The Tamarisk Tree – Ken Barnes
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33 NLT)Abraham planted a tree, but not just any tree. It was a tamarisk tree. Abraham was making a statement of faith. He would never sit under the shade of this tree, but future generations would because of his great faith.
Faith is seeing past what we can observe with our natural eyes. He never owned one acre of the Promised Land, save the burial plot for his family, yet by faith he did possess the land. Based on God’s promise to him, he saw it as being done.
In the Middle East, the tamarisk tree was a very slow growing. You never planted it to benefit yourself, but those who would come after you. In the Bible, honor was expressed by passing the blessing from one generation to another. Abraham was blessed through the promise of his son Isaac. David praised God when he was told that his son Solomon was to build the Temple and not him. He saw it as God blessing him through future generations.
This process of extending the truth and the blessing from one generation to another goes on today. It may be through your natural descendants, or spiritual offspring like Timothy was to the Apostle Paul. Like Abraham, we must plant our own tamarisk tree, by doing things for the Lord that may not benefit us directly, but will profit those who come after us. When told he could not build the Temple, David went about collecting materials so his son could complete it.
Planting your tamarisk tree will provide shade for future generations and will bring the ultimate blessing, world evangelization and the return of King Jesus.
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