De-LEAF

Posted on October 13, 2017 | 1 comment

1-DSC05874Leaves drop  from trees in the autumn season. We used to call them “fall leaves” because trees dropped them mid-to-late autumn or fall.

At one time, children raked leaves; however, now leaves are blown onto a pile and vacuumed into a truck to be dumped in the land fill!

If leaves didn’t fall, then trees would have no space for new leaf buds  in the spring.

Perhaps our lives are the same way, i.e, if parts of us don’t die and fall off,  there is no room for new growth.

Reflection: Do you want new growth in your life? If so, what are you willing to let fall or give up?

Copyright December 11, 2013; Carolyn A. Roth

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Resilient Hawthorn

Posted on October 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

 

In the Bible

The Bible mentions the hawthorn tree only once (Job 30:4). In Job, often Bible translations don’t use the word hawthorn; rather broom tree is used.  One hawthorn trees grow in the Israeli landscape:  Crataegus aronia also known as Crataegus azarolus and commonly called the spiny hawthorn. It is deciduous (not an evergreen) tree . In ancient Israel, it grew on both sides of the Jordan River. Some believe the crown of thorns worn by Christ was made from the hawthorn; but likely the crown of thorns was made from another plant.

Tree characteristics

Crataegus means strong or sharp point in Greek. The Greek name is appropriate because the tree is strong and has thorns (sharp points). In the United States, the primary hawthorn tree is the Crataegus phaenopyrum. We call it the Washington hawthorn. American gardeners love this tree because in spring it has a beautiful cream to white flowers which turn into red berries (about ¼ inch in diameter) in autumn.  

Generally, hawthorn berries remain on trees throughout the winter. Birds and squirrels eat them. If any berries are left over in the spring, migrating spring birds finish them.

Another plus for the Washington hawthorn is that in autumn leaves turn copper to scarlet. They are spectacular. Trees are small to medium size and rarely reach over 30 feet in height although the crown spreads up to 30 feet. Washington hawthorn are tough trees which survive through droughts and don’t seem to be bothered by urban pollution. Often, trees are planted closely together to give

privacy. The tree prefers full sun and grows best in an acid to neutral pH. In the U.S., the Washington hawthorns grows readily in plant hardiness zones are 4 – 8.

Thorns and Legends

The downside to the Washington hawthorn is its thorns, particularly if planted in a play area. Alternatively, thorns can assist when the tree is planted to promote privacy. Depending on the variety of hawthorn, the thorns on the tree’s branches, twigs, and even trunks can be straight or curved. Some thorns measure

up to four inches long. Not only can the thorns cause puncture wounds, there have been responsible for bacterial infections and allergic reactions. A United States legend is that Paul Bunyan used a hawthorn tree as a back scratcher because of its thorns.

In our church Bible garden, we have several redbud trees which are aged. I am considering planting the Washington hawthorn when the redbud trees finally succumb to age. The Washington hawthorn is more stable than both a redbud tree and the Bradford pear tree which is a common tree in southwestern Virginia.

Reflection: Resilient, drought tolerant, grows in diverse environments. Does that describe you?

Copyright September 26, 2017; Carolyn Adams Roth. All rights reserved.

Note: Please check out my website: www.CarolynRothMinistry.com for books on Bible plants. Much of the material for this post was from the Arbor Day Foundation and Missouri Botanical Garden.Save

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I Want Garlic!

Posted on September 23, 2017 | 1 comment

Reference: Numbers 11:1-6

Story: After the Tabernacle was built and dedicated, the Israelites set out from the Mount Sinai area. Soon afterward, a group of individuals called “the rabble” began to complain about the hardships they encountered. Most scholars believe that the rabble were not Israelites; but opportunists who opted to leave Egypt when the Israelites slaves were allowed to leave. By this time, God was feeding the Israelites with manna.

One complaint by the rabble was that they craved food other than manna. Hearing the rabble complain, the Israelites joined their complaints. Both groups wailed and said:  If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never have anything but manna (Numbers 11:4-6).

In response, God did two things: 1) he gave the people quail to eat and 2) he killed all complainers. The Israelites buried them. The name of this place was Kibroth Hattaavah and it appears to be about 45 miles northeast of Mount Sinai.

