Moses had completed his 40-year mission of guiding the Israelites through the wilderness, now the Promised Land was but a few steps away. Canaan was 60% desert, with approximately two-million Jews ready to inherit it, but what good would this land be without water? So before the Israelites took one step into their inheritance, Moses combined God’s promise to grant them land with his promise to grant them water: “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills” (Dt.8:7). I have a question: How could God possibly fulfill this promise when Canaan was 60% desert? Where were these “brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out”? God answered this question in Isaiah. . . .

The ministry of Jesus was often associated with trees: He taught about trees; told parables of trees; sought food from a tree; cursed a tree that didn’t bear fruit; and he prophesied about an abundance of trees flourishing throughout Israel during the last days. Ultimately, His chief mission was to be crucified upon a tree. Why does the Bible give preeminence to trees? It’s because they are emblems for life. It’s interesting that the Bible’s two chief metaphors for life are (1) water and (2) trees! And it’s not coincidental that the Old Testament Prophets portray the coming Lord and Messiah as, “The Branch.”