Cut Down The Bad Tree
Throughout these recent years the Lord has brought me many parabolic insights, issues important to Him, but revealed in His language-within-a-language literary art form. This is a style of understanding we will learn in the study series. Along with several peripheral witnesses, this particular example was also directly witnessed by another future disciple, though without eyes of understanding at the time of the incident.
Anyway, as a treat in return for the kindnesses some friends had done for me after my stroke, I was meeting them for some food. The restaurant was located in a nearby shopping center, and we arrived a little later than our other friends, who were already waiting inside. Finding a stall, I began backing into it. By way of understanding, the customary manner for locals parking is often to back into the stall. I had found that this works well because of the way the front end turning wheels work when backing in, as well as avoiding backing out into low visibility traffic and unknown pedestrian circumstances, when leaving. But regardless, it is just what they commonly do here, in Hawaii.
Little did I know, though, a palm tree had been planted at that stall, with a severe slant into the end of the stall. Many times landscapers plant decorative palms with a slant, to add eye appeal to the trees. But, this tree cut deeply into the space of that stall; and I did not notice just how much so, because as I backed in, the brilliant sun was blinding my sight from behind the tree. Though I was moving quite slowly, my truck tailgate hit the severely leaning tree, creasing an ugly dent into it. As I got out to investigate the incident, a shop owner was standing outside her store, having a smoke; she saw the whole thing, and voluntarily noted that it was the third one that day.
I was astounded, and inquired further of the lady, only to find out that it goes on day after day. I asked her why the landlord didn’t cut down the tree if it was causing so many damages to their patrons? She shrugged her shoulders as she took another drag from her cigarette, and then crushed it out, underfoot. But, then she pointed out the nearby door to the management office, and suggested I could speak with them when their office opened. I thanked the lady, and jotted down the office hours, before we headed into the restaurant to join our other friends.
Sorrowed over the damages to my new truck, our friends also were surprised at what the shop owner had revealed. Along with my companion and myself, they wondered aloud how the landlord could simply ignore such a tree if what the lady had said was true, about how many others were similarly suffering such terrible losses. Needless to say, I was already taking notes, considering all the spiritual angles to this incident, and knowing all too well that my Lord is fully Sovereign: this was certainly no coincidental accident. All my money and other material possessions, and even my own flesh and bone, are all at His disposal, to make whatever points He wishes to make. In fact, having made personal vows long before, I fully remembered my own acknowledgment and agreement, that my everything is actually His possession, not my own; it is truly a reality check, even if I had not also agreed with it. Even so, and for the record, as I took the notes while my friends all chatted, I gladly acknowledged this truth within myself, and freely agreed with it yet again, considering it my duty, an honor, and even my privilege.
The next morning I arrived at the property management offices, while I was preparing my heart to handle the entire issue quite carefully. Prior experiences had taught me not to emotionally react, especially since I already knew such scenarios most often included tests and “trip stones.” I also had already been throughly trained in the attitudes of most landowners and businessmen. The growing concern for most of them in this modern age centers around the concept of liability: they do not want to be held liable for much of anything, lest they loose substantial money over it. In general, most business people are almost reasonable about their concerns for their neighbors; yet they also have become hardened over the many lawsuits, and other abuses by greedy people, in all directions, in our money oriented society. There was little confusion in my mind that most of these people merely go through the motions of loving their neighbors, especially those who aren’t really friends. They want your business, so they are sure to watch the impression they make in this area; but there is seldom any true love for our fellow man, to be truly concerned for his welfare. Among other things, in our world we have become lovers of self, lovers of money; and because of lawless abuses, our love has truly grown cold, just as the Lord prophesied:
Matt 24:12
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. NKJV™
Yet, as I pondered all this in preparation for the encounter, I knew I must allow the entire situation to unfold as these people I was preparing to deal with wanted to have it go, without my own influence. In many such scenarios, the ‘rights’ of litigations can be at our fingertips; but this is most often not God’s way. Instead, He asks me to witness what people choose freely, not forced, not even pressured subtly. This is the same concept that is part of the foundation behind this statement, which the Lord made:
Matt 5:38-42
38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. NKJV™
It was important to come into that office without a preconceived fight attitude, no matter how unjust I considered this situation to be. I also recognized that I often make errors, and later come to see that I was not perfectly correct. For these reasons too, I knew it was necessary for me to pause my own reactionary emotions, and let the situation take it’s course. Yet, I was not surprised at all as the manager immediately took an offensive stand in the policies of their company and operations, blaming me for backing into the stall. He even suggested that they should make it illegal to do so, because of such problems associated with the practice, attempting to make me appear to be the violator. He said this even though clearly knowing how many people in Hawaii automatically back in; and he obviously was aware that a large number of patrons to that shopping center were suffering damages from that tree, which had been planted wrong from the outset.
