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I have lived on the Alberta prairies most of my life. The landscape, climate, and turbulent seasons have all taught me valuable lessons. One lesson is how tricky it can be to grow trees on the prairie.
During my mission in Central America, I laughed when I saw “living fences” made of posts that produced leaves spontaneously in the warm, humid climate. Not so in Alberta! You have to water the tree, amend the clay-like soil, and, of course, protect it from the relentless wind. But the same tree that withers on a windswept prairie may flourish in a more protected environment and with a little more care.
Trees are an important metaphor in the gospel. One of the most expansive allegories in the scriptures is Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon, where the Lord compares His people to an olive tree. Why would He compare the House of Israel to an olive tree? There are probably many reasons, but from what I understand about olive trees, they can be finicky. If you let them go wild, they grow a lot of leaves and small, bitter fruit. But if you want an abundant harvest of good fruit, it takes many years of extensive pruning, dunging, and digging. It is very labour-intensive.
Trees- and People- Need a Lot of Work
Like an olive tree, the House of Israel takes a lot of work. Even the most cursory reading of scripture shows that God’s chosen people are often His most rebellious. I can’t think of a more finicky people. From what I’ve read in the scriptures, like the allegorical olive tree, the House of Israel does not like to be tamed. The Lord of the vineyard always seems to be “grieved”, and I don’t blame Him! I think after so many misadventures in the garden with such a rebellious plant, I might till it all up and settle for planting tomatoes instead. But the Lord of the vineyard is relentless. He wants olives!
“And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing…[for] I know that the roots are good.” (Jacob 5:11,36)
How Are Covenants Like Trees?
There has been considerable discussion in the church lately about covenants. They are the roots, and they are good. Every covenant and priesthood ordinance we make in this church traces its genealogy to the promises God made with ancient Israel. We may sometimes wonder why we need rituals, especially ones that connect us to Israel's ancient religious practices, including our temple ordinances. They may feel strange to us. Aren’t we so much more modern now? Couldn’t we just make promises with God in our hearts, without the outward display of ordinances and a priesthood line of authority?
It may be helpful to see covenants as God’s way of grafting us into His olive tree, the House of Israel. Covenants open us up to be nourished by the roots of God's promises to His chosen people. This allows us to fit our individual story into a much bigger story of redemption. As we graft ourselves into the tree through priesthood ordinances, we receive spiritual strength from the God of Israel, Jesus Christ. He is the original maker of the covenant, and He is very invested in seeing that all His promises are fulfilled. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Seeing our covenant relationship to God this way can also give us hope when we find ourselves facing our wild fruit tendencies.
Covenants Have Been the Key Since the Beginning
While God has always made covenants with those who seek Him, Israel’s covenant began in the premortal world and was then renewed with Father Abraham. After proving himself faithful, God covenanted with Abraham that He would be blessed with numerous posterity and they would receive the gospel and bear the priesthood. This may sound exclusionary, but another part of the covenant is a call to serve, because through his family, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.” (Abraham 2:11)
In other words, the Abrahamic covenant includes a call to receive the abundant blessings promised to Abraham and share them with as many people as will accept them. When we accept the gospel of Jesus Christ by covenant, we become the covenant children of Abraham, heirs to not only the blessings of the covenant but also the responsibilities.
Through missionary efforts, we help the Lord lovingly graft willing souls into the covenant tree of Israel. And through temple and family history work, we help graft and restore the wild, tangled branches of our own family trees.
In all our labours, we are privileged to be a part of an ancient promise made by the God of the Old and New Testaments. We can witness firsthand as they are fulfilled, both on a global stage and in our individual lives and families.