Plants of the Bible
9. The Cedar – Power
“His countenance is as Lebanon,
excellent as the cedars”
(Song of Solomon 5:15)
Image: © Habeeb.com
For our plant this month we turn once again to Solomon’s wonderful Song. In this verse the church is speaking of Christ and what he means to her. In her eyes he appears like Lebanon. She is thinking of the mountain country in the north of Israel. There the cedar tree once grew in great abundance. Its symbol may be seen today on the national flag of Lebanon.
The cedar is traditionally found in the countries of the Mediterranean, particularly in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Cyprus, and also in the northern part of Africa. It is a conifer, meaning that it bears cones like our Scots pine. From these cones winged seeds are released during the winter.
The cedar is also an evergreen, meaning that it is in leaf throughout the year. The leaves are small and needle-like in form, appearing as clusters on the shorter shoots and more spaced out on the longer shoots. The leaves are green to grey-blue in colour. It is possible that you will see the cedar as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens.
In ancient times wood from the cedar tree was used to make ships. Most famously of all the cedar was used in the construction of the temple in Jerusalem (1Kings 6:9,10) and also the king’s palace (1Kings 7:1,2). Knowing that it was the will of God that he should erect these great buildings King Solomon sent to Hiram king of Tyre saying, “Hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon” (1Kings 5:6). How may the cedar tree be compared to Christ?
Firstly there is the cedar’s stature. A mature cedar is a striking sight, growing to a hundred feet in height. When Solomon “spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall” (1Kings 4:33), he ranged from the greatest of trees to the least.
Jesus Christ is certainly splendid to consider. He is God’s firstborn and “higher than the kings of the earth” (Psa.89:27). He is “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph.1:21). He is God as well as man and worthy of our worship. As the Saviour of his people God has laid upon him “honour and majesty” (Psa.21:5). He is “Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Rev.17:14).
Secondly there is the cedar’s stretch. The cedar is unusual for the number and length of its branches. They are as thick as the trunks of other trees and the result is a vast canopy which fans out a great distance. So the prophet Ezekiel could speak of a cedar “with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud” (Ezek.31:3).
You know that the Lord Jesus died at Calvary. To most who were present the sorrows of the Saviour meant nothing and brought nothing into this world. How wrong they were! What looked like an unpromising beginning was to lead to a blessed ending. The psalmist put it this way: “There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon” (Psa.72:16).
The crucifixion of Christ seemed to many to be as pointless as sowing a little grain on a rocky, barren hill. But now there is a great harvest! Through the preaching of Christ crucified lost sinners are entering into salvation by repentance and faith. So many of them, and from every nation! When the wind blows through a field full of ripe corn it shakes the heavy ears and makes them rustle, just as it does the trees. Does Jesus hear you giving him praise? What a wide dominion Christ will finally have! “And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29).
Finally there is the cedar’s strength. Such is the size and stability of the cedar that it is able to survive the storms that bring other trees crashing down. The raging of the wind does not disturb it. Only when God sends thunder and lightning does it fall. “The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon” (Psa.29:5).
We shall never be saved until we understand why Jesus died on the cross. Some people think that wicked men took away Christ’s life. But Jesus said of his own life, “No man taketh it from me” (John 10:18). No, this mighty cedar only fell when God the Father called upon the sword of his justice to awake, to flash its blade and to fall upon his Son in our flesh (Zech.13:7). Jesus was punished by God in the place of others! By his suffering for their sins the Lord Jesus purchased the church and established God’s everlasting kingdom.
We can see how in this way “the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor.1:25). By his death Jesus has power to save guilty, perishing, hell-deserving sinners. Joined to Christ the believer is pardoned of all his sins and made to stand strong by his Saviour’s love. He begins to “flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar" (Psa.92:12). He is able to say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil.4:13). May the Lord bless you with this so great salvation!
