The Meaning of the Palm Branch

The Palm Branch was an emblem of Palestine and a symbol of Jewish nationalism since the time of the Maccabees which we’ll learn about later.  The Roman and Greek Phoenicia even called Palestine the “land of the Palms”. They were a sigh of splendor with the stem rising to 40 or 50 feet and at times even up to 80 feet.   It’s only branches are the feathery, pale green fronds that measure 6-12 feet long, bending from the top.  The Palms attract eyes wherever they are seen.

You’ll often see the Palms referenced in scripture dating back to the Old Testament.  Example, God’s instructions to Moses for the Festival of Shelters to make outdoor booths with Palm Branches as a way to remember God’s provision as they wandered the wilderness in Exodus.  You see this reference in both Leviticus 23:40+ and again later in Nehemiah 8:15.  Palm branches are also used throughout the Bible (referenced at the end of this post) for something being tall, upright, fruitful, and a sign of flourishing, peace and victory. The Roman athletic competitions even used palm branches awarding them to the winners as a symbol of their strength, power and of course victory.

In Judges 4:5, Deborah conducted an important meeting under the shade of a Palm Tree.  While I can assume it was mostly for the shade, we should not be naïve to the symbolic meaning behind stationing herself here as a woman of authority in a very patriarch world even if she was a respected prophetess.  Solomon also used the symbolic meaning of the palm in adorning the temple inner and outer sanctuary walls.  Matthew Poole comments, “Palm trees were used as emblems of peace and victory over their enemies which the Israelites duly serving God in the temple might expect.”

But it’s in John 12:13, Mark 11:8 and Matthew 21:8 that we remember the Palm Branches most for.  The celebration of Palm Sunday when the Jews welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem waving their symbols of victory and strength to their King proclaiming Hosannah.  The crowd looked at Jesus as a political and national savior and greeted Jesus as a King, a conquering hero.  Some say this looked back to the time of the Maccabees when the people celebrated the rededication of the temple in 164bc and again when the winning of full political independence in 141bc. Using the branches during Palm Sunday commemorated this time and declared their hope in Jesus being their King to overthrow Rome for victory and independence.  (Bruce) 

But God also uses the symbol of the Palm for a greater victory.  In Revelations 7:9, “…behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “salvation belongs to our God who sites on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  This verse points back to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and forward to the time when we gloriously get to stand before the throne and celebrate with the multitudes the Ultimate and Final Victory. 

The Palm Branch what a beautiful reminder of what true victory looks like in Christ.  May we be reminded of this day that we read about in Revelations 7 of the day we long for, hope for, and are promised with.  Gaze upon the Palm Branch… the final Victory is His.  And ours.

References of Palms in the Bible

• Psalm 92:12

• Ezekiel 40:16

• Ezekial 41:18

• John 12:13

• Exodus 15:27

• Song of Solomon 7:7

• Deut 34:3

• Joel 1:12

• 1 Kings 6:29-35

• Leviticus 23:40-42

• Judges 4:5

• 1 Kings 6:31-33

Bulrush in the Bible

The Bulrush a beautiful symbol of trust and faith in the Bible.  The Bulrush was abundant in the land of Egypt found in the wetlands, specifically the shallow waters of the banks.  They were very large, 12-15’ tall with stalks 2-3” in diameter.  Many times the bulrush was called a reed or papyrus (for its later use of paper.)  They also used parts of the bulrush for food from the root and for garments and shoes from the stalk because of how fibrous it was.

There are many places the Bulrush is used in the Old Testament Bible which we listed at the end of this post to dig deeper.  Those references of the Bulrush often refer back to physical properties, locations found or analogies to bring the story to life.  But there is one story specifically which brings great symbolic meaning to the Bulrush – the meaning of protection, trust and faith.  And that story is Baby Moses.

In Exodus 2 we read about a new King that came into power who started to fear the Israelites for their sheer size in number for the Lord had blessed Israel greatly.  He was afraid the Israelites were going to organize and join forces with Egypt’s enemies which would threaten his kingdom.  So he oppressed the Israelites and made them their slaves.  I’ve often wondered how Pharaoh (the King) could easily do so.  It was because the Israelites were foreigners in the land of Egypt and lacked the same rights as Native Egyptians. They were made slaves by force. But slavery alone didn’t satisfy Pharaoh.  He added to the brutality and had all the baby boys killed to stop the Israelites from growing in size.  In Exodus 1:22 he gives the orders to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River.

In Exodus 2 we are introduced to a brave woman who we later find out is Amram.  She gave birth during this time to a baby (Moses.)  She tried to hide the baby for 3 months but she found that after 3 months she could no longer hide him, so out of faith she sacrificed her well-being and put her baby into the hands of God rather than kill him.  She crafted a small boat out of tar and papyrus reed or Bulrush.  This was a woman who knew what she was doing as Egyptian river boats were made with these same reeds and water proofed with tar.  Trusting God she did exactly what Pharaoh said to do and “put her son in the river” but she did so with great care.  She strategically floated him in the river in a boat which insulated him from the weather and “camouflaged” him among the reeds.  She might not have been the only mother to do this but she is our great example of trusting God with something so special for His protection and care.

