Believers grow upright and strong like cedars in Lebanon. As cedars grow upward, so do believers as they keep their gaze on the Lord.The perfect illustration of cedar-like growth is our Lord Jesus Christ.For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground..(Isa 53:2). He grew in wisdom, stature,and in favor with God and man(Luke 2:52). It proceeded to Him displaying maturity that we are to emulate in our walk. His growth was progressive and ours will likewise resemble that. He displayed formidable determination whenever he was faced with opposition or resistance. As we grow like the cedar,we are able to withstand pressure with the help of the Holy Spirit. Where our strength reaches an impasse, we find new strength from the Lord. As the scriptures say, my heart and my flesh may fail but the Lord is the strength of my life(Psa 73:26). When the Lord’s sweat became like great drops of blood in the garden, his strength was subsequently renewed to empower him. He was able to proceed with the will of the Father.
What are the signs that we are growing like cedars?
We are enabled by the Holy Ghost to live in the spirit more than the flesh. We find ourselves more saturated with the Lord and the things of God than being tethered to this earth realm
We are able to think and live according to the word of God and not conform to the ways of this world
We are able to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. When tempted to complain we praise the Lord. When tempted to retaliate we choose love. When tempted to be proud we choose humility. When tempted to harbor resentments we choose forgiveness and mercy. We see ourselves increasingly displaying the nature of Christ and not our human nature.
We become unshakeable and immovable when trials come. This is not to say we don’t feel any pain, no. We are still human after all. But our humanity does not control us. The grace of the Lord is sufficient to sustain us
We have to be planted to grow like cedars. We ensure that we are planted when we hold fast to his Word. Then when growth comes, we have to ensure that we remain in him. We cannot be tossed to and fro or be inconsistent in our relationship with the Lord because we will have shallow roots. Growth is uncomfortable and painful at times. This is where many fall away. We have to know that the Lord will many times prioritize our growth over immediate reward or relief. Our faith which is much more precious than silver and gold has to be tested. With that comes the endurance we need to proceed with the Lord. Many of us lack endurance because when the test comes, we turn away from the Lord. We stunt our growth and wonder why we are not maturing in Christ. Instead of trials causing us to turn to Him, we turn to other things(idols). We then come back when the storm has ceased. The Bible says Father sowed a son to reap many sons, not babes.
Some facts on the Cedar of Lebanon
-The Cedar of Lebanon is a tough tree. It can withstand both extremes of the weather scale as well as resist many pests and diseases.
-It’s shape adapts to it’s environment. In a forest setting, the Cedar of Lebanon typically grows pointy and straight branches.On the other hand, in more open and free environments, its majestic foliage covers much more horizontal space.
-It doesn’t flower before the age of 30;
-The sawdust of the Cedar of Lebanon contains substances that naturally repel snakes, making the area around its trunk a relatively safe napping haven.
-Ancient civilizations, especially Phoenicia, used cedar timber to construct various buildings.
-Many old temples and palaces, in addition to boats, furniture, and other objects were cedar-wood constructions. 1
How these facts compare to our spiritual walk
The Adam Clarke Commentary quotes a scholar who visited the trees in 1697 as saying: “These noble trees grow among the snow, near the highest part of Lebanon”
Fortification and endurance are developed, not given. They are developed in the arena of discomfort, on the treacherous terrain the Lord leads us into.
Just as the cedar’s shape adapts to it’s environment and grows, so too are we expected to grow no matter the circumstances we are in. There are no excuses. Jesus says “You have not chosen Me but I have chosen you and I have appointed you so that you also will go bring forth fruit and your fruit will remain.. (John 15:16)
It doesn’t flower until it is 30. Growth takes time and we cannot rush the process. Some believers grow faster than others, but it generally takes time to grow in the Lord. We must not equate growth with how the Lord uses us. We can move in the gifts of the Spirit but still be immature, as evidenced by the church in Corinthian. They were babes in Christ, yet they were moving chaotically in the gifts until Paul came and established order on how to flow in them.
It’s sawdust repels serpents and that is likened to how we are to be the light of the world and salt of the earth, moving in our authority to repel darkness in our world.
Many ancient civilizations used the cedar to construct their buildings. This is likened to how the Lord uses us to establish His kingdom in the earth through us. We are His “building blocks”.
The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary states about the phrase “roots as Lebanon” in this verse: “that is, as the trees of Lebanon (especially the cedars), which cast down their roots as deeply as is their height upwards ….”
It is written that our roots are to grow deep in him (Col 2:7)Our growth will be directly proportional to the depth of our roots in Him.Cedar wood is not consumed by worms or time; nor the Church by antiquity nor persecution. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it, nor any true member of it. Of which the reason is, because these … cedars—these righteous men—are planted, set by faith, watered by the word … rooted by charity in the Church, which is the house of the Lord; and therefore they shall flourish—be green and vigorous in the courts of our God” (Adam Clarke)
- https://the961.com./facts-about-cedar-of-lebanon// ↩︎