The Days of a Tree: Human Life and Divine Longevity

Isaiah's metaphor—"as the days of a tree"—draws power from humanity's deepest fellowship with creation. Trees inhabited Eden's garden where Yahweh first conversed with mankind beneath their shadow. Human worship itself was born in groves, where solemn sights, mysterious shifting lights, and the whispered secrets of leaves inspired awe. The pillared aisles of branching canopies first taught us architectural beauty, which stone temples would later immortalize.…