Thursday, 4 July 2019

What do you see?

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Question of the day: Can you explain what is going on in these two verses? Jeremiah 1:11-12 "Moreover, the word of Adonai came to me, saying, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' I answered, 'I see an almond branch.' Then Adonai said to me, 'You have seen correctly, for I am watching over My word to perform it.'"

Answer: Yes, and isn't that good, since I asked the question. The almond tree (we do not have them in East Tennessee) requires a warm dry climate (like in Israel). It blossoms in February and sometimes even in January, while most other trees are still dormant. Therefore; its name comes from the Hebrew word for watch out or awake, Shaked”(Shin-Kuf-Dalet).

The reason I am making this part of my answer is that there is a play on this word in these two verses. In verse 11, Jeremiah sees an almond branch. In verse 12, God explains it by relating that image to God's intention to watch out for His "word, to perform it."

The almond branch was also a symbol when Aaron's rod budded almonds. You may recall Aaron's rod was a dead stick, and so were all the other staffs of all the other heads of the 12 tribes. God brought forth life from the dead when Aaron's rod budded. Aaron's rod was not a tribal rod, but the rod of the office of priest.

God is Shaked, awakening people, to His word, which He will perform. Isaiah 55:11-12 "so My word will be that goes out from My mouth. It will not return to Me in vain, but will accomplish what I intend, and will succeed in what I sent it for. Yes, you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth before you singing, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands!"