A Tough Exterior

By Miss Cassandra

Have you ever seen a tree without bark on it? I have. I live in a town full of trees. There are many varieties around my house. Let me tell you, the few I have seen that have their bark removed, for whatever reason, are not what you would call beautiful. They are usually so discolored and scarred that you can't tell what kind of tree it is. If a lot of the bark is missing you might even think that it is just a very overgrown weed.

Merrian-Webster's Dictionary defines bark in this way "BARK: the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem; specifically the tissues outside the cambium" I had to look up the word cambium. I had never heard it before, but what I found fits this subject so well. "CAMBIUM: a thin formative layer that is responsible for secondary growth "

We are supposed to have a growth in our Christian lives. Something just under the surface that can't help but spring up because we are new creations in Christ.

II Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Bark keeps us from seeing the inner layers of trees. We know they are there, but we don't really know what they look like. They are covered, forgotten, hidden and concealed. That is the way God sees our iniquities once we accept His mercy.

Psalm 85:2 "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah."

Hebrews 8:12 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

Proverbs 16:6 "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."

Trees also use their bark for a protection . The cover is needed to keep the inner parts safe from harm, bugs, mold, and anything else that would love to tear it apart. Just like Satan, our flesh, and other people would try to tear us apart. He wants to keep us safe from all harm, but He can't do that if we refuse the covering He has picked for us.

Psalm 59:16 "But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble."

The tree is also comforted, in a sense, by it's bark. The bark keeps out the elements. The heat and cold, the rain or draught, and the smog. All of these things would cause "pain" to the tree if not for the bark. We can avoid pain from life the exact same way.

Psalm 32:10 "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about."

'Compass about' means to surround and cover. That is the way God sees His mercy on us. Surrounded and covered by forgiveness, compassion, and love.
The Greek word for mercy in the Bible is: ἐλεέω eleeō
- - to compassionate (by word or deed, specifically by divine grace): - have compassion (pity on), have (obtain, receive, shew) mercy (on). - -

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word is:רחם râcham
- - A primitive root; to fondle; by implication to love, especially to compassionate: - have compassion (on, upon), love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy (-iful, on, upon), (have) pity, Ruhamah, X surely. - -

God loves the fact that He has extended mercy to us the same way he loves the way He created the trees.

Micah 7:18 "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy."

Genesis 1:12 "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

The word "mercy" is found in the Bible 276 times in 261 verses. That in itself should tell us that God thinks it important for us to be covered in His mercy.


Cassandra is in love with the Lord in a way different than it ever before. She was always brought up to know the Bible. Recently she has come to live out the Bible in a freedom that she never thought was possible. God is showing her things in such a real and close way. She loves knowing without any doubt that He cares about the tiny details of our lives. She blogs at Content of Praise.

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