In the following pages I would like to introduce you to plants that we have grown in the Biblical Garden at the First Congregational Church of Fair Haven, United Church of Christ. You could grow them in your garden as well! At the same time I would like to take you on a journey through the events of the Bible. We will start at the beginning and move through the ages, stopping at some of the times when plants become involved in the story of God and Go d's people.

BIBLICAL HISTORY
All through the Bible, trees and flowers, fruits and vegetables play prominent parts. Everybody knows the tree of the knowledge of good and evil planted in the midst of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:17). Popular tradition believes that it was an APPLE. Many botanists holds that it was an APRICOT, which we have grown in our garden. Yet the Bible does not identify the tree, except for its unforgettable role in our downfall.

The very first tree mentioned by name is the FIG. Adam and Eve used fig leaves as clothing when they became ashamed of their nakedness (Gen. 3:7). Later, the prophets understood the fig as a symbol of peace. When Micah spoke of the great day of peace, he declared, "They shall beat their swords into plowshares... neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and fig tree" (Micah 4:3-4).

The LENTIL appears next in the Biblical history. Remember tricky Jacob? He talked his older brother Esau into trading his birthright as oldest son for a bowl of lentil soup (Gen. 25:29ff).

Through the Exodus, the greatest event in the entire history of our Jewish ancestors, God saved our people from suffering and slavery, and led them toward a land of promise. Before the Exodus, the HYSSOP plant was used to spread blood from a sacrificial lamb over the top and sides of each doorway in the homes of Go d's people (Ex. 12:22). This protected their sons from the angel of death, which took the firstborn from all Egyptian homes. It also opened a way for our ancestors' liberation.
Every year our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate this deliverance by observing the Feast of Passover. One part of the Seder meal involves eating bitter herbs, a reminder of how bitter life was for our ancestors when they were slaves. ENDIVE, CHICORY, DANDELION, and ROCKET may have been among the bitter herbs of the Exodus (Ex. 12.8).

Initially our ancestors felt thankful to be set free. In time, however, they began to grumble against God and Moses their leader. Their life in the wilderness had become difficult and discouraging. Many longed for the fruits and spices they had enjoyed back in Egypt. "We remember the fish we ate back in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers..." (actually CANTALOUPE) "the MELONS, the LEEKS, the ONIONS, the GARLIC..." (Nb. 11:5).

In spite of their bitter complaining, God provided blessings for the people in the wilderness, including the miraculous MANNA. "It was like CORIANDER seed..." (Ex. 16:31). We now believe that the TAMARISK tree may have been the source of honey-like crystals which the Israelites ate. When insects pierce the skin of this plentiful desert tree, its sap flows and crystallizes.

Even to the present day, our Jewish sisters and brothers celebrate the ever-certain presence of God in the Festival of Tabernacles (or Booths). They build an outdoor shelter, and use MYRTLE branches in its construction. This reminds them that even in their simple shelters during the Exodus, God went with them.

While our ancestors lived in the desert God instructed them, through Moses, to build a tent of worship in the center of their camp. There they could meet with the Lord (Ex. 25:8ff). The light in the tent was a candelabrum, or menorah. Its branches arched upward like the branches of the SAGE plant. The VICTORIA SAGE, and CLARY SAGE are handsome cousins of the biblical plant.

God told Moses to make the end of each branch of the menorah like an ALMOND (Ex. 28:33). Why an almond? The almond blossom served as a herald of spring to our ancestors, and as a promise of hastening events. Do you remember Aaron's rod? This almond branch brought by Moses' brother Aaron on the Exodus journey was placed in the tent of Go d's presence, and the next time someone went into the tent it had bloomed and produced almonds (Nb. 17:1-8).

After Moses died, Joshua was chosen to lead the Israelites into the promised land. As they settled the country different cities were assigned to different tribes. Among them was the city of Dilean, whose name is the word BOTTLE GOURD (Josh. 15:37-38).

Once our ancestors settled in the land God had promised, judges rose up from among them to provide leadership. One such judge, Gideon, led the people of God against an onslaught by the Midianites. In the midst of the battle, the Israelite men needed food, but the people of the nearby town of Succoth refused to feed them until they could be sure of the outcome of the battle. Gideon threatened to punish the people of Succoth by scourging them with the THISTLE. When the battle ended, Gideon returned, and may have used the GLOBE THISTLE to carry out his threat (Jg. 8:7,16).

BARLEY reminds us of a later scene from the story of Ruth. Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth returned to Israel after both of their husbands had died. To obtain food, Ruth went into the barley fields to collect leftovers from the harvest. There, in one of the Bible's beautiful love stories, she met her husband-to-be, Boaz (Ruth 1:22).

Sometime later, during the reign of King David, his son Absolom organized a rebellion. Some of David's men remained faithful and retreated with the king into the wilderness. The people of Manahaim fed them, among other things, beans - probably BROAD BEANS which we grow in our garden (2 Sam. 17:27-28).