Garlic was one of the foods that poor individuals and slaves ate in Egypt. In the United States, we use garlic as a seasoning or garnish, i.e., in stews, roasts, salads and on top of bread. Possibly garlic was more of a food staple in Egypt. I can imagine after over a year of eating manna, the rabble and some Israelites were tired of the monotony eating a relatively bland diet of manna. Thus, their complaints.

Growing Garlic: Garlic (‎Allium sativum) is easy to grow and produces numerous underground bulb. Plants are frost tolerant! Garlic can be planted early in the spring but bigger and more flavorful garlic comes from garlic planted in soil and allowed to overwinter there. Break apart cloves from bulb a few days before planting, but keep the papery husk on each individual clove. Plant cloves about one month before the ground freezes. Place cloves 4 inches apart and 2 inches deep, in their upright position (the wide root side facing down and pointed end facing up.

Mulch heavily with straw. In the spring remove the mulch after the last frost. Larger garlic bulbs will result if you cut off flowers that emerge in the spring. Over the summer fertilize with nitrogen especially if you see leaves turning yellow. Water every 3-5 days but do not let garlic stand in water.

Do not plant garlic cloves from the grocery store. They may be unsuited varieties for your area, and most are treated to make their shelf life longer. Obtain garlic cloves from a mail order seed company or a local nursery.

Symbolism and Application: Beyond its intense flavor and culinary uses, this “stinking rose” is an insect repellent and has been used for centuries as a home remedy. I believe that the symbolism of garlic is stink. The rabble in the desert stunk and their stink contaminated others, i.e., Israelites. Garlic acted as a bad apple that contaminated the bushel of apples because of its disease. The rabble stunk up or contaminated some true Israelites.

About 30 years ago I attended a certain church. By the time of this incident, I had been attending about 5 years. One night I received a telephone call from a relatively new church member. He began to tell me all the things that were wrong with the preacher. I listened and mentally I agreed with some things and some I disagreed with; however, I didn’t refute anything he said. At the end of his descriptions, he asked me to join a group who was trying to oust the preached. My answer was “No, thank you, I do not want to go this direction.” I always wondered why he joined the church if he disliked the pastor so much. There were plenty of other churches of that same denomination in the community.

Reflection: Garlic stinks and when eaten often causes bad breath. Christians who consume garlic-type foods can have bad breath when they witness to others.

Copyright: August 5, 2017: Carolyn A. Roth

Please visit my webpage (www.CarolynRothMinistry.com) and look at my blog on Bible plants to read more on plants in the Bible.

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Samuel and the Vineyard

Posted on September 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

Grapes from Gimso IsraelBible Reference:  1 Samuel chapter 8.

Samuel was a priest, a prophet, and the last judge over Israel.  Samuel’s life was at the intersection of two time points in Israel’s history: (1) when Israel was a theocracy and judges conveyed God’s will to the people and (2) when there was an earthly king over Israel.  Samuel was about 65 years old when the leaders of Israel came to his home at Ramah.  There, Israel’s leaders requested a king.  Their reasons were 1) Samuel was old; 2) his sons did not walk in his ways; i.e, Samuel’s sons’ perverted justice by accepting bribes; and 3) like other nations the Israelites wanted a king who would protect them and fight their battles for them.

Samuel was not pleased that Israel’s leaders asked for a king.  Most likely, Samuel was hurt, perceiving that the Israelites were rejecting his judgeship.  For approximately 350 years, Israel was ruled by God through judges.  Now, during Samuel’s tenure as judge, they asked for a king.  Despite his feelings, Samuel took the elders’ request to God. Possibly, Samuel thought God would be jealous of his divine rule and reject the Israelite’s request.  God’s response was to assure Samuel that the tribal elders were not rejecting Samuel, but that they were rejecting him (God).  God told Samuel to accede to the Israelites request for a king; but to first warn the Israelites what a king who ruled over them would do.  Acting on God’s direction, Samuel told the Israelites that a king would:

  • Take their sons to man and equip his chariots and horses, serve as warriors, make weapons of war, plow the kings ground, and reap the king’s harvest.
  • Take their daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
  • Give to his officials and attendants the best of their fields, vineyards (grapes), and olive groves and 1/10th of their grain and vintage (wine).
  • Take the best or their cattle and donkeys and 1/10 of their flocks.
  • Take for his use their menservants and maidservants

