The cedar of Lebanon is mentioned 71 times in the Bible. Why?
The cedar of Lebanon is the most enduring living thing that the ancient Hebrews knew. Growing to a height of 100 feet, the cedar of Lebanon is also the tallest tree in the region. This evergreen tree grows slowly but steadily. It takes longer to bear fruit than most trees, but the cedar of Lebanon will continue to bear fruit for centuries after other trees have decayed. “It still bears multitudes of cones when it has been riven by lightning or torn and almost uprooted by the wind . . . Affliction only develops its grace” (Schaff’s Bible Dictionary). In Lebanon’s cedar forests, trees over the age of 1,000 years are thriving. Psalm 92:12-14 proclaims that the righteous “shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.”
During biblical times, Lebanon cedars were transported over 200 miles to construct the temple in Jerusalem. According to I Kings 6:18, “all was cedar; there was no stone seen.” The temple of God’s presence was made entirely out of cedar wood. The Israelites went to great efforts to get cedar wood because of its durability and its resistance to rotting. Like the cedar that was used to build the temple, the house of the Lord, we too can be planted in God’s presence. This enables us to keep on growing, regardless of storms or bugs that come our way.
Cedar trees come naturally equipped with bug spray and Band-Aids! The smell of the wood is so powerful that it repels most insects. If the insects try to eat its leaves, the sap will clog their throats. The sap also heals wounds on the tree. If you gash the tree’s trunk, the sap will cover the gash, protecting it from fungus. The sap hardens, acting as a Band-Aid for the tree. Psalm 104:16-17 rejoices, “The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted.” The sap is both an energizing life-force and a built-in protection. We too come with built-in protection. Not sap, but the kingdom of heaven within. Nothing can stop the vitality of omnipotent God!
