God and Trees

Lets start this one in Genesis 3 and then bring it back.  

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

The adversary takes the essence of good and applies it in another context that is not good. "Indeed, has God said". He steals from God and misapplies His words in order to justify something that is contrary to God. 

 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The adversary seeks to deceive by saying that the prohibition by God can be redeemed for "good". That the thing which is forbidden- by our hands and our will, can be made into something pleasing and "good" 

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

The fruit of twisted doctrine is to take from the tree which God forbids and to call it good. To take what God forbids and say that it is "redeemed".  The distortion is to call "holy/set apart" that which God calls Evil. 

 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”

Consider  symbolically verse 7, that the eyes being opened is the conviction of sin and the truth of the rebellion that they had just committed. They were just looking at the tree, and now they are seeing themselves as naked- uncovered. God was their covering and they walked in His covering, but they removed themselves from that covering by rebellion and became aware that they are naked. They sought to cover themselves. Nakedness, in sin, is shame to the eyes. Just as they looked to the tree to make themselves like God, they were now exposed. 

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?

Adam who had walked in the cool of the day in the closeness and bond with God, hides from sight behind the trees. Adam, who had eaten from the forbidden tree and was naked, hid his lack of covering behind trees from God who was to be his covering. After correction and judgement ensues, God covers their nakedness. 

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Now lets look at another passage in Numbers 21 with these same elements that we went over:

 2 So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah. Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.

Israel is walking with God, they make a vow with God and they are looking at Him. He is covering them on their journey against the Canaanites. The Canaanites worshipped a goddess named Asherah who's symbol is the tree. She was a false goddess who was said to be the wife of Eland said to mediate with Him. 

“Various pieces of iconography indicate that the tree was the Canaanite symbol of the goddess and represented her presence. K. Galling compared the asherah to a stylized tree on a clay model of a cultic scene from Cyprus. O. Negbi has published drawings of several pieces of Canaanite female figures, often considered divine, with trees or branches etched between their navels and pubic triangle.” - Smith, Mark S. The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 2nd ed., William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002, p. 128.

"When not implying a goddess, the terms asherah/asherim in the Bible refer to cultic objects which were wooden poles, images, or trees associated with pagan worship and were supposed to have been destroyed by the Israelites. The verbs connected with asherah/asherim in the Bible are words often associated with wood, such as “fell”, “smash”, and “burn by fire.” It is possible that the asherim were originally living trees from which the wooden pole developed as a symbol of asherah to be placed beside an altar. In extra-biblical contexts as well, the goddess Asherah was often represented as a stylized sacred tree. In the Bible, there appears to be a functional difference in the singular and plural forms of the word, with the singular being set up by altars and the plural in association with trees in high places. The following two verses demonstrate the distinction. Deuteronomy 16:21 commands: You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole [asherah] beside the altar that you make for the Lord your God and 1 Kings 14:23 states: For they also built for themselves high places, pillars, and sacred poles [asherim] on every high hill and under every green tree.These are just two examples out of several which consistently relate separate locations for the singular and plural forms. " - https://www.worldhistory.org/Asherah/

 Israel was sent to destroy Canaanites who were not looking at God for covering, but were looking at a woman with tree symbolism. Canaanites were also known for committing all forms of sexual immorality - nakedness as outlined in Leviticus 18. Continuing on in Numbers 21:

 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Israel at the time they're supposed to go against this wickedness that is against God, complain about what they're eating. They're complaining that the food that they do have is not pleasing- what God has already provided is not "good". What happens when we turn from God's instructions?

6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 

We give occasion for the serpent to operate. 

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Moses who is a archetype of Christ is being called in to intercede because they were dying by means of the serpent for their rebellion against God by turning their attention from Him and unto themselves in regards to eating.  Moses is told to place a bronze serpent on a standard- standards were wooden poles. God has them physically look at the symbol of the totality of the situation which is reflecting the garden. The serpent attacks when we look away from God's command to our own fleshly desires and decide for ourselves what is "good". 
 
Christ is God as the FULLNESS of Deity dwells in Him as Colossians 2:9. That fullness that is Divine walked with Adam in the Garden and that Divinity that spoke the commands on what is good and evil, that Fullness of Deity still wants our focus. He still seeks to be our covering. He still desires to cover our nakedness. 
The curse in the garden from  eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that death must occur. Christ, took that curse

Galatians 3:13  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”

We deserve the death by the serpent, but God has allowed us to look upon Christ and be spared. 

Acts 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a tree.”
Acts 10:38-39 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree.”

We are to have our eyes opened and see what we have done against our innocent God and creator.  

Acts 13:27-31 “27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the  tree and laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people."

We are to look at His work, to Him, not the trees. 

1 Peter 2:21-25 “21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

What are we looking at? What are we grumbling against? What fruit are we telling God that He needs to accept? What are we, like Eve and Adam saying is a delight to the eyes but is contrary to God's word? 
Christ on the tree is placing HIMSELF in view in front of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that we might see that HE as God is who defines good and evil and HIS fruit is what is good and pleasing. 

Deuteronomy 16:21 “You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the Lord your God hates.

Why would we say it is honor and worship to our God to delight in the things which He says He hates, which are a curse, which are an echo of the moment that caused Him the greatest pain?

Deuteronomy 12:2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God.