook, all green and pretty asking the same questions, but not putting nothing into practice. They have not yet learned who they are and the blessing of giving and sharing with others. They are Selfish, consumed with thoughts about themselves and their needs.
(2) MYRTLE –A Myrtle tree smells good but has no taste. It is an evergreen and offers its branches to be used as wreaths and other ornaments. These are the people who have had an experience with Christ and tasted spirituality. They are filled with GOOD DEEDS but NO UNDERSTANDING or I should say little/basic understanding of spiritual practices, realities and the Word. These people will give you the clothes off their back if necessary and they are always busy being Martha’s (religious works). That’s great! (Sadly, too many have come to the kingdom to do nothing and call it resting in Him – Willows). However, with the Myrtle personality, it is easy to become SELF RIGHTEOUS. They easily become out of balance, thinking to work their way into the Kingdom of heaven or gain status by good deeds alone. Those Good Deeds MUST be balanced with UNDERSTANDING and eventually Overstanding. Myrtle, keep up the good works; giving of yourself, time, and resources. All the good that you do will definitely come back to you many times over. But don’t forget, it is by grace through Faith.
(3) PALM – A Date Palm taste good but has little to no smell It is very tall, deeply rooted and strong. It bends over in the storms, but eventually stands erect again. These are those who have had a Christ encounter and tasted spirituality. The are filled with KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING of spirituality, but they have NO SMELL (deeds) They will quote you scriptures all day, quote all the New Age gurus and other religious leaders. They have an answer for everything, or at least think they do. They are always seeking the newest revelation to accumulate. They are the teachers, preachers, spiritual guides, coaches; they have read all the latest books. PRIDE is their weakness, they are often silently and vocally judging others or comparing others to themselves. Their doctrinal knowledge and experience are superior to others, in their mind. They are the only ones with a direct line to God. They have not evolved to the point of actually helping others, the only help they feel to provide is “spiritual help”. That amounts to giving you a sermon and telling you what you should be doing. Or, belittling others for finding themselves in a material crisis. After all, don’t you have Faith?! The words from their lips taste good but they lack the most important things; love and application.
(4) FRUIT – The Fruit Tree has a GOOD TASTE & GOOD SMELL. It is not always as lush, it is not an evergreen and doesn’t grow extremely tall. These are those that have had a Christ encounter and experienced spirituality. They have KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING of spiritual things and they are actively doing GOOD DEEDS. They do not use their knowledge to beat others down or as a weapon for legalism. They are busying enlightening, empowering, and uplifting others with revelation, inspiration, and information. They are teachers, preachers, mystics, encouragers and poets. They do not limit the Great Spirit to a specific brand of religion or belief system. They acknowledge God in ALL as ALL, they are ALL Inclusive. Because of their true heart knowledge, in contrast to head knowledge; Good Deeds follow them and abundance. Their most powerful message is not the words they speak, scriptures they quote or knowledge of the latest science. It is their LIFEstyle, the way they arrange and shape their life. It is laid down and lived for others. “You shall know them by their fruit.”
Why did the Creator choose these (4) trees to be used to build the Tabernacle/Booths? This would be something that represent God living in humans? Could it not have been with only branches from the tasty, aroma fruit trees? NO!!
Imagine this: (4) people each representing a tree. The Willow is weak, easily sadden and feels God is always punishing him or somebody. Standing alone, challenges can easily push it over. Myrtle is so busy helping everybody, she has no time to get refreshed by His Presence. Standing alone, she will get burnt out easily and fall over. The Palm is tall and looking down on everyone, people get intimidated and don’t want to be around him. Standing alone, he will die also. The Fruit tree needs others, it has so much to offer, otherwise, it will stop producing. The challenges of life will come to test each one.
Visualize this: (4) branches/people with their arms wrapped together, arm in arm, a 4-fold cord that can not be broken. The challenges of life can not push them over. So it is with the (4) that become as one to make the Tabernacle (Sukkot). The Smell and essence of the Fruit is smeared onto the Palm, Willow and Myrtle, the Myrtle onto the Willow and Palm; and so on. It takes the (4) species to make the tabernacle. We need each others, the Christ in you will perfect what is lacking in me.
MYSTERY OF THE CHAIRS
During the 8 days of the Feast of Tabernacles – Sukkot, it became customary to sit a chair in the Booth. A holy guest (angel-spirit) is expected to visit each night. This gets into the mystical side of Sukkots, which is very powerful. It is believed that 7 of the patriarchs or prophets would visit and appear.
The branches of the trees are laid in the empty chair that sits inside the Booth.
1st night 1 Myrtle branch for Abraham
2nd night 1 Myrtle branch for Isaac
3rd night 1 Myrtle branch for Jacob
4th night 1 Willow branch for Moses
5th night 1 Willow branch for Aaron
6th night 1 Palm branch for Joseph
7th night 1 Fruit branch for David
8th night the chair was left empty. Why?
According to tradition, this mystical ritual even confused Solomon. The 8th day of the Feast is called the Great Day. There was and is no need to put a branch of a tree in the sukkah. WHY?! Because the Tree of Life has come to his Temple/Tabernacle. The Tree of Life that Solomon and the mystics could not figure out is none other than Jesus the Christ.
Part 1 of this Mystical Teaching on the Feast of Tabernacles can be found here: http://atam.org/mystical-feast-of-tabernacles-part-1/
Order of Melchizedek
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