Jer 82, 3/28/71

DOCTRINE OF THE OLIVE TREE

A. The olive tree is used to represent Judah as the recipient of God’s grace. The oil from the tree represents prosperity as the provision of God’s grace plan.

B. Generally, the olive and olive tree in Scripture refers to peace (purchased from military victory), prosperity, and wealth.

C. In the ancient world, the fruit of the olive tree was used for both food and oil. Therefore, it was a leading article of commerce not only in the Middle East, but also in such places as Greece.

D. Any disaster to the olive tree was analogous to national disaster, especially in economic area.

E. Large olive groves existed throughout the Southern Kingdom, especially around Jerusalem (e.g., the Mount of Olives).

F. The berry was used for foot. The oil was used for a number of things, including the frying of food, soap, and especially for fuel, producing both heat and light.

G. The wood of the tree was also used extensively, as in the construction of Solomon’s temple, and the construction of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies, 1 Kg 6:23.

H. The olive boughs were used for the construction of booths for the Feast of the Tabernacles, Neh 8:15.

I. In Hos 14:6, Israel, the Northern Kingdom, is compared to the olive tree.

J. The olive tree doesn’t always refer to a nation. In Ps 52:8, David compared himself to an olive tree, making an analogy to God’s grace in delivering him from the conspiracy of Saul via Doag.

K. The children of a right man and right woman marriage are compared to olive plants in Ps 128:3. Such children are special products of grace and generally live useful, wonderful, and happy lives. God not only designed right man and right woman to have a perfect relationship, but also designed that their genes would produce certain traits in their children which would give them great capacity for life. (Don’t conclude anything about children of wrong man and wrong woman, however. Remember, God’s grace knows all the alternatives.)

L. The two olive trees in Zech 4:3,11 represent administration and government. The first olive tree represents political leadership; the second represents spiritual leadership; i.e., the kingly and priestly lines in post-exilic Judah. So this was a grace government.

M. The fruit of the olive tree in its wild state is small and worthless. It must be cultivated. This is a reminder that Judah, or any nation, without the proper authority as defined in the Mosaic Law cannot help but become worthless, weak, and decadent. No nation can survive without the daily function of all the divine institutions. N. Paul teaches grace to Gentiles by the olive tree in Rom 11:16-18.

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