It was when preparing to teach on the parable of the mustard seed that I realised there was more to learn about this plant than was immediately apparent, and it was when delivering that teaching that it became even more obvious. Fortunately, someone in the group had the answer – ‘God’s Trees’. Later, in appreciation of my efforts (or perhaps to help me improve future lessons!) I was sent the book as a gift.

From Genesis to Revelation

And what a welcome gift it was, too. This superb book is a delight, not just as a resource for Bible teachers but for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of the ‘trees, forests and wood in the Bible’, as the subtitle specifies.

The format of the book is a simple one. The eleven chapters which constitute the main part act as a commentary through the whole Bible on the trees and forests mentioned in all the biblical books, taking us from the Tree of Life in Genesis to the Tree of Life in Revelation. Everything is covered, from the wood used to make Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple through to the crown of thorns and the cross itself.

Bonus features

Towards the end of the book is a compendium which provides further notes on all the trees and larger shrubs mentioned in the Bible, listed in alphabetical order of their common English name. There is also a short section of advice for anyone wanting to create a biblical arboretum for themselves.

As you would expect in a book of this kind, the pages are packed with plenty of magnificent colour photographs of many kinds, and supplemented with some excellent artwork which highlights some of the closer details. There is also an interesting full page Ecological Map of the land in and around Israel, showing all the main ecological zones.

Personal journey

The author is not only a committed Christian but he has had a distinguished career in forestry. This includes being professor of forestry at Imperial College and also one of the Forestry Commission’s Chief Research Officers. He has previously written many other books on forestry and tree-related subjects and was given an OBE for ‘Services to forestry and the third world.’

Evans describes writing this book as “something of a personal journey” and admits it was a humbling experience. He recognises that there is much uncertainty over the best translation for many of the trees and plants found in the Bible, and there is also the difficult matter of cultural context. He writes in the Preface:

“Many references to trees are symbolic, allegorical or used as metaphor. It is difficult for us to take ourselves back 2000 or 3000 years to the world in which the Bible was written and appreciate the frames of reference then current.”

Making you smile

Nevertheless, the author has done a very impressive job in bringing this world as close to us as we can reasonably expect. So if you don’t know how to identify a terebinth tree, or you would struggle to differentiate frankincense from myrrh, then this book will provide you with all you need. It can be referred to as a special kind of Bible dictionary or occasionally dipped into for pleasure as a ‘coffee table’ book.

Inevitably a book of this kind is quite expensive, but it is well worth every penny. There are three indexes at the end. As well as a general index there is a scriptural index, plus one for tree species and woody shrubs.

The book opens with “God smiled when he made trees” (p.3). This book will leave you smiling too. ‘God’s Trees’ (2nd edn, 198pp HB) is published by and is available from Day One Publications for £25 (+ p&p)