The Noble Cedar

Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a Sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a Tender One, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a Noble Cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord."

~Ezekiel 17:22-24

Walk through all the woodlands, fields and forests, search every valley and climb every mountain, and you shall not find a single tree that can compare with the splendour of this noble Cedar: Christ Jesus, the tender Sprig, the righteous Branch, the true Vine!

Consider the soil from which this noble Cedar grows, meditate upon the lineage into which Christ was born. Some of the supposedly great men and women of history were like the parasitic plants of the forest that feed upon others becoming great through their exploitation of the masses. Some men and women in history have been like weeds, quietly disguised among the masses until they grow to be a great terror to the land spreading their sinful ideologies until they have plagued the nation with the painful consequences of their ideas.

But this Christ Jesus grows from the "root of Jesse" (Isaiah 11:10), the offspring of king David and therefore we see how this majestic Cedar is called Noble by God for it grows from a kingly lineage that is above all the kingdoms of this world. Let us, all the trees of the field, therefore bow down before this Cedar.

Be in awe of the eternality of this Cedar. Cedars are generally hardy trees with a very strong bark, enduring all kinds of tempestuous elements, and yet even the cedars are broken by "the voice of the Lord" (Psalm 29:5). Every single tree on this planet will eventually decay or be cut down. But this noble Cedar, being planted by God Almighty Himself cannot be uprooted and shall flourish forever. Let all those who boast in their petty positions of power despise themselves and worship this eternal King Jesus.

How sweet are the fruits from this noble Tree. Do we not "delight to sit in His shade"? Is the excellency of Christ not like "an apple tree among the trees of the forest"? (Song of Solomon 2:3) Is not His fruit "sweet to my taste" O how we delight in our union with this Vine! O the sap of His spiritual joy that He refreshes us with! What gracious visitations to our souls, fresh revelations of His person and what consolations & nourishment are found in Him!

Rejoice in the universality of this tree: The LORD says that every kind of bird may nest in it's shade: The mighty hawk and the little hummingbird, the raven and the robin, the Jews and the gentiles. Christ Himself said, "anyone who truly comes to me, I will not cast out".

Come therefore my friend and be united to this Vine. There is no life for branches disconnected from this tree. But to be ingrafted into Christ the noble Cedar, the true Vine is life abundant.