He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
I understand that the fig tree was a symbol of satisfaction, comfort, and peace in Israel. Smith's Dictionary says, “Mount Olivet was famous for its fig trees in ancient times, and they are still found there. To 'sit under one's own vine and one's own fig tree' became a proverbial expression among the Jews to denote peace and prosperity.”
God calls Israel “my land.” God claims that it is “my vine,” and further, God calls this “my fig tree.”
The prophecy of the passage is of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem. It would be so destructive that the minister of God, the average drunkard, and it may be assumed everyone in between would mourn the devastation. It is common among pastors today to focus on joyfulness, gladness in the ministry, and victories. I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t the same spirit of the prophets and priests who tried to comfort the people in opposition to the message of Jeremiah.
One thing of hope I read - the fig tree is supposed to be able sometimes to bud and spring back to life even after its bark is stripped.[1] Left for dead, the fig tree can sometimes still return.
Israel may look spiritually dead, but God promises that He is not through with them.
And you, who may today feel like you’ve been stripped of life, value, and wholeness. You who believe you are past God’s mercy and His grace; God is not yet through with you.
· Turn to Him.
· Trust in Him.
· Give what remains of your life to Him.
You may bring forth fruit unto righteousness yet!
#FigTreeOfHope #DivineRestoration #GodsPromises #TurnToHim #FruitfulInFaith
From Despair to Hope: God’s Promise of Renewal
[1] From John Gill’s commentary, “Pliny speaks of fig trees in Boeotia gnawn by locusts, which budded again; and mentions it as something wonderful and miraculous that they should...”
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