Samuel warned the Israelites that they would become the king’s slaves. When this happened, the Israelites would cry out to God, but God would not answer them. The Israelites refused to listen to Samuel’s warnings; emphatically, they asked for a king.  Once again Samuel took their demands to God.  God’s response was, “Listen to them and give them a king” (1 Samuel 8:22). Chapter 8 ends with Samuel telling the men of Israel to go back to their own town.  Chapter 9 begins with the story of the first king of Israel.

The Grape Vine

The plant that illustrates Samuel’s message to the Israelites is the grapevine. The grapevine is one of the seven plants that God told the Israelites would be available to them in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:8).  In ancient Israel, grape vines were a principle crop because grapes were used fresh or dried or made into wine. Taking the best of an Israelite’s vineyards could deprive a family of food and/or affect their income. Vitis vinifera is the botanical name for the grape that grows in Israel.  In ancient Israel when a family had only a few vines in the yard, often the vines remained laying on the ground.  The V. vineifera fruit is the grape.  The best grapes  are obtained when vines are pruned.  Wine is fermented grape juice.  Although the Negev was a popular area for wine growing in ancient times, today there are wine regions all over Israel.

Symbolism: Destiny

The grape vine and vineyards are mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.  At times the vine referred to peace and prosperity (1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4, and Zechariah 3:10).  At other times, the vine was associated with the Israelites and their destiny as God’s chosen Old Testament people (Psalms 80:8-16 and Isaiah 1:5-8).  Destiny means a predetermine course of events. Israel’s destiny was that God be their king; he was to be the watchman over the vineyard Israel (Psalm 121:3-4).  In Old Testament Israel, large vineyards were surrounded by a thorny hedge or stone wall.  A tower was placed in the vineyard for a watchman to guard the vineyard from thieves and/or destroyers.

Psalm 80 provides a succinct description of Israel as a vine and Israel’s destiny.  God brought a vine out of Egypt and drove out the nations and planted the vine in Canaan/Israel.  Initially the vine grew and flourished.  Then, the Psalmist laments, “why have you broken down its wall so that all who pass by pick its grapes?” (Psalm 80:12).  Regardless of the Psalmists lament, we must remember that the Israelites, not God, changed their destiny.  Had they continued in obedience and trust, God would have remained their watchman.  Certainly, Samuel’s warned the Israelites what their destiny would look like under an earthly king and numerous prophets warned them against rejecting God and turning to idolatry.

Despite Israel rejecting their God-given destiny, God did not leave the Israelites without hope.  In Zachariah, God told the Israelites that he would send them his servant, the Branch and remove the sin of the land in a single day (Zechariah 3:8–10). The branch is a title for the Messiah.  On the day Christ was crucified a way was opened to removed sin from Israel and the world.

What this story means for the 21st century

God has appointed a destiny for Christians, unbelievers, men, and women. This life or death destiny applies to all people.  Jews and Gentiles no longer have separate pathways to everlasting life (Ephesians 2:11-22).  Saint Paul described that destiny as, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The true and absolute pathway to life is through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Reflection.   Spend some time reflecting on your final destiny. Are you sure about it or do you have some doubts?  If so, read Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and John 3:16.  Then, talk to God about your life. Ask God to forgive your sins through belief in his son, Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of every man and woman

I love Bible plants along with their symbolism. If you want to learn more about them, read my two books: 1) Rooted in God and 2) God as a Gardener. You can purchase them from my website: Carolyn Roth Ministry at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/.

Copyright November 4, 2011; carolyn a. roth

 

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Daring Dahlia

Posted on September 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

 

Like the poinsettia, the dahlia is a western hemisphere plant. It was first found and described among the Aztecs of Mexico. In 1570 King Phillip II of Spain sent Francisco Hernandez to Mexico to study the natural resources of the country (http://www.dahlias.com/dahliahistory.aspx). The first drawings were made of the dahlias by an associate who was traveling with Hernandez and were published in 1651.

