#15 – I See Men as Trees Walking – Box Tree
Mark 8:22-26
(TY200 – Lesson 15)
By Kathy L McFarland
7/21/2024
The Mysteries of Trees
Mark 8:22–26 (KJV 1900)
22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
TY200 – INTERPRETATION CONFIDENCE CHART
- Typology known as fully God’s Truth concerning trees walking as recorded in Mark 8:22-26 (Those specifically, typologically identified in Scripture)
- Trees in Scripture identify the different Spiritual Lives that are lived on this Earth
- Different parts of the trees walking with Christ are fully represented in Scripture as God’s Truth
- Tree – Spiritual Lives of forgiven followers walking with the Lord Jesus Christ and producing powerful fruits of His.
- Root – The foundation of a tree from firstfruit that is secured by a lump of clay that can grow and produce living works of fruit
- Leaves – The preparation that LORD God makes for the coming events of living works.
- Fruit – Living works of the LORD God, done through followers (Branch) of the Lord Jesus Christ (Vine) at the guidance of the Holy Spirit with the spiritual life of a walking tree.
- Seed – Word of God.
- The fruit of righteousness is a Tree of Life.
- Typology Known Confidently (Those represented in Scripture with enough frequency, sufficiency, and accuracy to reveal their typological meanings with full Truth of God unchallenged and supported by the Holy Spirit’s teachings)
- Almond Tree – The believer, as an almond tree, is a Christian leader, chosen by God, that watches over the works of Christians guided by the Lord, and the people he serves.
- Algum/Almug Tree – The Spiritual Life works that honors the LORD God and guides Believers to come closer to Him toward the beauty of His Holiness through the Lord Jesus Christ. Musical worship and high praise are often expressed through these types of Christian works.
- Apple Tree – A Spiritual Life that can comfort those that love God, regardless of their status of sin. These Spiritual works provide protection, sweetness of life; the Christians doing these works are often beloved amongst the worldly receivers. (Believers from the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Lutheran, Baptist, and Methodist Social Services, and other Missionary and denominational efforts to house the homeless, feed the hungry, and provide comfort in despair are excellent examples of this type of spiritual lives lived in duty toward their works for God.)
- Ash Tree – A Spiritual Life with a deceived heart, that stands among places of Christians and worships different false gods created by other human beings or self.
- Typology Known Probably (Knowledge of Scripture, God’s Way, Logic and common sense in the typological meaning can NOT be confirmed fully with the Word of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit)
- Bay Tree – Native spiritual life that develops naturally.
- Fake Bay Tree – Imitation spiritual life forced upon believers through powerful coercion, trickery, evil, or control.
- Box Tree – Spiritual life that stands in the midst of dryness. The location the Box Tree stands is empty of both worldly people and the flowing grace of the LORD God. Here stands the lonely Christian as a beacon for the uncommon seeker of God. Eventually, the Box Tree is combined with the other beautiful spiritual life souls that serve in the world and in the dry places and perform ministry guided by the Holy Spirit and coming together in the Sanctuary of the Lord. A possible identity of a Box Tree is a missionary that serves in extreme conditions with few common people, the lack of Christian presence and the lack of the movements of God.
- Typology NOT Known (Can NOT make even simple assumptions of the typological meaning because there is NOT enough frequency, sufficiency, or accuracy recorded in Scripture, and the Holy Spirit is NOT teaching deeper meaning)
Isaiah 41:19–20 (KJV 1900)
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, That the hand of the Lord hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
1. The locations in Scripture that are called wilderness, and the desert are two separate descriptions.
2. Wilderness has limited water within it. It is typologically representative of the “World” where the “Worldly” dwell.
3. Desert has no water. The Grace of the LORD God is not present. Common worldly life cannot survive.
4. The cedar tree, shittah tree, myrtle tree, and oil tree are planted in the wilderness.
5. The fir tree, pine tree, and box tree are planted in the desert.
6. It is the LORD God that created the wilderness and desert, and He created the trees and planted them according to their type.
7. Trees represent the spiritual lives of men. Each tree has its own particular characteristics.
Teachings from Kathy L McFarland
My honorable, godly, mature Christian students: I am going to touch briefly on the areas of Wilderness and Desert. We will go a bit deep, but we will by no means cover the topic fully. That study will come at a later date.
A good rule to follow concerning the lands that are mentioned in Scripture are to consider the amount of “running water” available in those locations. If there is no running water, then there is no Grace or Word of God adequately present. Now each location must be examined carefully, but generally this rule works in our study of Scripture.
