Almond Joy

I thought again this morning about the menorah, the solid gold candlestick in the Old Testament tabernacle and temple.

Now I am noticing something else.

The branches that held the buds and blossoms that were to be hammered out of a single piece of gold, were to be crafted to look like the branches of an almond tree.

It is often we read about figs and olives and cedars in the Old Testament. But not often we read about almonds.

     And on the lampstand there are to be four
     cups shaped like almond flowers with buds
     and blossoms (Exodus 25:33).

Almonds?  The older I get and the more I study the Bible, the more convinced I am that every word in scripture is important. It is there for a reason. There is no "filler" in God's Word!

I look at a package of wieners and see all the products listed as part of that wiener. And a bottle of catsup: Water, sugar, salt, corn syrup, onion powder, spice....and oh yes, tomato sauce!

Most products we consume have a lot of filler -- just to add bulk or color or fluid.

Not so in scripture. Nothing is added to the content that is not essential -- every word is decreed by God as part of his revelation -- it is truly pure!

So now I am thinking about almonds.

Genesis 43:11 is the first mention. Jacob instructed his sons to:

     Put some of the best products of the land in
     your bags and take them to the man [Joseph,
     the high official, unknown to his brothers at the
     time] as a gift - a little balm and a little honey,
     some spices and some myrrh, some pistachio
     nuts and almonds.

Then in Exodus we have the divine design for the construction of the Menorah in Exodus 25 and 37.

Then in Numbers 17 we read about Moses' brother, Aaron, whose rod was cut from an almond tee.  When almond blossoms and leaves suddenly sprouted on the rod, the miracle was a sign that God had chosen Aaron and his Levite family to be the priests.

There is a Menorah today standing outside the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, which follows the design indicated by God to Moses. The almond blossoms are carved in exquisite detail.

Later, in Ecclesiastes, the almond is an illustration of old age.

This is a good illustration particularly because the almond trees burst into flowers in late winter -- and winter is often used to compare to reaching old age.
And the blossoms often look like snowflakes when they fall to the ground.

In Jeremiah (Chapter 1) we also read about an almond tree. God sends a vision to Jeremiah, and asks him what he sees.

Jeremiah answers: I see the branch of an almond tree. And the LORD said, You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.

The word "almond" in Hebrew is very close to the word for "watching."

So this is what I have out so far....

1. The almond was native to the Middle East and apparently of great value.




2. Almonds produce a sweet oil that is sometimes called "honey dew" because of its fragrance.




3. The almond, since it bursts into flower in late winter, is considered the first crop to emerge in the spring. It blooms before any of the other native trees.

4. The almond tree was traditionally called the "watchful" tree by the ancient Hebrews. When they saw an almond tree they could remember that God was watching over them.

The rest of the story


An old myth is that Aaron's rod was made from a branch of the Tree of Life in Eden. That special branch was taken from Eden by Adam and Eve and then passed down their godly line (through Shem and then Noah) into the hands of the patriarchs.

Eventually King David planted it, and centuries later its wood was used to construct the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

The story goes on to say that in Revelation 22 the Tree of Life mentioned is actually a relic of the cross that will reappear and flower.

And so the Tree of life in Eden is liked botanically to the Tree of Life in Revelation -- a great story, right?

Who knows, maybe part of the story is true!