Meaning and Use of Olive in the Bible

May 11, 2022

How do you write about the use of the “olive” in the Bible? Where do you even begin to dive deep? There are so many facets to the Olive Tree. There is the tree, the branch, the shoot, the oil, and the Mount Of Olives and I’m pretty sure there are more areas to dive into with the Bible! I mean the Olive tree/branch is referenced from Genesis as a sign of peace when the dove brought back an Olive Branch during Noah’s Flood all the way to Revelations with the vision of the two Olive Trees. Leviticus uses “olive” 38x in the NIV for rams, bulls and for grain offerings. In Numbers, and other parts of the Bible, the Israelites are instructed to use only the finest olive oil for setting apart and for ceremonial rituals. Later we read in Deuteronomy about how olive oil or the olive crop will be blessed among other things if the Israelites pay careful attention to the law and follow God’s ways and if not destruction will come up the olive crop.

Throughout the Old Testament it references olive oil being used to anoint various kings. Samuel anointing Saul is one of the most notable and Elisha’s instructions for anointing Jehu in 2 Kings 9. We also read parables with olive oil and olive trees to teach the people. Example, Judges 9, Jothem is warning the people of Shechem of their choice of King. The good and passed on Kings are compared to the worthy and desirable Olive tree. In 2 Kings 4, Elisha provides a miracle to a widow with jars of oil. It’s a beautiful and true story of faith and provision from God.

And there’s more. In 1 Kings we read about olive wood being used for the building of the temple and pure olive oil to light the sacred lampstands. These materials were also used in the rebuilding of the temple in Nehemiah. Olive oil was used in ancient times for medicine and healing balm as we read about in Isaiah 16 and Luke 10. We read about the stature of the olive tree and the flowering beauty in Psalms 32 and Hosea 14. God uses the imagery of an Olive tree in Jeremiah 11 to remind his people of the covenant relationship he has with them.

And the references keep going! Paul even used the olive tree in Romans 11 to speak to how the Gentiles were grafted to the Jews “the olive root” and the Gentiles were the wild olive trees incapable of bearing fruit. But now grafted to the Jews, they were now able to share in the blessing. But it is not the branches that sustain the graft but the root and the root is Christ.

We read about the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. The Olive Trees were a desert tree and thrived in the hardship of the heat. It’s here the olives were harvested. Beaten from the tree and processed through a series of extreme crushing to create a pulp and then pressing to extract the oil. We read about various people of the Bible retreating to the Mount of Olives like King David in 2 Samuel 15 when he went to the Mount of Olives weeping and in Zechariah 14 when he foreshadows that the persecuted will flee to the Mount of Olives when Jesus returns. Jesus often went and escaped during his life on earth to the Mount of Olives to pray. What a beautiful place that represents peace (pointing back to the flood) in the midst of hardship.

A beautiful representation though of what the Olive truly symbolizes and means is when we look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. The Garden of Gethsemane was in the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus was praying and pleading before God to take away the hardship of the world. Our anointed King was taking on the sin of the world. Here in the Garden among the Olive trees Jesus is pressed knowing he will be crushed and beaten. Yet here he finds peace with God only to leave with a peace that passes all understanding… “Thy Will Be Done” as he’s arrested.

While we might not have olive trees surrounding us or a place like the Mount of Olives to retreat to, we can still find the peace that our Savior provides when we feel crushed and when life continues to beat down on us. Life is not easy. In fact, Jesus said it wouldn’t be. Sometimes it is just down right hard and crushing. Yet every hardship we walk through we can know that He is there walking with us. Refining us. Purifying us. Bringing us to completion as is stated in Philippians 1:6.

And if you are at a point when the crushing just feels too much. Remember the process of the beating, crushing and pressing of the olive produced an oil that was so valuable that it was used to anoint Kings.

The beautiful news is… you are already anointed, royalty in His heavenly family BEFORE the refining.

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Meaning of the Hyssop Branch

May 5, 2022

The Hyssop was an herb in the Mediterranean region. It grows about 1.5 feet tall with summer blooms in different colors such as violet, red and white. It was known for its flavoring and medicinal properties for both physical and topical, most often used for skin balm. We read about the Hyssop branch several times in the Old and New Testaments often when it comes to the process of being cleansed often when speaking about leprosy. Both Leviticus 14 and later in Numbers give instruction to lepers to use Hyssop for both the cleansing of their bodies and of their homes.

Later King David after sinning with Bathsheba points back to the Old Testament cleansings and uses the imagery of a hyssop for spiritual cleansing and confession. Asking God to cleanse his soul for he was like a leper.

Other places we find the Hyssop in the Bible are Hebrews 9:19 referencing spiritual cleansing with the blood and 1 Kings 4:33 as the wise King Solomon speaks about specific plant life. But there are two passages that are most popular and hold deep significant meaning to us. Exodus 12:22 during the Exodus and 10 Plagues against Egypt and John 19:29 during the Crucifixion of Jesus.

We are first introduced to the Hyssop Branch in the Bible in Exodus 12:22 when God instructed His people before the 10th and final plague to take the Hyssop which acted like a sponge or paintbrush and dip into the blood of the sacrificial lamb and paint over the doorposts of their homes. This would be a sign to the angel of death to Passover their home and save them.

The Hyssop was again used as a sponge-like instrument in John 12:29 when the Jesus claims “I thirst” and the Roman soldiers dip a hyssop branch into sour wine and drew it up to Jesus as he hung on the cross as he takes his final breaths. He was our final sacrificial lamp whose blood was shed for the cleansing of our sin.

While the Hyssop seems like an insignificant detail to us as we read the Bible, it actually holds great value and meaning. It connects the Bible and acts as a symbol for cleansing. Once physical, now spiritual. And a symbol for saving grace. The Apostle John when writing about the Crucifixion makes sure to point out the use of the Hyssop to draw back the Jews to the time of the Exodus - the saving blood of the Passover. The sacrifice of the first born. They now see this as a symbolic moments, the fulfillment of scripture. Just as the hyssop branch was used in the first Passover to provide the saving grace for the Israelites from death of the firstborn, here they see the ultimate sacrifice of the first born to provide them the everlasting saving grace.

In the words of David in Psalm 51:7 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” May you remember Christ’s final sacrifice and cleansing for you.

The Meaning of the Palm Branch

May 4, 2022

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

May 3, 2022

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.