Being "green" a la Scripture

Did you know that in The Law, God seeks to protect the trees and the birds.?

About trees we read this:

“When you besiege a city a long time, to make war against it in order to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by swinging an axe against them; for you may eat from them and you shall not cut them down.  For is the tree of the jeld a man, that it should be besieged  by you? Only the trees which you know are not trees for

food you shall destroy and cut down in order that you may construct siege works
against the city that is making war with you until it falls” (Dt. 20:19, 20).

To which a biblical commentator writes:

Notice that the argument God gives calls attention to the place of trees in His scheme of things, and the value He places on them. Just as God regulated Adam’s use of the trees of the garden of Eden, so He continues to regulate man’s use of trees.

And on birds we read:

“If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well
with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Dt.  22:6, 7).

To which the same commentator writes:

While the ecological benefits of this law would indeed have the effect of prolonging the life of man, in itself such a rule would have only slight effects. The import of this law is that it tells us that God will bestow life on those men who respect the life He has given to other creatures. It is His concern with the birds, as well as with men, which lies behind this legislation.

So to the green lobby we can say PAH! God got there way before you!

Commentary from Jim Jordan's, The Law of the Covenant