These verses show the balance between preserving natural resources and utilizing them.
Times of war not only can bring death to the population but also devastation to the countryside. At the conclusion of Deuteronomy 20 we see the wisdom of God in balancing both the need for utilization and preservation of the resources He has provided for us on the planet. The word “ecology” is formed from two Greek words: oikos, meaning “household” (thus the environment around us) and logie, meaning “the study of.” Thus modern ecology is taken to be the study of the environment and how its various components interact with each other. Notice the two parts of this delicate balance regarding the effect of war on forestation. “When you besiege a city for a long time, while making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; if you can eat of them, do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food. Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, to build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you” (Deut 20:19-20). Fruit trees provide a renewable resource in the food they provide. Non-fruit-bearing trees are also a renewable resource if replanted, but in this case the tree’s wood was harvested for use in building siegeworks for battle. Interestingly, the land of Israel was largely denuded of its forests in the centuries of its occupation, especially under the Turks for 500 years, who taxed every tree. The Jewish National Fund on its website states, “Since our founding in 1901, we’ve planted an incredible 250 million trees in Israel. And the results have been transformative and breathtaking. Once a desert-nation, today Israel has blossomed into a garden oasis.” Yes, our God is the ultimate ecologist!