This post is Day 9 in a series of studies about “The Fig Tree”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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The Fig Tree – Day 9

The name Baal-Hanan means the Lord is gracious, and in a good harvest, this man felt that God had been gracious to him. But did he ever imagine having his name written in the Bible? Your name can be written in the Book of Life in Heaven!

1 Chronicles 27:28

Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.

The Thought

Much of the 2 books of Chronicles seems quite difficult to read with lists of names and responsibilities. But they have a purpose. If you read them patiently, looking up the cross references that are in traditional Bibles, you’ll find that these verses often speak to you. Occasionally a verse will leap off the page and mean something very specific in whatever situation you are facing at that moment.

This is the first mention of “sycamore” fig trees. Because they are named here we can imagine that they were important. Sycamore fig trees are a poorer strain of the fig tree. They grew not in private gardens, but in orchards to produce fruit for sale on the markets for most of the year. We understand, from their mention here, that caring for them was a responsible job.

The person mentioned above, Baal-Hanan, had a heavy responsibility for the care of the trees all year round and for the grape and fig harvest. The name Baal-Hanan means the Lord is gracious. I’m sure in the years of a good harvest, he felt that God had been gracious to him. But did he ever imagine having his name written in the Bible, the most read book ever?

Once you have asked Jesus to be your Saviour, your name is written in God’s Book of Life. That book will be read in Heaven at the end of time (Daniel 7:10; Revelation 20:12 & Psalms 69:27). Isn’t that an amazing thought?

Action

Pray that you do the work that the Lord prepares for you. At the same time, pray also that you live a life worthy of His calling. That way your name too will be forever in the Lord’s Book of Life.