TREES of the BIBLE - a Spiritual Journey
This book will take a unique look at the significance of many popular trees in Scripture. Unlike anything you've ever read, each tree tells a story as revealed in the pages of God's Word.
(Excerpt below)
JUNIPER
Juniper - Retama raetam
Hebrew: Rothem
"And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba... he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom (juniper) tree..." I Kings 19:3-4
"...Then she departed and wandered in the WIlderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs". Genesis 21:14-15
In the wilderness of Judea, there are various shrubs - one of which is the flowering broom of the desert - which is translated into English as juniper. Throughout the Sinai Peninsula and into Arabia, the broom (or juniper) has for centuries provided welcome shade for many travelers. This plant has delicate blossoms in pea-like branches.
When Elijah fled from wicked queen Jezebel into the desert, he took refuge under the broom tree (juniper). Shade was a scarce commodity in the scorching heat of the wilderness, and the broom tree cast enough shade to allow him to rest, to pray and to sleep. His prayer was a reflection of his self-pity and forlorn attitude regarding his service to GOD. "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life..." he muttered. (I King 19:4) He was shaded from the natural heat - but the "spiritual heat" of God's chastisement...