The next time dahlias appear in history is 1789, the director of the Botanical Garden at Mexico City sent plant parts to Antonio Jose Cavarilles, on staff at the Royal Gardens of Madrid in Spain. From these he grew and flowered 3 new plant forms, Dahlia pinnata, D. rosea, and D. coccinea. Cavarilles named the genus after Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist. The scarlet Dahlia coccinea was crossed with a mauve-flowered species, possibly D. pinnata, which ultimately resulted in the first modern dahlia hybrid.  Through the 1800’s and 1900’s thousands of new forms were developed.  Nearly 50,000 named varieties have been listed in various registers and classification lists. All of these dahlia forms were hybridized from at least two, and possibly all three of the original Dahlia species from Mexico.

Wisdom and wit from a British poet:

The Dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises forever shall speak
‘Mid gardens as sweet as your smile
And colour as bright as your cheek.
–Lord Holland (1773–1840)

Characteristics of Dahlias

Blooms are colorful spiky flowers which generally bloom from midsummer to first frost, when many other plants are past their best. Dahlias come in a rainbow of colors. I have yellow, magenta and red at home. They are a range of size, from the giant 10-inch “dinnerplate” blooms to the 2-inch lollipop-style pompons. Most varieties grow 4 to 5 feet tall.

Though not well suited to extremely hot and humid climates, such as much of Texas and Florida, dahlias brighten up any sunny garden with a growing season that’s at least 120 days long. Dahlias thrive in the cool, moist climates of the Pacific Coast, where blooms may be an inch larger and deeper. In the cold climates of North America, dahlias are known as tuberous-rooted tender perennials, grown from small, brown, biennial tubers planted in the spring.

Dahlias may be hardy to USDA Zone 8. There, they can be left in the ground to overwinter. In areas that get frost, including most parts of Zone 5, a killing frost—or a touch of frost—can help the bulb to shut down/go dormant. In cold regions, if you wish to save your plants, you have to dig up the tubers in early fall and store them over the winter.

Planting Advice:

Don’t be in a hurry to plant; dahlias will struggle in cold soil. Ground temperature should reach 60°F. Wait until all danger of spring frost is past before planting. Select a planting site with full sun. Dahlias grow more blooms with 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. They love the morning sunlight best. Choose a location with a bit of protection from the wind. Dahlias start blooming about 8 weeks after planting, starting in mid-July.

There’s no need to water the soil until the dahlia plants appear; in fact, over-watering can cause tubers to rot. After dahlias are established, provide a deep watering 2 to 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes with a sprinkler (and more in dry, hot climates). Dahlias benefit from a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer (similar to what you would use for vegetables) such as a 5-10-10 or 10-20-20. Fertilize after sprouting and then every 3 to 4 weeks from mid-summer until early Autumn. Do NOT over-fertilize, especially with nitrogen, or you risk small/no blooms, weak tubers, or rot.

Reflection: I searched my books on plants in the Bible and plants in Israel to try to find a plant like a dahlia. I could find none. At first, I was sad that I could not relate dahlia to the Bible, but then I thought about creation. Dahlia flowers are part of God’s creation. Because they are not in Israel or any of the holy lands does not mean that they are less valuable. There is a lesson in there somewhere for my life.

Copyright: August 3, 2017: Carolyn A. Roth

Please visit my website at: http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com.

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Ezekiel’s Bread

Posted on August 23, 2017 | Leave a comment

Millet berries, flourThe story of Ezekiel making bread from legumes and grains is told in Ezekiel chapter 4.

Ezekiel was a prophet and priest. About five years after he was deported from Jerusalem, God called Ezekiel to proclaim a message of judgment against the Jewish nation.  Much of the judgment focused on Jerusalem as the political, religious, and social hub of the nation. Ezekiel acted out the siege of Jerusalem in a series of symbolic acts. In the first, Ezekiel drew besieged Jerusalem on a clay tablet. In the second symbolic act, Ezekiel laid bound on his sides for 430 days representing the years of Israel’s and Judah’s sin.

Ezekiel’s third symbolic act about God’s judgment on Jerusalem represented famine. God told Ezekiel to bake a single cake of bread to eat every day. The bread was to be made from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Taken together the grains and legumes were to weigh 20 shekels, equivalent to about 8 ounces. With the bread Ezekiel should drink about 22 ounces (1.4 pints) of water.

