Hebrew
Highlights 32 – As Plants
Shalom. This is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from
Jerusalem.
PSA 128:1-4 (A
Song of Ascents.) How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His
ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of
your hands, You will be happy and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine,
Within your house, Your children like olive plants Around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed Who
fears the Lord.
Have you ever
thought of yourself, or of your spouse or children as plants? This theme is repeated many times in many
ways throughout the scriptures. For
instance, in PSA 92:12-13, we are told that “The righteous man will flourish
like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, They will
flourish in the courts of our God.” Or,
how about PSA 52:8, “But as for me, I am
like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of
God forever and ever.”
This idea of
us being compared to plants is carried on by Yeshua in the famous passage in
JOH 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I
in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
So, what is
the point exactly. Let’s think about
plants and trees for a moment. You may
know that in both trees, and many other kinds of plants, the root system is as
big, or sometimes even bigger than what we see above ground. The plant spends as much time and energy
seeking nourishment from its source as it does reaching out and bearing
fruit. In fact, if a plant stops
flowering, there’s a good chance that the problem lies below the surface.
I remember
reading once about a grapevine somewhere in England that was known to be
hundreds of years old. It had continued
to bear consistently, even through years of drought. After an exhaustive investigation, it was
discovered that the vine’s root system extended to a river, 6 miles away.
If we can
spend as much energy seeking the Lord, our source of nourishment, as we do
trying to minister, we may actually have some fruit to show for our
efforts. Also, being firmly stuck in
Him, we will not be toppled by life’s unrelenting storms.
Other than
fruit, there is something else trees provide, and that is shade. Shade for others around us, who may be
suffering from the heat of the spiritual battle, to find shelter in.
Another
natural wonder about plants is, of course, is that they reproduce. When we are strong and healthy, and working
according to the Master Vine Dresser’s plan, new believers will spring up
around us.
We also cannot
forget, that trees need to pruned, and vines trimmed. Again, this makes the roots, and the trunk,
or stem, stronger and stronger. Is it
any wonder that the Lord himself was referred to as a stem in prophecy in
ISA 11:1-2, “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of
Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The
spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
By the way, the Hebrew word “geza”
can be translated equally as stem, trunk, or stump. Even when, for some reason or another, a tree
has been cut down, a new sprout can spring from the stump. When Yeshua was cut down, and died, He rose
again gloriously, and bore the fruit of the church. The seed of His Holy Spirit continues to
reproduce itself through us, if we don’t let our own roots dry up.
One more little gem of truth about plants comes to
mind. They do well when not alone in the
field. Trees like to be in orchards,
plants in rows, and vines entangled with one another. Their pollen is spread better in this way,
and their fruit increases.
I’ll leave you today with a wonderful blessing. This is a good one to share with your
family. You might even want to hang it
up somewhere as a reminder.
PSA 144:12-15
Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, And our daughters as corner
pillars fashioned as for a palace; Let our garners be full, furnishing every
kind of produce, And our flocks bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our
fields; Let our cattle bear, Without mishap and without loss, Let there be no
outcry in our streets! How blessed are
the people who are so situated; How blessed are the people whose God is the
Lord!
Shalom, Shalom from
Jerusalem.