Musing/Insight #1 – Tree of Life (Arbole de Vida)

 

Hebraic Musing/Insight #1 – Tree of Life  (Arbole de Vida)

Re-edited reprint of the first of the weekly Hebraic Insights/Musings from January 2009

Both Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:1–2 have interesting and allegorical significance that requires some Hebraic insight to fully appreciate.  What does this mean?  “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”  Rev.22:1-2 NIV

I have been viewing that last sentence in isolation. It simply mentions a tree in heaven that had leaves with healing power. I assumed that the Tree of Life Missions team* adopted that reference because their vision and purpose was to heal the nation of Honduras.

But how can a tree be on 'each side of the river'?  Applying Hebraic thought and imagery to the combined verses (1 & 2) we have a picture of a Torah Scroll found in every Synagogue which every Jew would recognize.  The two dowels, one on each side of the Torah scroll, are called Eitz Chayim (Trees of Life). Opening the scroll reveals the pages of parchment (the pages are referred to as leaves) between the trees upon which the Torah (or Pentateuch in Greek) is written.

God’s written word on those pages is truth, which in Hebrew is symbolized by water.  The Hebrew letter MEM is a symbol of water and represents truth and truth is flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb; and that truth is found in the Torah, the Pentateuch, the first five books of our Bible.

God teaches truths to His people, and those truths are words of life.  And if those words are accepted, applied, and written on people’s hearts, then a nation will be healed, whether it is Israel or Honduras or your nation.

You may want to read Revelation 22:1–2 again with appreciation of these Hebraic Insights, or symbolism.

Note the similarity to the visions of the temple that Ezekiel recorded in chapter 47!  “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezek.47:12 NIV

Point to Ponder

Can we fully appreciate the OT & NT without knowing Hebraic symbolism?

Does an understanding of the Hebrew symbolism preach?

What does it take to heal a nation?

Where does “Truth” come from?

Simchat Torah! (Joy of the Torah!)

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   Re-edited May 24, 2022

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”   Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com

*  This teaching/learning came in a Torah Study while I was wearing my Honduras missionary shirt emblazoned with “Tree of Life Ministries” and with “Rev. 22:2” on the collar.  The shirt came from a mission work in Honduras called “Arbole de Vida” (in Español) where my son was ministering at a school called Plan Escalon (Plan to escalate/elevate the students and thereby the nation of Honduras).