Imagine buying a luscious fruit tree and giving it to your son or daughter to plant outside their new house.  You take great care, not only in buying the tree for them, but have a arborist come and plant the tree for them, he gives them all of the instructions on how much water it needs the first year, the kind of fertilizer to use, how to prune the branches and everything else that is needed for it to produce a bountiful harvest with the choicest of fruits.   Year after year it grows, and they take good care to follow the arborist’s instructions, and indeed, it does produce an abundant harvest of plump, choice fruit.  Imagine how much joy that brings to the family, and to you—this is exactly what you hade hoped for and why you had given them the tree.

Now, let’s turn the table.  Instead of taking good care of the tree, imagine if they ignored the instructions:  they don’t fertilize it, they prune it down because they don’t want the branches to block their view from the top floor window, or they just ignore picking the fruit.  Year after year, the tree still grows but there little fruit that never seems to fully ripen and after a time they end up complaining about the mess of fruit in the yard.  This is not what it was made for and not why you gave it to them.

We are reminded this week that our God created us for bountifulness and richness.  Not only for us, but all of creation, He created intentionally and for a purpose.  Even the smallest sparrow, the fish of the sea and the fruit trees.  There is nothing that He did not create that was not created according to His Word and His designs.  How much more then, was He intentional about humanity, created in His Image and Likeness.

And He has given us His Wisdom on the things that lead us to life, and those that lead to death.  Even before Moses and the law, He instructed Noah and Abraham.  Things like greed, selfishness, lust, and meanness lead to death.  That is, they make us less fruitful and abundant; through them we become less than what He created humanity to be.  Some things will lead to sickness, disease and even to death itself.

Then came the law and commandments, to be clear instructions for us on what leads to life and to death.  To not keep holy the sabbath is like the tree that plants itself in the desert, or goes through long periods of drought.  This is why God hates sin so much: it undermines the love He has and His desires for creation.  It can be an offense like the one who cuts off a tree branch, not to prune and encourage stronger growth, but because it hung a little too low, or made the tree look less symmetrical.  

In every situation, to follow His commandments brings life and fruitfulness.  It may not always be readily visible, but trust in your Creator’s love and Wisdom.