Mystery of the Almond and the Resurrection

“Moreover, the word of Adonai came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah? ” I answered, “I see an almond branch.” Then Adonai said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:11-12 TLV

The tree bears witness to humanity’s fall and redemption.  Near a tree, planted by the Lord Himself, Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. (Gen. 2:7-9) And though that tree witnessed their expulsion, another tree welcomes their return.

The Bible has much to say about trees, the olive, fig, mulberry, and even the sycamore.  Yeshua spoke of good trees and rotten trees.  But perhaps the most interesting is the “Tree of Life”.  It makes its appearance at the first of Genesis and the last chapter of Revelation. That tree was a signpost along the way to the presence of the Lord.

Though we do not know the species of the Tree of Life, Scripture presents the almond as a representative to that tree.  Its awakening to full bloom while other trees sleep has been seen as a sign of the resurrection of the righteous dead.  But even more mysterious is its stylized appearance in the ancient Tabernacle near the Holy of Holies.  What is the message of the almond, and why does it call God’s people to awake, watch, and give witness?

I. Waking the Almond Tree

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power…” Revelation 20:6 NKJV

Israel’s calendar is built upon the lunar month of about 30 days.  While the Temple stood, witnesses were sent to sight the new moon in the fall month of Tishri.  By doing so, it was possible to keep the months in their seasons.  Over time, however, without undercalculating the months, the feast days would drift. Every few years a special thirteen month (a second Adar month) was added to ensure Passover remained in the Spring, and Sukkot in the fall.

If for some reason the sages did not calculate correctly, the awaking of the almond tree would tell them.  You see, the almond tree is the first to bloom, bursting forth in white and pink flowers in January and early February. After blooming, it takes 21 days for its almond fruit to ripen. This is a sight to behold as the other trees remain dormant until spring. Just as this tree’s waking is a witness to the correct season, it also reminds us to awake, watch, and pray!

Aaron’s Almond Rod – A Sign

The waking of the almond is also a sign of the coming resurrection.  As John recorded in Revelation, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.” (Revelation 20:6) We can also see this sign of the resurrection in Aaron’s rod, which burst to life in the presence of the Lord.

“Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.” Numbers 17:8 NKJV

Rather than one general resurrection, Scripture reveals that the righteous will rise first.  Just as the wild almond awakens to full bloom on the forested Judean hillside while other trees are still bare, so Aaron’s rod blossomed with mature flowers and ripe almonds while the other tribal staves remained dead. But the mystery of the almond goes much deeper. The almond’s Hebrew name not only reveals its nature to “awaken”, it also speaks of watching.

II. Watching the Almond Tree

“Moreover, the word of Adonai came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see an almond branch.” Then Adonai said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:11-12 TLV

There is a mysterious word play in the Hebrew text above lost in most translations.   The Hebrew word for almond is “sha’ked”.  When Jeremiah responded that he saw the almond branch (sha’ked), the Lord said, “You have seen well, for I am “sho’ked” (watching) to perform my word.” Even if you don’t know Hebrew, you will notice that the Hebrew letters for the “almond” (שָׁקֵד) and “watching” (שֹׁקֵד) are the same three letters. The difference is their pronunciation and meaning.  This profound wordplay was given to ingrain this truth into Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was watching an almond (sha’ked), but God was watching (sho’ked) over His word to do it.  Like the almond, it will spring forth even when our surroundings are dormant.

Now we come to the greatest mystery – the almond as a witness.  A tree became witness to man’s expulsion from God’s presence. Another tree brought humanity back into His presence.  To understand this, we must journey to an ancient location northeast of Jerusalem called Bethel (the house of God). But before it was Bethel, it was known by a more ancient name meaning “almond”!

