When we lived in Hawaii, we had a small house on a large 10,000 sq. ft. lot. It was located by Ka'elepulu Stream which connected Enchanted Lake and Kailua Bay, and there were a variety of trees in our yard. We had a number of coconut palms, a banana tree, a plumaria tree, and a lichee nut tree. Coconuts grew in abundance and also the bananas, and we had a profusion of fragrant plumaria blossoms for making leis. But the lychee nut tree was a complete disappointment in that it didn't bear any fruit for three years. Now lychee nuts are delicious, like a big green grape with a large pit all enclosed in a spiny skin; they are considered a delicacy by orientals and are quite expensive in the market, so I really wanted that tree to produce fruit.
I went to the nursery for advice, and I was told I had a choice. The local natives believe that a tree that doesn't bear has an evil spirit or devil. The witch doctor tells them to beat the tree every September with a chain to beat the devil out, and it works. The reason it works, and the reason the tree doesn't bear is because the sap returns to the roots in September. Beating the tree damages the channels in the bark through which the sap flows, thereby trapping the sap in the branches to stimulate the production of fruit the next spring. I was told that I could accomplish the same result by girdling the large branches with 1/4 inch saw cuts. I followed instructions, and the next year I had an abundant crop; people came from all around the neighborhood asking if they could pick some nuts. I recognize that beating with a chain is much more dramatic, but I prefer the more scientific method.
You may laugh at these superstitious and misguided people who believe that trees are possessed by devils, but we well-educated sophisticated moderns are just as gullible in many ways. People journey halfway around the world to see some apparition or bath in water with miraculous healing powers; they spend millions of dollars on exotic concoctions from sharks teeth to rhino tusks, from grizzly bear testicles to sea coral in search of a magic elixir of health or long life. We still live today under the shadow of the fabled "fountain of youth."
We see a similar propensity for weird and illogical solutions in the pursuit of eternal life. Many are willing to follow cunningly devised fables and false traditions in their search for happiness and redemption. These efforts are just as misguided as beating the devil out of a tree. The only safe path is that illuminated by the light of truth shining from God's Word. The only safeguard against error is to study to show yourself approved, to know the truth; for the truth shall make you free.
