groves of Cedar
In Psalm 29, it says that "the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon".
So, what was the significance for David writing this? Lebanon cedar trees must have some significance, right?
From Wikipedia:
History, symbolism and uses
The importance of the Cedar of Lebanon to the various civilizations is conveyed through its uses. The trees were used in ancient times by the Phoenicians to build their trade and military ships, as well as their houses and temples. The Egyptians used its resin for mummification, and its sawdust was found in the pharaoh's tombs. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh designates the cedar groves of Lebanon as the dwelling of the gods to where Gilgamesh ventured. They also used to burn cedar in their ceremonies. Jewish priests were ordered by Moses to use the bark of the Lebanon Cedar in circumcision and treatment of leprosy. According to the Talmud, Jews used to burn Lebanese cedar wood on the Mount of Olives to announce the beginning of the new year. Kings of neighboring and distant countries asked for this wood to build their religious and civil constructs, the most famous of which are King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and David's and Solomon's Palaces. In addition it was used by Romans, Greeks, Persians, Assyrians and Babylonians.
Cedars of God
Once Lebanon was shaded by thick cedar forests, so it is no coincidence that the tree is the symbol of the entire country. Today, after centuries of persistent deforestation, the extent of this forest heritage has been markedly reduced. The trees however, do survive in mountains areas and there they seem to reign supreme. This is the case of the slopes of Mount Makmel that tower over the Kadisha Valley where, at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, rest the Cedars of God. There are 12 trees that are over one thousand years old, and about 400 that are more than one hundred. Four of them have reached a height of 35 meters and their trunks are between 12 and 14 meters around.[2] Concern for the Biblical Cedars of God goes back to 1876 when the 102-hectare grove was surrounded by a high stone wall, which was financed by Great Britain's Queen Victoria. The wall protects against goats who enjoy feasting on young saplings.[3]
So, Lebanon Cedar trees represented everything associated with military ships, other gods and even other powers of this world (religious practices, buildings/palaces).
More from Wikipedia, Lebanon Cedar trees represent politics:
Regional significance
The Lebanon Cedar has always been the national emblem of Lebanon, and it is seen on the Lebanese Flag. It is also the main symbol of the Cedar Revolution, along with many political parties in Lebanon. As a result of long exploitation, very few old trees now remain in Lebanon, but there is now an active program to conserve and regenerate the forests. The forest of the Cedars of God in Bsharri and the Barouk forest are national reserves in Lebanon. Extensive replanting is also taking place in Turkey, where about 30,000 hectares of cedar are planted annually.
Now, very few trees remain. Isn't that interesting. Lebanon now has a program in place to regenerate the (Lebanon) Cedar groves.
"The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon."
What do you think David meant in this Psalm - what do you think it means today?
posted by jazzchaplain @ 11:58 AM
2 Comments:
Al,
The cedar's of Lebanon in Psalm 29 are quite significant to exemplify the glorious strength of God. In this Psalm, David even instructed the heavenly beings (angels) to "ascribe to His glory and strength".
It must have been quite a storm David was observing as the storm was a showcase for the awesomeness of our Father. Furthermore, this storm prompted David to illustrate through this psalm to the greatness of our Father.
I also think that David understood and knew the strength of the majestic cedars of Lebanon hence the reason for their use in this psalm's illustration as to the mightiness of God. They seem to be a substantially, hearty tree with various uses from ship building to constructing the temple as you stated.
What does this mean for us today? Well, you can jump to Mark 4:37-41 when Jesus told the wind to stop in the middle of another significant storm. True, this is not about the great cedars you spoke of, but the flavour of the psalm was the awesome power of God and the Cedars were an illustration of His great strength. In Mark 4, “Even the wind and the sea obey him”. This too speaks of the awesome power and glory of Jesus, God’s Son. So, in a nutshell, I think that the David illustrated very well the power and glory of God through Psalm 29 in the midst of a storm. Today, we can take the illustration of Jesus’ voice calming the wind and the sea as substantial strength and glory as He will only do and say what he sees his Father say and do. Basically, we serve an awesome and mighty God who sees fit to restore the Cedars of Lebanon today…hmmmmm, now I wonder about the significance of that conservation. What is the Father up to?
Still wondering,
Laura
Al,
It is funny as I approached the Lord last night to hear from Him concerning our church and very specifically the direction He is calling us to with various ministries especially our children’s ministry. It is peculiar that He led me to your blog and I read about the cedars of Lebanon and started this fun adventure with Him. So, here it is today. This morning as I was in the shower (I hear the Father clearly in those rushing waters of the shower head) and I was pondering about why He was now conserving and building up the cedars of Lebanon. I heard Him say, “So you can see my glory and my strength.” I could only just sit in awe in what the Lord had said. He opened up Psalm 29 with the same ideal, “…ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.” So, I have marinated in that great word ALL day.
Now we will forward to just a few minutes ago. I just got off the phone with a close friend who is also hearing from the Lord concerning the cedars of Lebanon and I directed her to your blog as I knew it would melt her socks off. She directed me to a book I bought about 2 months ago – “A Bible Study of the Song of Songs”. Here is a fun illustration concerning the cedars.
“Cedars may illustrate the new creation of God, of His Saints.
*The cedar is a very noble and stately tree. It grows very high toward heaven (Isa. 33:15-17, Col. 3:1-2).
*The cedar is a tree that takes deep root. The tree grows high, it grown proportionately downward with its roots so it does not easily fall down (Hosea 12:5, II Sam. 23:5).
*The cedar is a very strong tree (Ps. 84:7).
*The cedar is a tree full of sap. It also bears a sort of fruit and its canopy brings forth shade for birds (Ps. 92: 12-15, Ezk. 17:23).
*The cedar is a very profitable tree, and it is excellent for building. As you stated previously, Solomon made use of it in building the temple (Eph. 2:21-22 “21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”).
As you can see that leads me to this latest addendum concerning the cedars of Lebanon. In Him, we are raised up to become the holy temple in the Lord. The cedars of Lebanon throughout the Old and New Testament bear witness to US! To more fully answer the question you posed on your blog, “What do you think David meant in this Psalm – what do you think it means today?” I believe that WE are the ones to which the cedars illustrates throughout the Word of God. We, who are in Him, are noble and stately through our adoption as we are seated at the right hand of the Father in Him. We desire and are called to take deep roots in Him to grow upward toward Heaven. We are very strong in Him and wecan do ALL things in and through Him. We have the sap that has been traced to David’s lineage through Him and we bear the fruit of Him, and we are VERY profitable as He paid in full through the giving of his own life. His voice breaks us as He breaks the cedars through his voice and through his Word. God is pretty amazing as you stated, He is regenerating the cedars of Lebanon and He is still in the business of regenerating us. What an amazing and awesome Father we serve.
Laura
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