Since Go d's people had become thoroughly settled in the Promised Land, it was time to build a house proper for worshipping the Lord. David's son Solomon turned to Hiram, King of Tyre whose great forests to the North offered majestic timber suitable for the house of the Lord. Our tall JUNIPER is a cousin of those trees (1Kings 9:11). The builders lined the entire inside of the temple with CEDAR, making it like one great cedar chest. Imagine the aroma that greeted you when you went to worship! Our ARBOR VITAE are members of the cedar family, which also includes the great cedars of Lebanon (2 Chr. 2:3,8).

The vestments or special clothing worn by the priests who led worship and offered sacrifices at the temple were also products of nature. The robes were made of FLAX, combed and woven into fine linen (Ex. 39:2), and decorated with POMEGRANATES, symbols of fruitfulness and great value (Ex. 39:24-26).
Beautiful olivewood, probably from the RUSSIAN OLIVE, was also used in carvings of the cherubim inside the temple (1Kings 6:23,31-33).

During a later period, after Israel had divided into northern and southern kingdoms, the King of Syria besieged Samaria, and caused a terrible food shortage. People offered to pay large sums of money for anything to eat, even for "Dove's Dung", the common name for the little flower STAR OF BETHLEHEM (2 Kings 6:24-25).

During the reign of corrupt Ahab and Jezebel in the Northern Kingdom, the prophet Elijah survived as one of the few people still faithful to God. After putting the Queen's favored prophets of Baal to a test, defeating them, and winning the right to slaughter them, Elijah rose to the top of the Queen's hit list! In fear, Elijah retreated to the wilderness near Sinai, and threw himself down under a BROOM TREE. He felt so discouraged he wanted to die, but angels came and renewed his spirit (1Kings 9:4ff)

It appears that everyone in the Bible had their times of trial, just as we do. Satan's test of Job was perhaps the worst of all. One of his many sufferings Job experienced was the loss of appetite. At that time HOLLYHOCK and MALLOW were used to flavor foods. Today we enjoy the flavor in marshMALLOWs. But to poor Job, even mallow had lost its taste (Job 6:6-7).

We all know at least something of the story of Jonah. He ran away from Go d's call, and was retrieved by God through the help of a whale! Jonah did go to tell the people of Ninevah to repent, as God had asked him to do in the beginning. The people of Ninevah repented, and God saved them just as he had saved Jonah. Jonah was angry, though. He had wanted God to punish these wicked people. Pouting, Jonah retreated to the desert. God sent a CASTOR BEAN PLANT to grow up and shade the reluctant messenger. The next day, however, a worm killed the plant, and once again Jonah felt angry at God. The Castor Bean reminds us of Jonah and his struggle with God, as well as our own struggles with God (Jonah 4:6-7).

The COTTON PLANT connects us with the next time in history, when our ancestors of the faith lived under the rule of King Xerxes of Persia. One brave woman named Esther risked her live to save her people from slaughter. One detail of the story mentions that the curtains of the king's palace were made of cotton (Est. 1:6).

POETRY
Plants not only played a part in the history of our ancestors; they also furnished images for their poetry! The Song of Solomon, for example, tells a love story that models the kind of relationship God wants to have with Go d's people. The writer compares his beloved to the spices of a fine garden, including the precious Saffron, which is made from the stigmas of the beautiful SAFFRON CROCUS (Song 4:14).

When his beloved had been away, her return reminded him of the first flowers of spring, particularly the TULIP (Song 2:12). He saw his beloved as a "lily of the valley, a lily among the brambles..." (Song 2:1-2,16). Since the flower we know as Lily of the Valley is not native to the Holy Land, the HYACINTH seems among the most likely plant to have been the Bible's lily, particularly the GRAPE HYACINTH. However, the phrase "lily of the valley" probably refers to all beautiful flowers in general, much as our word "posey" does.

In the philosophical writings of Ecclesiastes we read of the discouragement many of us feel when growing old, and the time when "desire fails" (Ecc. 12:5). The plant, Desire, is our CAPER BUSH whose blossom is a real beauty!
The writer of Ecclesiastes also speaks of the beauty of wisdom, comparing it with the roses of Jericho. Our RUGOSA ROSE is a modern version of that simple but beautiful flower.

PROPHETS
Go d's prophets, or spokespersons, declared Go d's messages and often illustrated them with images drawn from familiar plants. The prophet Isaiah declared judgment upon those who made idols to worship out of the wood of the BAY LAUREL (44:14), and upon those who worshipped the HOLM or PINE tree for the heat it gave them through fire (44:14,16). Our MUGHO PINES are cousins to the trees our ancestors mistakenly worshipped.

Isaiah warned Go d's people while also assuring them of Go d's mercy. "DILL is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over CUMIN" (28:27). God will not destroy us, but the Lord does insist on removing our impurities. NIGELLA is the source of BLACK CUMIN seed.

