Bible study into symbolism of the olive tree

1. Lessons
from the
olive tree
2nd January 2019

2. 2

3. 3

4. Olive Leaf – New Life, New Beginning
4
Genesis 8:6-12 (KJV)
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the
window of the ark which he had made:
7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters
were dried up from off the earth.
8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated
from off the face of the ground;
9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned
unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth:
then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the
ark.
10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove
out of the ark;
11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was
an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off
the earth.
12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which
returned not again unto him any more.

5. Olive Oil – Holy and Anointed
5
Exodus 30:22-25 (KJV)
22 Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred
shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty
shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
24 And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of
oil olive an hin:
25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after
the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

6. Olive Oil – Good of the Land
6
Deuteronomy 8:7-10 (KJV)
7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of
water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a
land of oil olive, and honey;
9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack
any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou
mayest dig brass.
10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God
for the good land which he hath given thee.
2 Kings 18:31-33 (KJV)
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an
agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every
man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the
waters of his cistern:
32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn
and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that
ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth
you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand
of the king of Assyria?

7. Olive Wood – Doors of the Inner Sanctuary
7
1 Kings 6:31-35 (KJV)
31 And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and
side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32 The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of
cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and
spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
33 So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part
of the wall.
34 And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were
folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35 And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and
covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.

8. Olive Plants – Children Born of the Olive
Tree
8
Psalm 128:1-6 (KJV)
1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall
be well with thee.
3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children
like olive plants round about thy table.
4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.
5 The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of
Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

9. Green Olive Tree
9
Psalm 52:1-9 (KJV)
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God
endureth continually.
2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak
righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck
thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the
abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of
God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy
name; for it is good before thy saints.
Jeremiah 11:16-17 (KJV)
16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with
the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it
are broken.
17 For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against
thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they
have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto
Baal.

10. Cultivated and Wild Olive Trees
10
Nehemiah 8:13-15 (KJV)
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all
the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to
understand the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by
Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the
seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in
Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine
branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick
trees, to make booths, as it is written.
Nehemiah 8:15
and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem,
saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil
trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make
booths, as it is written.” [NKJV]
and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns
and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from
olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make
temporary shelters”—as it is written.[NIV]
and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in
Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle,
palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.” [ESV]
Romans 11:17-18 (KJV)
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree,
wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of
the olive tree;
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root,
but the root thee.
Romans 11:24 (KJV)
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert
graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these,
which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

11. Lessons from the olive tree
11
•Jesus often went up on the Mount of Olives to be with His Father in prayer
•Jesus approached Jerusalem by way of the Mount of Olives as He made His descent to face the Cross
•He spoke of the coming of His kingdom from the Mount of Olives
•After He instituted the Lord's Supper with His disciples, Jesus and His disciples went out to the Mount of
Olives
•He entered the garden of Gethsemane (meaning, oil-press) at the foot of the Mount of Olives, which was
probably where the oil was pressed out of the olives taken from the surrounding hills
•The Lord Jesus ascended back to His Father in heaven from the Mount of Olives
•His feet will stand again on the Mount of Olives when God sends him once more to establish God’s Kingdom
on earth