Our hope and prayer as you see the Bulrush is to be reminded to have faith and trust in the Lord.  We all have to give up something special at some point in our life.  Do we trust God for his care and protection over it?

Dive Deeper:

You can also find the Bulrush referenced in the passages below.

• Isaiah 58:5

• Isaiah 18:2

• Isaiah 19:6-7

• Job 8:11

• Job 41:20

Brief explanation on each passage above.

Isaiah 58:5 - “bowing one’s head like a reed…” God warns against the wrong kind of fasting. “hollow, empty, and for show. It has no spiritual substance behind it.

Isaiah 18:2 - speaks to swift Papyrus boats down the river. This is a message to Ethiopia. In the days of Isaiah, Ethiopia was a major world power, ruling Egypt and a chief rival to Assyria. Judah aligned with Egypt against Assyria.

Isaiah 19:6-7 - streams of Egypt will stink with rotting reeds and rushes. Crops will dry up. This is a message about Egypt. Isaiah warned against an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. Because God would destroy Assyria in time.

Job 8:11 - Can reeds grow without water..? Here Bildad was upset that Job still claimed innocence while questioning God’s justice. Bildads theory was that God cannot be unjust, and God would not punish and injust man, therefore, Job must be unjust.

Job 41:20 - references burning reeds. In Job 41 the Lord responds to Job and challenges him. “who are you to question God. Job 41:20 and the verses surrounding references the Leviathans which some said to be a mystical sea creature, dragon, or just a crocodile.

True worship - John 4

I love how the message shared this scripture. It’s not how and where you worship, it is who you are before God. Are we simply and humbly ourselves?

Take time to read these words. Reflect. And if you are like me you’ll realize the façade you have been maintaining before the Lord. He doesn’t desire fake. He wants real. Real transforming, true, humble souls.

Miracles in the Gospel of John

Sharing with you what I learned in my morning read today about the Gospel of John and the signs and wonders.

In the Gospel of John the Signs (or miracles) are given to us to lead the reader to faith. You can read his purpose as he closes out his book in the last chapter.

John 20:30-31: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

For example, John contrasts the first two miracles he recorded. The first was at the best party ever - a wedding party - where he turns water into wine. The second was connected with the worst tragedy ever - The illness and soon death of a child - where he heals the son of a high official. John is revealing that Jesus is real in both aspects. Our joys and our hurts. Our good times and our sadness. Jesus cares about all areas of our lives.

Another thing John reveals through the signs and wonders is the importance of faith just through hearing God’s word. Both miracles surround the story of Jesus revealing himself as the Messiah to the woman at the well. She then proclaims to the Samaritans in the town. It clearly states in 4:39-42 that because of his words many more became believers. Then we read in the second miracle at the end of John 4 where the man asks for Jesus to heal his son. Then Jesus replies in verse 48, “unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” These words imply the contrast between the Samaritans, who believed because of His word, and the Jews who would not believe but through signs and prodigies (Alford)

One commentator wrote, Signs and wonders from God are obviosly good things, but they should not form the foundation of our faith. We should not depend on them to prove God to us. In themselves, signs and wonders cannot change the heart; Israel saw incredible signs at Mt. Sinai and even heard the very voice of God, yet a short time later they worshipped a golden calf.

I loved learning about this. One because I love reading about why the writers chose specific stories, miracles, and words of Jesus and not others. The Apostle John has a clear purpose. But then also it challenges me, what is the application? We don’t often think about huge and grandeous signs, wonders and miracles in our faith like healings and things magically turning color and flavor. But we do still pray to God asking for things. We look for evidence. So when he doesn’t answer or answers a different way, does that change how we believe? Does it hinder our faith? Is there a wedge put up between us and God?

Does our faith still stand strong with just His word? Here God is urging us to rest and rely on His word to us. His promises. His word does not fail us. An honest question I ask myself, do I believe in God because of His word and who He is or because of how and what He has blessed me with?

Why so many blind people in Jesus' day?

I love learning every time I read the bible and dive into it. So I love reading commentary. The tid bits might not be earth shattering and awe inspiring but just enough to help me understand the narrative around the Gospel story.

Like, why were there so many blind people in Jesus’ day?

One commentator, Barclay, writes:

Blindness was a distressingly common disease in Palestine. It came partly from the glare of the eastern sun on unprotected eyes and partly because people knew nothing of the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. In particular the clouds of unclean flies carried infection which led to loss of sight.

Nothing earth shattering as far as information. Just clarity. It doesn’t change the gospel story yet adds to our understanding of culture back when Jesus walked the earth. We love when the bible can come alive. And information like this helps do just that.

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