Further, another good rule is if there are worldly trees (unholy spiritual lives) gathered together, or a grove of trees planted by worldly people (as if they are trying to hide from God), then He is not close to these peoples. His Grace and His Word are missing.
Both the wilderness and desert are dry places. The wilderness, often filled with secular trees, man-made groves or dry growing plants has some water, but very little. The deserts are dry as a bone, except possibly for the hidden oasis. While a little water is available in desert oases scattered within in secluded and far-away places, the mostly sandy ground cannot sustain common life.
We know Scripture mentions both places, the wilderness, and the desert. That Jesus Christ traveled to these dry places and did His ministry, as well as grew closer to the LORD God, gives us a great deal of deepness in our studies that we will examine in detail someday. Suffice to say, if the Lord Jesus Christ is present, so is the Grace of God with the Word of God, and these rules can be thrown out the window. Amen?
The Wilderness
Wilderness – 4497 I. מִדְבָּר (miḏꞏbār): n.masc.; ≡ Str 4057; TWOT 399k—1. LN 1.86–1.87 desert, wasteland, barren wilderness, i.e., a relatively large tract of sparsely inhabited land, or virtually empty of habitation, a place providing little or no sustenance (Isa 42:11; Job 24:5; Jer 2:31); 2. LN 1.86–1.87 open land, i.e., large tract of open country or steppe land that is suitable for grazing (Ps 65:13[EB 12]; Jer 23:10; Joel 1:19, 20)[1]
Mark 1:9–13 (KJV 1900)
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
8. Notice how there are numerous meanings for the Hebrew word of “wilderness.” It could mean sparsely inhabited land or an empty land. One that provides a little sustenance, or one that provides nothing. (For the most part, the writers of Scripture indicate through their descriptive words and settings whether it was a “wilderness” or a “desert” location; however, they also seem to interchange the words sometimes that makes it difficult for deep interpretation).
9. When you study Scripture deeply, it is important that you pay attention to location.
10. After the Baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness. It was NOT the desert. It was the wilderness.
11. Jesus was tempted of Satan for forty days inside the wilderness.
12. As a result of this incident, we know that Satan is in the wilderness.
13. We learn that “wild beasts” are in the wilderness”
14. We know that angels can come down into the wilderness to minister to Christ.
Psalm 29:8–9 (KJV 1900)
8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness;
The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,
And discovereth the forests: And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
Forest – 3623 I. יַעַר (yǎꞏʿǎr): n.masc.; ≡ Str 3264, 3293; TWOT 888, 889—1. LN 3.3 forest, woods, thicket, i.e., relatively large area that contains trees and brush (2Ki 2:24); 2. LN 1.95– 1.98 tree groves, i.e., a cultivated area of trees (SS 2:3), note: for another interp in Ps 29:9, see cj at 3627; for another interp in 1Sa 14:26, see 3624[2]
15. We understand that the voice of the LORD God can shake the wilderness
16. We learn that Kadesh is in the wilderness
17. Deer are in the wilderness, and the LORD God makes them reproduce
18. The LORD God discovers the forests in the wilderness.
19. That the LORD God “discovers” means that it is manmade. We know that even the worldly have “trees” for their spiritual lives that are unrighteous and against the LORD God. When they gather together in forests, they are establishing “groves” to hide from the LORD God.
Judges 3:7 (KJV 1900)
7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
20. And we know that in the groves, false gods are worshipped.
Teachings of Kathy L McFarland
Are you getting the picture that the Holy Spirit is revealing? There are so many discoveries to be made about the difference between types of locations. One day we will study them in great detail, and you will be astounded. Today, we study the depth a bit, and it should excite you for the upcoming reveals!
Remember, the LORD God plants the cedar tree, shittah tree, myrtle tree, and oil tree in the wilderness. When He plants those trees, He roots them in the ground so they will survive.
The worldly people plant their own trees in the forest wilderness in groves.
