Remembering Jerusalem

As Christmas approaches, my thoughts return to Jerusalem. Israel and the Jewish nation will always be in my heart! Hoorah for Israel!!!

Flax is linen

Flax is the blue-flowered crop plant from which linen and oil is produced. Many scriptures refer to linen and fine-twined linen. John, the revelator said the Lord's church would be "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints," suggesting images of saints in God's holy house.





Apple: Malus

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold" (Proverbs 25:11).     

     Translations and identification of the word apple in the bible evoke a number of questions. The Hebrew word is tappuah.  Some botanists insist that the actual fruit is an apricot, owing to the fact that apples are not native to the Holy Land, and apricot fits the criteria. For this reason, they also believe apple is not the forbiden fruit of Genesis. On the other hand, other scholars maintain that the references are, indeed the common apple. 

     In the bible, apples are the subject of love, the name of places, and of course, a fruit. Additionally, apples inspired the biblical expression, "apple of my eye," which has nothing to do with the fruit; it refers to the pupil of an eye. And, according to one author, apple trees thrive quite nicely in region.  

     Regardless of controversy, apples are commonly found in the Holy Land today. And, they remain a popular candidate for the forbidden fruit.

 

 

 

 

Sunflowers & Saints: Helianthus annuus

    

     In his April 2015 talk titled, “The Lord Is My Light,” elder Quentin L. Cook observed that lovely sunflowers often thrive in spite of very harsh circumstances. He also noted that the heads of young sunflowers track the sun throughout the day, a plant process known as heliotropism. As a play on words, he reminds saints that blessings come for those who follow The Son,  meaning The Son of God.  He said, “Like the young sunflower, when we follow the Savior of the world, the Son of God, we flourish and become glorious despite the many terrrible circumstances that surround us.” Difficulties can strengthen us and even become vehicles for blessings. Elder Cook said, “we can thrive and bloom if we are rooted in our love of the Savior and humbly follow His teachings” and we should “follow the Son of God as the young sunflower follows the sunshine,” keeping Jesus as our main focus (Conference talk by Quentin L. Cook, April 2015).

 

The Field is White already to Harvest

Wheat: Triticum aestivum L.
The symbolism of a ripe wheat field as it glistens in the summer sun, is likened to the world's readiness to recieve the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord promises to every saint who "thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul" (D&C 4:4).

Photo taken July 2015

The Sin of Ingratitude

Ingratitude is a sin. In the Old Testament, the Lord literally provided the Israelites with everything they needed, including water, food and shelter, and He, personally guided them daily. Still, they whined like spoiled children saying, "Our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes...We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers and the melons" (Numbers 11:5-6). Their appetites became more important than their freedom.

 

The Blessing of Daily Bread

     Jehovah provided daily manna for the children of Israel to eat as they wandered in the desert. In the book of Exodus it says the manna was "like coriander (cilantro) seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31).
      Sometimes we forget the blessing of daily food, and focus only on what we do not have.

     

God loves Mothers

In his October 2011 sermon to women, Dieter F. Uchtdorf reminds women, "Forget not that the Lord loves you." He illustrated the message by relaying the legend of the dainty blue flowers.  After God had named all the plants, and fearing their identity was overlooked, they cried, "Forget not us!" The Lord responded, "That is what you shall be called."
Forget not that the Lord loves mothers.  And, forget not to tell your mother that you love her.

He is Risen

Photo taken April 1, 2015
 

I thought I added this on April 2, 2015, but somehow it didn't post. 
     The Easter Lily, also known as Madonna Lily, has become a symbol of Christ's resurrection.
On the third day, "they came unto the sepulcher" where Jesus was buried, to bring "spices which they had prepared" but "they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus . . . behold two men stood by them in shining garments . . . they said, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but it risen" (Luke 24:1-6). Rejoice! The Lord is king! "He suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. And "he inviteth all men to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 26:33).

Green Things of March

"I was exalted like...the cypress tree upon the mountains of Hermon" (Ecclesiastes 24:13)

     Think green for March!  These tall, columnar Mediterranean Cypress trees grew everywhere in the Middle East.  Their funny green pods reminded me of Yoda in Star Wars. As they dry out, the pods turn charcoal and open out like a little rubrics cube. 

 

"Heart's Desire"

    Because February is the month of love, I felt it would be fun to post a caper plant, nicknamed "Desire" for this month's message.  As we approach the Lord with the desires of our hearts, He does hear and answer our prayers. 
    Prayers aren't always answered in the way we want, but we can know that He hears us.  This plant grows wild all over the Holy Land.  It even grows on walls and among rocks!  But the lovely white flowers with vivid magenta stems and stamens are show-stoppers.  The pure, white flower is representative of a pure heart.  The royal purple stem and stamens remind us of our royal heritage as sons and daughters of God.  Truly, this flower expresses love (Ecclesiastes 12:5).

"Shall Blossom as a Rose"

Photo taken on the grounds of the Garden Tomb. Old Jerusalem. May 2014

     Isaiah, respected as the prophet of all prophets, predicted that as fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, in the day of the restoration of the gospel Israel would again be gathered and "rejoice and blossom as the rose" (Isa. 35:1). Likewise, in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, a branch of the house of Israel, known as the Lamanites, were given a similar promise. It says they "shall blossom as the rose" (D&C 49:24).
     Through the Zionist movement, we are seeing the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.  We can also witness that a branch of the house of Israel, through the seed of Joseph, are accepting the gospel and becoming a great nation.