The tone of the conversation left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I was able to hold my tongue. I knew by his adamant attitude that any further efforts on my part would prove to be vain, unless I chose to step across those boundaries which the Lord had already trained me in. Yet my truck now was damaged with an ugly dent; and there was no doubt in my mind that these landlords had faced down this scenario repeatedly with callous hearts, as patron after patron damaged their vehicles in that stall. Why didn’t they just cut down the injurious tree? It surely didn’t have that much value; one dent alone might be more costly than that palm; and daily costs from the many accidents argued this point with a rising chorus.
As I pondered all this before the Lord I could easily see that this was His truck, and thus His loss suffered. This understanding did not cause me to want to charge forward as a vengeful servant, championing His concerns. Quite the opposite: I was very cautious in my heart, knowing He was making a point, and that my success or failure in this entire affair balanced upon my willingness to do things His way, by His rules; and I knew His eye was acutely on me [a very comforting thought, yet also calling for my best, always]. This was surely something He wanted me to personally witness, as He prepares His case with all of mankind:
Isa 45:7
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.' NKJV™
The whole thing bordered on the surreal: though this is so often the way of our modern world, how could any business even survive with such callous disregard of the interests their patrons? And what was the big deal to cut down one simple palm, when it was obvious that the very next day there would again be more grave injuries incurred? Stop the injuries now, before more damages could be done to even one more person. Could it be that any appearance of due diligence might convey actual guilt, and thus true liability? All I knew was that in the days following, with several check-ins, I noted that the tree still stood, violating countless others who just happened to come into it’s shadow, unaware of it’s slant on things.
Then the Lord brought His point to me: there is another ‘tree’ just like this one. Over many, many years damages of untold costs had come from the “slant” of that tree; yet the tree still stands. This tree should have been cut down long ago, except for the callous disregard of the “landlords,” and our spiritual blindness to it all. And then the Lord reminded me of a few of the many passages applying to this issue:
Matt 7:15-20
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. NKJV™
John 10:11-13
11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. NKJV™
Judg 16:21
21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. NKJV™
Dan 5:1-4
Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. NKJV™
Gen 2:9
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. NKJV™
We have always had the freedom of choice; it is just about the only thing we do still possess. But, we chose the other tree, so long ago in the Garden, and each day since. We cannot see this spiritual condition, that this remains so to this day, even though our eyes can clearly see the shame and destruction all around us in our lives: we can plainly see those ugly “dents.” And, it was not like we weren’t told:
John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV™
When and if we ever wake up from this nightmare, which we think of as daily life [though it truly is a death march], we will still retain that one right, to make that choice [see the “Vow Study”]:
Deut 30:19-20
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." NKJV™
We will end up cutting down this tree which has caused so much damage. Yet, unlike times in our past, when we did so with weapons of war, man killing man as yet another service to Satan himself, we must use spiritual weapons:
2 Cor 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. NKJV™
Isa 56:7
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." NKJV™
What to do is all laid out in the Word of God; and we will do it all through prayer. All that remains is to have our eyes opened, and to submit to God’s plan for us this day, as set forth in His Word. These immersion studies, which He has provided in accordance with His promises set forth long ago in Scriptures, will help us to correctly understand the light of the Word of God, exposing darkness for what it truly is, while guiding our feet in the way we must go:
Ps 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. NKJV™
John 14:23-24
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. NKJV™
John 1:5
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. NKJV™
Judg 16:30
30 Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. NKJV™
Heb 7:25
25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. NKJV™
John 8:10-11
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." NKJV™
Heb 4:6-11
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said:
"Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts."
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. NKJV™
Isa 1:18-20
18 "Come now, and let us reason together,"
Says the Lord,
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword";
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. NKJV™
This day is not about our sins [see also “Sin Not Real Issue”]; God well knows each and every one of our failings. But the fear of judgment for our sins is the weapon Satan has used to hold us in prison all these years, to keep us in the dark about this choice we now are being offered, in this day of profound kindness from our Lord. Fear of judgment is that “giant Goliath,” and all God’s people together are unwilling to face his great sword. But, we have lost sight of this truth: God is more than able to help us deal with our sins; and He is now willing to do so. The atonement for our sins was already paid long ago, when Jesus willingly laid down His life for His people [any and all who will come to His kind offer], in preparation for this day we now face. Therefore, the axe is now in our hand, for the first time since the Garden of Eden*: the axe is that choice.
* [the exception is portrayed prophetically as the 2 ˝ tribes on the other side of the Jordan (Josh 14:3), an involved study, covered in The Promise Of The Resurrected Word study series]
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