Through Isaiah, God also promised times of restoration and blessing when even "the asses that till the ground will eat salted PROVENDER" (30:24). Provender is today's GARBANZO BEANS or CHICK PEAS. On the day of Go d's coming, the desert would bloom abundantly with DAFFODILS and NARCISSUS (35:1). Indeed, God promised to plant the glorious PLANE TREE, most likely the VIBURNUM, which would bloom and spread its sweet scent in the wilderness (41:19-20). This will show the world Go d's care, for only GOD could make something like that possible!

The prophet Amos proclaimed judgment on the people who had undermined justice among Go d's people. He said they were like the sour poison of WORMWOOD (Am. 5:7).

The prophet Jeremiah declared that those who trust in themselves and NOT in God were condemned "like a shrub in the desert." He was probably referring to the JUNIPER shrub that often occurs alone in the wilderness of the Holy Land (17:6). Jeremiah warned that those who trust in the things of this world would one day "flee like the JUNIPER in the wilderness", seeking for some place to hide when trouble comes (48:6). Our RUG JUNIPER stays safe by keeping close to the ground!

Still, Go d's prophets always held out the truth of Go d's mercy. Those who return to the Lord will always find mercy. God will make them bloom again like the IRIS (Ho. 14:5).

THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus drew his followers' attention to the plants that bloomed abundantly around him as signs of Go d's abiding care. "And why are you anxious...?" he asked. "Consider the lilies of the field...." Flowers like DYER'S CHAMOMILE or DOG CHAMOMILE, used to make dye and tea, were among these Biblical wildflowers. "...how they grow;" Jesus continued, "they neither toil nor spin...." Take the MADONNA LILY for example: "...yet... even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Mt. 6:28ff). Our SHASTA DAISIES are among the many cousins of plants that would have been the "lilies of the field" in the Holy Land, constantly reminding people of Go d's unending care for us. CHRYSANTHEMUMS, CROWN ANEMONES, RANUNCULUS or WIND FLOWERS all graced the Bible's natural world, constantly blessed by God. So also did DELPHINIUM, HIBISCUS, and LUPINES.

The New Testament reminds us not only of our blessings, but also of our responsibilities. The First Letter of Peter urges us to deeply root ourselves in God and Go d's Word. In time, "The grass withers and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord abides forever" (1Pt. 1:24-25). The fragile blossoms of the VIOLET, today as then, remind us of our own vulnerability, and dependence on the One who is God.

Jesus made the same point when he taught about GRAPES. A branch cut off from the vine will not only fail to bear fruit, but will wither, die, and be thrown into the fire to burn. On the other hand, those who stay deeply connected to the vine, though they may be pruned at times, will bear much fruit, and prove to be Christ's true disciples (Jn. 15:1-8).

One important way to tell Jesus' true followers from the false, he taught us, is by their fruit. In Luke 6:44-45, we read, "For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a BRAMBLE BUSH. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man... evil...." Our garden contains both grapes and brambles to remind us of our choice.
Jesus taught that the WHEAT and the TARES grow together all the way to the harvest, but that the tares then will be thrown into the fire, while the wheat will be gathered into the barn and treasured (Mt. 13:24-30). John the Baptist had given the same warning when he sought to prepare people for the coming of Christ. "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear the threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire" (Mt. 3:12).
One of the main teachings of Jesus focused on the use of our possessions. Jesus condemned religious people who felt glad to tithe (to give God 10% of) their MINT, DILL, RUE, and CUMIN but failed to commit their time, money, and selves to God and to people in need (Mt. 23:23).

At the same time, Jesus showed how God can make miracles out of even small gifts to his service. He took the few BARLEY loaves and fish from a small boy, and fed a huge multitude with them (Jn. 6:8ff).
Jesus taught the same truth about acting in faith. Faith, even if it is small like a MUSTARD SEED, can grow into something substantial when given to God with an open heart (Mt. 4:30-32).

Jesus told a parable about a rebellious son who left his father, and then found himself in deep trouble. He got so hungry he wanted to eat the CAROB PODS that were usually fed to the pigs. Yet when the boy headed back home, his father ran out to welcome him back to the family. Jesus reassured us all that God always reaches out to welcome us back home with love and joy no matter how far we may have strayed from him (Lk.15).

At times people reach out to Jesus as he reaches out to us. On PALM Sunday, when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, people waved branches of the PALM tree, welcoming Jesus as the long awaited messiah (Jn. 12:12f).
Even though God loves us, the walk of the faithful still involves suffering. Evil attacks us just as it struck out at Jesus. The CENTAUREA plants in our garden are relatives of the thorns that were made into a crown and placed on Jesus' head to mock and hurt him (Mk. 15:17ff). Throughout his life, and especially in his passion, Jesus joined us in every emotional and physical pain of the Christian walk. He never drew back from our pain, even unto death.

Home... Next... or find your own path through the Gardens!