Notes of Faith May 31, 2025

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 55:13

Myrtle is a flowering tree common to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The variety known as “common myrtle” is possibly the one mentioned a half-dozen times in the Old Testament. Its infrequent mention can be contrasted with the significance of its message in the contexts where it appears.

When the prophet Isaiah first began to speak against the sins of Israel, he said that God would turn the bountiful land into a land of briers and thorns (Isaiah 5:6; 32:13)—an obvious image of judgment. But then, as Isaiah’s message shifted to one of restoration after the Babylonian captivity, he said that the briars and thorns would be replaced by the cypress tree and the myrtle tree (Isaiah 55:13). So the myrtle became an image of peace and prosperity as God restored the land.

Let the myrtle tree remind you that God’s peace and blessing are always on the other side of restoration from sin.

Every breach of peace with God is not a breach of covenant with God.

Thomas Brooks

We wander. We walk away. Certainly when we sin we are not in intimate relationship with God. But we still have a relationship! There may be discipline from God. His desire is to bring us closer to Himself, in greater love and obedience. If you happened to have wandered or walked away from God, please know that you can return to the arms of Jesus, no matter what you have done while away. He will forgive through His perfect sacrifice, giving His life’s blood for your disobedience of sin. He desires an eternal perfect relationship and will fulfill that prophecy come true as He has all others.

Pastor Dale