The angel oak in South Carolina is a tree thought to be 1,500 years old.
"The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat...." Judges 6:11
I like this picture. I seem to always bump into angels in the Bible who are busy delivering a message, leading a battle, keeping company with an ass, wielding a flaming sword and always on the move. So I like this picture of the angel of the Lord at ease, sitting beneath an oak.
I wonder what angels think about what God is doing down here? What do they think about this earth He created for us? Are there things about the earth they enjoy? Must be. The Lord himself pronounced so much of it "good." So do the angels long to get sent down to earth to enjoy it for a bit before getting on with the task? Or is an angel all work and no play? I can't imagine that because even the Lord thought enough about kicking back that He dedicated one day every week to it.
So here is an angel that has come to earth to let Gideon know he's been picked to fight against the dreaded, camel-riding Midianites. But before he delivers his message to Gideon, he takes a moment to sit under an the canopy and the protection of a thick-limbed oak tree to savor the lush grass and leaves, to just kick back and just take it all in, if only for a moment. He's in no rush to get the job over. He sort of likes the earth. It's different. Not as real as heaven. But something beautiful in the rawness of it, like folk art or a child's finger painting.
I'm going to start looking under more oaks. To check for angels.
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