The Terebinth Tree

Which Was In Ophrah

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Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
[Judges 6:11 NKJV]
And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am
[1Kings 13:14 KJV]

Tree near Dervaig, Isle of Mull

There are many references to the Terebinth tree, or the oak , or indeed other tree types. The fact is that they all come from the same word meaning a strong or mighty tree; a strong or mighty man.

And when any messenger of God appears it is usually under the covering of a strong tree. Trees have many connotations in Scripture but always refer to persons; and thus we find Jesus entering Jerusalem ...

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”
[John 12:12-13 NKJV]

In this case it is a Palm tree, because palm trees in the middle east represented kingship, so we can see that trees represent character - and a strong tree shows a strong man - strength of character.

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
[Isaiah 61:3 NKJV]

The terebinth tree is the Lord’s strength; His righteousness and power even. Let us rejoice in His steady and unwavering hand that can be relied upon no matter what. He is the tree that can never be shaken. So when God speaks to one who is to be called into His purpose, it is only right the His message should come from the protective shade of a strong tree ... or a burning bush.

For a parting thought, It is perhaps worth noting that in our quote from Judges 6, that the Terebinth tree was in Ophrah, which means a female fawn, an animal sure-footed and living in the high places.

Lord, give us the attributes of the deer. Let us seek to live on the higher ground, knowing our way in Your kingdom and desiring to keep our minds in that better place; the place where Your Spirit rules. Let us indeed be ‘trees of righteousness’.

“Tree” - Justin Rizzo

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OSWALD CHAMBERS - RUN TODAY’S RACE
Saturday 30th May 2020
Beware of interpreting scripture in order to make it suit a pretty-arranged doctrine of your own.

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