While some of these legumes and grains were mixed together to make bread, it was unusual to make bread from all six of them. Several Old Testament scholars reported that the poorest people of the land combined the grains and beans with camel’s milk and oil to make bread; but poverty was not the issue in besieged Jerusalem  (Ezekiel 7:18-21). The problem was that basic foods were so scarce in Jerusalem that people did not have enough of one type of grain, e.g. barley, to make bread. People scoured for any grain or legumes available to make a loaf of bread.

God ended his instructions to Ezekiel on how to prepare the bread by explaining the symbolic meaning of Ezekiel’s activity.  God would break the supply of bread and water to Jerusalem. He would do this so that the Jewish people in Jerusalem would “waste away because of their sin” (Ezekiel 4:17, NIV-SB, 2002). The famine stricken Jerusalemites would be appalled at the sight of each other.

Millet

Most likely the Biblical millet was Panicum miliaceum. Supposedly a head of millet produces about 1000 seeds, thus the name miliaceum. Other names include the common millet and in the United States, the broom corn millet. Millet was one of the earliest cereal grains domesticated.  In Mesopotamia, millet dated back to 3000 B.C. No early traces of millet were found in Israel; millet was listed in only one of three Israeli plant databases studied.  Millet is the 6th most important gain in the world and helps feed 1/3 of the world’s population. The fruit is the millet seed. Each ripe cluster contains a multitude of seeds enclosed in a round, hard hull. Hulls are various colors from white through black and are removed via threshing.  The bran or seed coat is always creamy white. Millet is a gluten-free seed that has been described as tasting mildly sweet with a nut-like flavor.  Besides being cultivated for human food, millet is also used for bird and poultry seed.

Symbolism: Famine

Millet occurs once in the Bible, as one grain that Ezekiel used to make bread (Ezekiel 4:9).  P. miliaceum, the smallest of all cereal grains, symbolizes famine which kills millions of people.  Almost every time famine was seen in the Promised Land, it was God’s punishment for Israel’s sins. Often famine resulted from God withholding rains; but sometimes there were other causes of famine. For example, during the time of the prophet Joel, God used locust to create famine in Judah.The famine that God showed to Ezekiel occurred when the Babylonian army encircled Jerusalem, destroyed the produce of the land, and ensured that no one could get in or out of the city.

Although the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, the famine was God’s punishment on the Jews because they rejected him and worshipped idols. God told Ezekiel that 1/3 third of Jerusalem’s population would die of pestilence or famine, 1/3 would be killed by the sword, and 1/3 would be scattered to the winds with the sword pursuing them (Ezekiel 5:12). God foretold cannibalism in Jerusalem saying that fathers would eat their sons and sons eat their fathers (Ezekiel, 5:10).

Most of us don’t have experience with famine to the point of cannibalism. In fact, most of us have never been seriously hungry. Looking ahead, however, this scenario may be different.   Christ warned his disciple that near the end of the ages, famines and earthquakes would occur in various places (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8). Even though we live in the United States with an abundance of food, we should not assume that our country will be exempt from the famine that Christ foretold. At the end of the ages, famine will not be restricted to sub-Saharan Africa or parts of southwest Asia.

In Revelations chapter 7, John recorded that the Lamb opened seven seals. Many scholars interpret the opening of seals as prophecy of what will occur on earth during the Great Tribulation. Opening the fourth seal set free a pale horse (Revelations 6:7-8) with a rider named Death. Hades followed Death. Death and Hades were given authority over ¼ of the earth. They were allowed to kill with the sword, famine, pestilence (epidemic disease), and wild beasts.  These disasters echo the punishment that God inflicted on Judah, whom he selected from all the races, nations, and tribes of the earth as his Chosen People.

Reflection. God punished Jerusalem and the Jews with famine. What does the future hold for you, our nation, and our world?

