It’s interesting to study on the cedar tree. When I looked into the bible and searched on what cedar typifies & what are its uses, I found numerous of them. But we’ll only be looking at the portion of it..
My dad used to tell me that if I wanted to understand the full essence of a sentence, I would have to look out the meaning of the words. It’s usually something which we take for granted esp more when it’s a simple word like GROW=)
Let’s search deep into this verse yeah…
Grow in my BBC dictionary means:
- If something grows, it increase in size, amount or degree.
- If a tree or plant grow in that particular place, it is alive there.
- When you grow plants, you put them in the ground and look after them as they developed.
- If something grows into a particular state, it changes gradually until it is of that state.
The Cedar Tree,
I did a simple search on the characteristic of Cedar trees. And here’s a little of what I got.
The little nation of Lebanon has for its primary insignia on its postage stamp one of the cedars of Lebanon because it is the thing that most typifies that part of the world. Lebanon also means “white snow”. The place is covered with heavy drifts of snow; and when the storm came, it’ll fall upon the cedar tree.It is unlike the trees we see around us but are primarily found on mountain tops.
(When I read this, I finally got the answer as to why eagles were found together with cedar trees in the story in Ezekiel 17. That’s bec eagles give birth and stay on mountain tops =))
Cedar trees can grow up to a height of 120feet and a width of 40feet.
Their growths are usually slow and steady but sure. The age of some of these trees that are still in existence, and some of them that they have been able to measure age-wise go back beyond the birth of Christ,
A description of Cedar from the bible.
Ezekiel 31:3-9(link)
Other uses:
Imported largely by Solomon(1 King10:27), building temples(1Kings5:5,1King 6:9-10)building palaces(2Samuel5:11, 1King7:2,3)making ships(Ezekiel27:5)Solomon’s chariot(song3:9)purifying the leper Lev14:4-7,49-52)…
Psalms 92:12
...he [that is, the Christian man, the righteous man] shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon
The word grow here comes from the Hebrew word sagah which speaks of three fold growth. As we know, there are three ways a tree can grow-downward, upward and sideward.
How and why does the Lord wants us to grow deeply like the cedar tree?
Have you ever seen a row of bedded plants with many flowers. It takes only a few days for you to plant and have an array of flowers, and a few weeks before you’ll be pulling out it’s dry stalks. Was the process fast and evident?How much effort does it take for you to remove them. Faster than you planted it I guess. Why was that so, because it was planted on soft soil and it’s root were shallow or maybe even tinnier than your little finger.
Now, where are the Cedar trees planted?On rocky mountain tops where there was little soil. These plants have to first grow their roots deep into the rocks to secure itself first before it shoots it’s greens. Just imagine a plant wanting to sprout sooner than the roots has reach deep, I believe when the wind comes, more so on mountaintops, it would have been easily be pulled away liken to the parable in Matthew13:6.
You may be looking at yourself now and see no outward change. You’re a cg member last year and still is this year. No one has yet called you to be a leader or to perfom on stage. Your frens are moving fast ahead of you. You dun seem to see any progress just like the tree. Be patient.
How was the Cedar tree growing?
Slowly and steadily but SURE.
It may seem slow, but the Lord is deepening your roots each day for the day that he is setting you up. As Christ dwell in your heart more each day as you study His Word, you are grounding yourself in His love, something which cannot be taken away.(Eph3:17)
And as your roots reach deep enough, you are mature enough to “look higher”. But it’s not going to be easy because the higher you reach, the stronger the wind or challenges are going to come your way. That’s when you start to even reach deeper and learn to bent a little otherwise it’ll break.
How do you grow upwards? You grow in and by grace…
2Peter3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...
It also means that when challenges meet you, his grace is all sufficient to meet your need in that situation. And as you grow higher and stronger, there’ll be stronger winds but his grace will still be there to uphold you.
What does growing outward means?
Ezekiel 17:23
(Darby) upon the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar; and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
It is liken to being a place of protection and rest for the animals and the birds of the air. Surprisingly, I found out the mention of birds here are actually the sparrows. They are usually small move in a flock, rarely alone. You’ll never find an eagle finding rest in the trees when storms arise, they’ll be out in the storms.
Just like we rest under the shadow of the Almighty, we become like Him each day. We become a place of comfort and rest to those who are weary.
Your friends who are in trouble will come to you when they’re in trouble and find rest being with you.
This is one of my favourite verse I found on cedar tree which sums this up:
Songs1:17 (BBE) Cedar-trees are the pillars of our house; and our boards are made of fir-trees.
I remember once when Pastor Daniel laid hands on me during ministering time in Adventure Camp 2, he spoke a few things…but I only remembered two things which he spoke clearly. One of which is,
“You will be a pillar of strength to the ones around you”
Then, I didn’t understand why, how and what it truly means until I study on this today.
As I look at the characteristic of the Cedar tree, it’s majesty, how it grows, the little birds that finds refuge in it in the midst of storm, how it withstand the winds and storms…
I finally I understood what it meant.
Why is it so important to be grounded in the Word, his love & His grace.
The sparrows are the sheep he has given me to tend. We are all shepherd to someone he has place us with. Be the refuge to whom they could come to.
I hope you’re encourage by this “simple” illustration?Lastly, why do you see the storms in your life…without it you’ll never reach deeper. Without first reaching deep, you’ll never grow taller.
Bringing back the meaning to grow…
”If something grows into a particular state, it changes gradually until it is of that state.”
I believe the state is when He has perfectly completed the work in you.(Phil1:6 a verse I always whole dear)
Love this:
Psalms 104:16
The Lords trees have plenty of water .
They are the cedar trees of Lebanon,
Which He planted(ICB)
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