From Darkness To Light, From Sorrow To Hope: Lessons From Jeremiah And LamentationsSample

"First Sunday of Advent: When the Almond Tree Blossoms"

As the days grow ever shorter, it is comforting to know that we can count on the eventual return of spring. One of the first signs of spring around Wheaton is the golden blossoms of the forsythia bush. Further north, it’s the robin. In Washington, D.C., cherry blossoms mean spring, and in England, daffodils. 

In Anathoth, where Jeremiah was born, the first sign of spring was almond blossoms. Even to this day, that region of Judea is a center for almond growing. Already in January the almond trees in Jeremiah’s hometown were covered with white blossoms. The almond blossom is the show. Next comes the tell: “The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled’” (v. 12). God used a play on words to teach Jeremiah the spiritual significance of the almond branch. The Hebrew word for “watching” is shoqed, which sounds like the Hebrew word for “almond”: shaqed. In fact, these two words are different forms of the same word, the word for waking or watching. 

The almond tree was the “waking” tree. It was the first tree to wake up after a long winter’s nap. It was also the “watching” tree, the tree people watched for in the spring. God is watching to make sure that everything he has promised comes to pass. This is one of the main themes of the book of Jeremiah. God is going to do everything he has promised to do. He is bringing his plans to fruition. Even when it seems dormant, God’s Word is waiting to burst into flower. 

It is good to recount the fruitful promises of God. There is the promise of redemption in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:14). There is the promise of forgiveness of sins (1 John 1:9). There is the promise that we will be comforted when we mourn, shown mercy when we are merciful, and filled when we hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:4-7). There is the promise that God will give us wisdom (James 1:5-6), and that God will never leave us or forsake us (Joshua 1:5). These promises are only the beginning. There is the promise that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8). There is the promise that God’s people will be with him (Revelation 22:3). There is the promise that Jesus has gone to prepare a place in his Father’s house, and that he will come back soon to take us there (John 14:2 3). There is the promise that the Lord Jesus Christ will transform our bodies to be like his glorious resurrection body (Philippians 3:21). 

All of these promises are true. Every last one of them will be fulfilled. Some have already begun to blossom, like almond blossoms in springtime. Soon all of them will burst into full flower in the everlasting springtime of paradise.