III. Witnessing the Almond Tree

“He called the name of that place Beth-El though originally the city’s name was Luz.” Genesis 28:19 TLV

Once a young man, not unlike many young people going to college, left his home in Canaan.  Along the journey, he slept near an old, out of the way path. Even then, its name had been forgotten and perhaps lay in ruins.  But that night, he dreamt of a ladder reaching from heaven to earth with angels descending.  Most important, God promised to watch over him.  Upon waking he said:

“How fearsome this place is! This is none other than the House of God—this must be the gate of heaven!” Genesis 28:17 TLV

Jacob realized this as the place where heaven and earth meet. He called it Bethel, “House of God”, but the Bible points out that it already had a name.  It was called “Luz”, a more ancient Hebrew word for almond, still used in Arabic today.[1]

A Tree on the Path to the House of God

Jewish tradition tells us that this place got its name because of an almond tree.  If fact, the path to Luz passed through a cave like entrance, and near the entrance was an almond tree, hence the name.[2]  How amazing that an almond tree should stood at the entrance to the place where heaven and earth meet.  If true, this forms an amazing parallel with a stylized almond tree planted at the entrance to the Holy of Holies.  Could this also parallel the tree of life planted in the Garden?

The Tree on the Path to the Holy of Holies

“There are to be three cups shaped like almond blossoms in one branch, each with a bulb and flower, then three cups made like almond blossoms in the next branch, each with a bulb and flower, and so forth for the six branches coming out of the menorah. Within the menorah will be four cups made like almond blossoms, with bulbs and flowers.” Exodus 25:33-34 NKJV

Did you know an almond tree was placed in the Tabernacle and later the Temple? Actually, it was a golden representation of an almond tree.  The menorah was fashioned with three branches on each side attached to an upright branch.  This has long been understood to represent a tree.  In a sense the pattern of the Tabernacle resembled man’s return to the original Garden of Eden, and more importantly to the presence of God.  And there a tree was represented, but what kind of tree?  The six branches were each fashioned with three almond blossoms.  The middle branch had four blossoms, 22 almond flowers in total.

Reversal of Man’s Expulsion from the Garden

It was from the presence of God and the Tree of Life that Adam and Eve were driven.  Jewish Midrashim, such as Genesis Rabbah, see parallels in the language used to describe Adam’s tending the garden, and the High Priest’s service in the Tabernacle. [3]  It should not surprise us that those same Midrashim compare their expulsion from Eden to the destruction of the Temple.[4]

Many scholars note the parallels between Eden and the Tabernacle’s sanctuary. Two parallels are especially significant for our study of the almond tree.  First, the menorah, a stylized almond tree, likely represented the Tree of Life from which man was banished.  Secondly, the path into the sanctuary was a reversal of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden.  Adam was driven out from the directions west to the east.  The Tabernacle was one representative man, the High Priest’s journey east to west, back into the presence of God.  The journey was only accomplished by passing the tree of life, the menorah, a stylized almond tree!

But this was not the final plan, it was only a shadow of things to come. And so, another tree was planted on a hill outside of Jerusalem.  On it, Yeshua was crucified.  On it, He bore our sin and shame.  On it, He died.  One tree witnessed our exile, but this tree our redemption.

Conclusion

What do you see Jeremiah? I see an almond branch!  The almond is a signpost in Scripture bringing us back to our Savior. Its very Hebrew name means “awake”! As the first tree to waken from dormancy among the trees, it speaks to those who will awaken first in the resurrection.   But this tree also tells the story of “watching”.   God used the example of a sha’ked (almond) tree to tell Jeremiah that He was sho’ked (watching) to bring His word to pass.  That is a powerful message to us today.   God hastens His word, whether for deliverance or judgement.

Finally, the almond is a “witness”.   Jacob saw God at a place he called Bethel, which in former times was known by the name “Almond”, “Luz” in Hebrew.  Moses had fashioned a golden menorah, a tree whose branches were the flowering of almond blooms. In the same way, Aaron’s rod also become a symbol of the Presence within the Ark.   This was a picture of the reversal of man from the Garden, and the tree of life planted so long ago.  But Scripture seems to be pointing us ultimately to the great “Tree of Life” planted on a hill some two-thousand years ago. On it our Savior bore the sins of the world, that whosoever should believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.   If you have not yet encountered that “tree” on your journey, I invite you to do so today.  On passing that tree, you will encounter the richness of walking with God.

 

[1] Encyclopedia Judaica, Almond.

[2] LUZ – JewishEncyclopedia.com

[3] WENHAM, GORDON J., and גורדון וונהם. “המקדש כסמל בסיפור גן-עדן (בראשית ב-ג) / SANCTUARY SYMBOLISM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN STORY.” Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies / דברי הקונגרס העולמי למדעי היהדות ט (1985): 19–25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23527779.

[4] Ibid, 19. See also Genesis Rabbah 16:5, 21:8.