I love Bible plants along with their symbolism. If you want to learn more about them, read my two books: 1) Rooted in God and 2) God as a Gardener. You can purchase them from my website: Carolyn Roth Ministry at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/

Copyright November 14, 2012; carolyn a. roth

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Rooted in God 2

Posted on August 18, 2017 | 2 comments

Rooted in God 2 is a significant revision of my first book Rooted in God. Because my original publisher closed, I had to revise and republish the book (bah humbug). Rooted in God 2 is a Bible study but it is different from the Bible studies church members often engage in. This study is indeed rooted in God. Its focus is mankind’s interactions with plants and the symbolism of those plants in Holy Scripture. There are study questions at the end of the 15 chapters.

You can purchase Rooted in God 2 at a substantially reduced price on my website: http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com. If you want to buy in bulk, contact me (carolyn.roth@ymail.com). I can reduce the cost of shipping for multiple books.

Blessings, Carolyn

 

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Job’s Tears

Posted on August 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

Reference:  Book of Job

If anyone had the right to cry it was Job. He lost his children, wealth, and health. His beloved wife advised him to curse God and die. Instead, Job tried to figure out what he did wrong that God punished him with major losses. Job and his friends, who came to console Job on his many losses, adhered to the Near East philosophy that God gave success and a good life to an individual when he/she obeyed God. When individuals suffered reversals or bad things happened to them, God was punishing them for sins, either overt or covert. In reality, Job’s circumstances were not punishment from God.

Job’s Tears

An ornamental grass, Job’s tears plants (Coix lacryma-jobi) represent the biblical Job during the challenges he faced. Job’s tears seeds are small and pea-like. They begin as grayish green orbs and then ripen to a rich tan brown or dark mocha color.

Job’s tears plants are an ancient cereal grain. Most often Job’s tears are grown as an annual, but may survive as a perennial where frosts do not occur. Job’s tears ornamental grass makes an interesting border or container specimen that may get up to six feet tall. These wide arching stems add graceful interest to the garden. Job’s tear plants produces strings of seeds that resemble beads. These seeds make excellent natural jewelry and have a hole in the center that wire or jewelry thread passes through easily.

Job’s tears are easy to cultivate and plants start quickly from seed. They self-sow and germinate readily when planted in moist loam. It is possible to save the seeds for an early spring sowing. Remove the seed in fall and dry them. Store them in a cool, dry location and then plant in early spring when all chance of frost has passed.

Application

When something bad or suboptimal happens to me, I always try to figure out why.  I ask God, “what do you want me to learn from this happening?” I apply my reason to the suboptimal event. Candidly, I am resentful on Job’s behalf. Some part of me thinks it is not fair that God allowed Satan to kill Job’s children.

The problem or challenge that Job had and that I have is that I imagine God in my image. Consequently, I impose on God my limitations to include my limited thought processes. In reality, God’s thoughts are so much higher than mine that I should not even try to figure out what He is thinking when something occurs in my life. I don’t think it ever occurred to Job, his wife, or friends that God’s power was being played out in the spiritual realm.

Reflection: Are you willing to trust God with your spouse, children, health, job, etc.? If so, what would you do differently in your life?

Copyright: August 3, 2017: Carolyn A. Roth

Please check my website http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com

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Spitfire

Posted on August 3, 2017 | 2 comments

Crocosmia (Spitfire) is growing in St. John Lutheran Bible Garden. This plant was not identified in the Bible. I put it in the garden because I like it. The leaves are similar to those of an Iris, so I try to justify its inclusion on that basis. The flower is similar to an Israeli plant, the Chasmanthe floribunda, which is also called the African coneflower.  But, enough of my justifications for including it in this blog on Bible plants.

The Spitfire cultivar is know for its beautiful orange flowers. They grow in plant zones 5 -8 as perennials. Spitfire prefers full sun but wet soil causes rotting of roots. I have them planted two places. One, where I rarely water and they are growing vigorously. Another place gets water regularly and the long leaves have turned brown and there are few buds. Probably, I should transplant them to a dryer garden.

Application:  Have you ever thought about a Spitfire?  In the Bible, the word spitfire is not used. According to the Webster dictionary, a spitfire is a quick tempered or highly emotional person. In the Old Testament, Samson would have qualified. By the New Testament, generally, the word most closely resembled a firebrand. Often firebrands were zealots. One of the apostles was called Simon, the Zealot. Paul was zealous in his preaching of God’s word.