The Desert
Desert – 6858 II. עֲרָבָה (ʿǎrāꞏḇā(h)): n.fem. [see also 6858.5]; ≡ Str 6160; TWOT 1688d—LN 1.86– 1.87 desert-plateau, steppe, wasteland, i.e., a desert-land area (Nu 22:1), note: it can refer to many different areas עֲרָבָה (ʿǎrāꞏḇā(h)): n.pr. [served by 6858]; ≡ Str 6160; TWOT 1688d—LN 93-place Arabah: a specific area of biblical land, i.e., the Rift Valley from the Sea of Galilee to the Red Sea (Jos 12:1), note: for MT text in Ps 68:5[EB 4], see 6265; note: for NIV text in 2Sa 17:16, see 6302[3]
Isaiah 48:20–22 (KJV 1900)
20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans,
With a voice of singing declare ye, tell this,
Utter it even to the end of the earth;
Say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts:
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them:
He clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
21. The LORD God redeemed his servant Jacob
22. When Jacob led Israel through the deserts, the LORD God caused waters to flow out of a rock for them by cleaving the rock, and allowing the waters to gush out
23. The LORD God will not do that in the desert for the wicked; they will have no peace.
Luke 1:80 (KJV 1900)
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
24. John the Baptist was kept in the desert from the time of his birth until it came time for him to be shown to the Israelites. (Why? There are no groups of people in the desert that could know him).
Box Tree. KJV translation of a tree of uncertain identity in Isaiah 41:19 and 60:13, called “pine” in the RSV.[4],[5]
Box Tree (Pine, Elm , Cypress?) 9309 תְּאַשּׁוּר (teʾǎš∙šûr): n.fem.; ≡ Str 839, 8391; TWOT 183g— 1. LN 3.2–3.12 species of tree: (most versions) box tree; (Holladay, KB, NIV, NASB) cypress tree; (Tanakh) elm ; (RSV, NRSV, NAB) pine (Isa 41:19; 60:13+), note: Holladay, KB identify probably as acypress, Cupressus sempervirens; 2. LN 7.77–7.79 cypress wood, finished boards for boat deck (Eze 27:6 NIV+), note: see also domain LN 6.41–6.51; note: Eze 27:6 MT reads 892 or 898[6]
25. The Box Tree cannot be specifically defined through the sparse use of the name within Scripture.
Teachings of Kathy L McFarland
We will be able to describe location and make some informed conjectures of association. However, the lack of full disclosure of this type of tree makes it impossible to know the full spiritual character of this type of Believer in Christ. We will classify it under “Typology Known Probably.”
Now let’s contemplate and try to squeeze a bit more understanding of the Box Tree.
Isaiah 60:13–16 (KJV 1900)
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee,
The fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together,
To beautify the place of my sanctuary;
And I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee;
And all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet;
And they shall call thee, The city of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,
So that no man went through thee,
I will make thee an eternal excellency,
A joy of many generations.
16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles,
And shalt suck the breast of kings:
And thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour
And thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
26. The glory of Lebanon is the uniquely beautiful trees in the forests of Lebanon, especially the big cedars.
27. The cedar tree, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree are joined together. We know the cedar tree comes from the wilderness, and we know that fir tree, pine tree, and box tree come from the desert. And Scripture shows us that the wood from the cedar, fir, pine, and box come together for a very important purpose.
28. It should be noted that by Scripture NOT specifically naming the exact trees and instead declaring them as “the glory of Lebanon,” it might indicate that all the trees in the wilderness, such as shittah tree, myrtle tree, and oil tree, might be included. That would require a study of association in examining those trees with the construction of the sanctuary of God.
29. Regardless, our study is of the box tree, and we learn that when that desert tree is combined with the wilderness tree, it makes beautiful woods that bring beauty to the LORD God’s sanctuary. (I’ve included a bit more Scripture than we will work up today, so you can see everything in a bit of context; but we will not discuss this passage in depth).
The Box Tree is a spiritual life that stands in the midst of dryness. The location the Box Tree stands is empty of both worldly people and the flowing grace of the LORD God. Here stands the lonely Christian as a beacon for the uncommon seeker of God. Eventually, the Box Tree is combined with the other beautiful spiritual life souls that serve in the world and in the dry places and perform, coming together in the Sanctuary of the Lord. A possible identity of a Box Tree is a missionary that serves in extreme conditions with few common people, the lack of Christian presence and the lack of the movements of God.
Box Tree – Spiritual life that stands in the midst of dryness. The location the Box Tree stands is empty of both worldly people and the flowing grace of the LORD God. Here stands the lonely Christian as a beacon for the uncommon seeker of God. Eventually, the Box Tree is combined with the other beautiful spiritual life souls that serve in the world and in the dry places and perform ministry guided by the Holy Spirit and coming together in the Sanctuary of the Lord. A possible identity of a Box Tree is a missionary that serves in extreme conditions with few common people, the lack of Christian presence and the lack of the movements of God.
[1] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Box Tree,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 376.
[6] Swanson
