Thus far, we have covered three aspects of life: the tree of life, the river of life, and the breath of life. The tree of life is for eating, the river of life is for drinking, and the breath of life is for breathing. To maintain life we need air, water, and food. Air is the first item of importance in the maintenance of life, water is second, and food is third. A person can fast without eating or drinking, but not without breathing. If we graduate from breathing, we graduate from life and die. We have seen that food comes from water, and water comes from the air. Thus, the air is the most basic item for maintaining life.
In this chapter, we want to see the fourth aspect of life, the aspect of the seed of life. This aspect is much deeper than the other three aspects. We need to be those who know what life is. Many so-called Bible teachers cannot give any practical help in the matter of life because they themselves are not clear about what life is. They may have many teachings, but they have never been impressed with the things of life. The Bible shows us the tree of life, the river of life, the breath of life, and the seed of life. The tree is food to eat, the river is water to drink, the breath is air to breathe, and the seed is a container of life. The life essence, or germ, the begetting power of life, the growth of life, the transformation of life, and the resurrection life are all included in the seed of life. The word seed has an all-inclusive meaning since it is the embodiment of life and includes all things related to life.
We have seen that Genesis 1 is not merely a record of creation, but a record absolutely of life. Genesis 1:11-12 tells us that the earth brought forth “herb yielding seed,” and verse 29 refers to “tree yielding seed.” According to God’s original arrangement, He gave only the herb yielding seed and the tree yielding seed to man for food. Anything that did not yield seed, God did not give to man for food. Whatever God gave to man for food before the fall was something yielding seed. This is because in God’s intention, in God’s economy, man should be taking in, receiving, and enjoying life all the time. Man should not eat, or take in, anything that does not yield seed. Whatever man touches, whatever man takes in, whatever man eats, must be something of life and something producing life-something yielding seed.
God has no intention for man to eat anything that is not of life. God has no intention for man to contact anything that does not yield seed. Whatever man contacts, whatever man takes into himself, whatever man eats for his maintenance, must be something yielding seed. Many books that we may read do not yield seed. But many of us who have read the book entitled The Economy of God can testify that it yields seed. According to Genesis, what man eats must be something yielding seed. Anything that does not yield seed, he should not eat. The tree of life is a tree yielding seed. In the seed, the main thing is life. The life essence, the life germ, is in the seed, and this life in the seed is for producing. We may also say that the life in the seed is for resurrection, for spreading, for transforming, and for growth. Life is in the seed, and the seed is food to us. In other words, life is in Christ, and Christ is food to us.
In both the Old and New Testaments the Lord Jesus has many titles. Among His many titles, He has the title of “the seed.” In Genesis 3:15 He is the seed of the woman who will bruise the head of the serpent. In 2 Samuel 7, He is the seed of David (v. 12). In Genesis 12 He is the seed of Abraham (v. 7). In the New Testament, Galatians 3 tells us that the seed of Abraham is the Lord Jesus (v. 16). Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, but only one seed. Ishmael was a son of Abraham, but he was not the seed. Galatians 3 tells us that the unique seed of Abraham is Christ, of whom Isaac was a type. Isaac was a type of Christ as the seed of Abraham.
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