Reflection: Probably, no one would ever call be a zealot, spitfire, or even firebrand. I don’t get highly emotional about much. That is not to say that being highly emotional doesn’t have its place. Can you names several things it is okay to be highly emotional about?

Copyright July 8, 2017; Carolyn A. Roth

Please visit my website at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/

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Caught in a Thicket

Posted on July 22, 2017 | 3 comments

Photograph is Chaste tree flower in St. John Lutheran Bible Garden

Bible Reference: Genesis 22:1-19.

Isaac was the son that God promised Abraham and Sarah – the son through whom all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. When Isaac was about 16 years old, God commanded Abraham to take Isaac to the region of Mount Moriah and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

Abraham didn’t hesitate or question God’s command. Early the next morning, Abraham, Isaac, and two servants started walking toward Mount Moriah. As Abraham and Isaac walked together, Isaac asked his father where the lamb was for the burnt offering. Abraham responded that God would provide the lamb.

When they reached Mount Moriah, Abraham built an altar, arranged wood on it, and bound Isaac on top of the wood. Abraham picked up his knife, prepared to slay Isaac. At the last minute, the angel of the Lord told Abraham to not kill Isaac. The angel commended Abraham for fearing God enough to sacrifice his son.

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by the horns in a nearby thicket. The thicket held the ram in place in much the same way that Isaac’s bindings held him on the altar. Just as Isaac didn’t struggle against his bindings, the Bible doesn’t indicate that the ram struggled to loosen its horns from the thicket. The ram was simply there, waiting for Abraham to see it. Abraham killed the ram and offered it as a burnt offering.

What is a Thicket?

Although Abraham, Isaac, and the ram played major roles in this Bible episode, so did the thicket. A thicket is a group of wild shrubs and occasional small trees which grow together to form impenetrable branches and roots. In thickets, trees rarely grow more than 10-20 feet tall. Often shrubs have thorns and vines entangle with them. Trees and shrubs that could have composed the Mount Moriah thicket were the chaste tree, prickly juniper, and myrtle.Chaste Tree Flower

Abraham’s planned sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah was in approximately 2050 B.C. At that time, much of the Judean Mountains including Mount Moriah was tree covered; however, approximately 30-40 years earlier, a natural or manmade disaster (earthquake, flood, or fire) occurred. Thickets grow only in response to disturbances where large trees are destroyed.

In present day Israel, many wild trees and shrubs have been replaced by plants, e.g., flowers and domesticated trees; however, some thickets still grow where cultivated land was abandoned. An example is the Ramat Hanadiv Nature Park northwest of Jerusalem. When we hiked a park trail, we didn’t see a ram; however, cattle foraged the area. It was easy to image one reaching into the thicket for succulent leaves and getting its horns tangled in branches.

For wilderness hikers, a thicket can be a difficult landscape to traverse. Often when experienced hikers encounter a thicket, they don’t enter it; they go around the thicket. Trying to go through a tangled, thorn-infested thicket can result in loss of direction and damage to skin and clothes.

My friend from Texas calls the chaste tree a “Texas lilac” Its if from the Genus,  Vitus. They are perennials and grow all over the Roanoke Valley (plant zones 6 and 7).

Symbolism

The Hebrew word for thicket comes from the word çâbak, which means to entwine in the sense of interwoven branches. In English, entanglement means to wrap or twist together and to ensnare. Often entanglements cause confusion. Imagine the confusing thoughts that Satan brought to Abraham’s mind during the three day walk to Mount Moriah; e. g., “Surely God doesn’t mean for you to sacrifice Isaac? A God that really loved and cared about you would never require you to kill your beloved son.”

In contrast to the ram entangled in the thicket, Abraham didn’t become entangled in Satan’s lies or become confused by his limited understanding of God and the situation. Abraham obeyed God, believing that God would keep his promise and Isaac would be the father of all nations.

Reflection: Think about a time when you were wrapped up, twisted, or entangled in a problem. Did God fit in anywhere? Knowing what you know now, how could you have involved God more?

I love Bible plants along with their symbolism. If you want to learn more about them, read my book God as a Gardener. You can purchase them from my website: Carolyn Roth Ministry at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/

Copyright July 21, 2017: Carolyn A. Roth

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