God’s Gift of Trees

Genesis 1:11 makes a big statement: “And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’” Bam! On day three of creation week, trees came out of nowhere.

Because maples, oaks, willows, birches, palms, pines, and other trees are so common, it’s easy to overlook them.

But stop and think about Genesis 1. Step by step, God thoughtfully prepared a home for us. To create a planet where we could survive, he made oceans, dry land, plants, and animals. Trees are an important ingredient in his plan. The next time you sit in the shade of a sycamore tree, pour maple syrup on your pancakes, or write in your notebook with a pencil, let these everyday actions remind you to thank and praise the Creator of trees.

Did You Know?

The world’s tallest tree, a giant sequoia named General Sherman, is almost 275 feet tall—that’s about the size of a 25-story building.

All-Purpose Protection

Trees help protect us and our property. Tree roots help protect the ground from being eroded (worn away) by wind or water. Leaves help filter pollutants (harmful chemicals) from the air, and tree roots help filter pollutants from our water. In the winter, we can build fires with wood to help keep warm. And on hot summer days, isn’t it nice to cool off in the shade of a big tree? Trees also shade houses and help keep them cool, so your parents pay less for air conditioning.

Health Helpers

Did you just take a breath? Tree leaves turn carbon dioxide (a gas) into life-giving oxygen, the air that people and animals breathe. We also get ingredients from trees to make medicines that help take away aches and pains, heal wounds, and more. For example, the aspirin you take when you have a headache was invented thanks to an ingredient in willow trees.

Tasty Treats

Without trees, there would be no apples, cherries, oranges, lemons, apricots, peaches, pears, grapefruits, mangoes, pomegranates, avocadoes, figs, olives, or dates—just to name a few! And we wouldn’t have walnuts, pecans, or almonds either. No chocolate candy. No maple syrup. No coconut cream pies. Without trees, our food menu wouldn’t be nearly as tasty.

Tools from Trees

Trees provide handles for hammers, axes, saws, and other tools. They give us tiny toothpicks and tall telephone poles. Wood is used to create tables, chairs, desks, hockey sticks, and musical instruments such as pianos, violins, and guitars.

Most paper comes from trees. In the mid-1800s, paper mills (buildings with machines that make paper products) switched from making paper with fibers (thread) from cotton rags to fibers from wood. This new process lowered the price of paper, which meant books and newspapers were cheaper. Thanks to fibers from trees, more people could read. Trees helped knowledge spread like never before!

No Place Like Home

Trees provide habitats and homes for animals like owls, squirrels, sloths, tree frogs, and orangutans. But throughout history, trees have also supplied handy resources for people to build homes. We have used wood from trees to build shelters, huts, log cabins, cottages, forts, and palaces. Today, many homes use metal, glass, plastics, and other materials. But when you peel away the wall or crawl into your attic, you’ll most likely find wooden two-by-fours and plywood from trees.

Making History

Trees have played starring roles in some famous events. In fact, God used trees to preserve life during the worldwide flood of Genesis 6–8 when he commanded Noah to build the ark from gopher wood. When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he ordered cedars of Lebanon from the king of Tyre (1 Kings 5). And think about all the ships, boats, and wagons that have carried explorers and pioneers to new lands throughout history.

Did You Know?

God told Noah to build an ark out of gopher wood. We aren’t sure what kind of tree gopher wood came from. It might have been a tree that no longer exists.

The Most Important Trees

In the garden of Eden, God told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Adam and Eve could admire its beauty. They could even climb it as long as they didn’t eat the fruit. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed and ate the fruit, they immediately suffered spiritual death, ending the perfect relationship they once enjoyed with God. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we are separated from God too.

But God didn’t abandon us. He sent his son, Jesus, who lived a sinless life, taught about God’s love, and died on a wooden cross. Roman soldiers made that cross to torture Jesus. But Jesus willingly gave his life to pay for our sins and then rose again so that we could one day accept his gift of salvation and have our sins forgiven.