Cedars of Lebanon – July 2014
The Cedar trees that grow in the mountains of Lebanon hold a very special significance for the Christian. Solomon used those strong timbers to build God’s temple (1 Kings 7:2-3). The Bible also refers to them as the basis of several metaphors. Therefore, when Pastor Milad Dagher gave his free day to take Sonia and I to the Cedars of Lebanon last month, we were thrilled. While we hiked along the trail for an hour and a half, he related some of the characteristics of that special tree that made the trip as devotional as it was educational.
• DEEP ROOTS: For every ten feet of height above the ground, the tree roots go down 30 feet under ground. I want my “being rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17) to reflect the Cedar.
• PENETRATION: The tips of the roots are equipped with a substance that allows them to drill through the toughest of rock and continue the deep-rootedness of the tree. I want my life to drill through difficult times so that in the end, I am anchored in a rock foundation.
• USEFULNESS TO OTHERS: Psalm 104:16-17 show that the cedars, which God created, serve to provide for the needs of other living things like the birds of the air. I would like my life, like that of the Cedar, to exist for the sake of other members of the world community.
• RESISTANCE TO DECAY: The sap of the Cedar serves as a natural repellant to harmful insects and fungi. This internal resistance to decay and infection make me think of the “armor of God” which allows us to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Our spiritual “sap” should include truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and faith “with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:1-17)
• UNITY: The limbs of neighboring trees grow right into the foliage of the neighboring tree and sometimes grow together as one. So even if one tree dies, its limbs will be sustained by merging with the surviving tree. Psalm 133:1, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity,” refers literally to siblings living together as members of an extended family or community. How different this picture is than that of competitive siblings quarrelling over possessions and power.
• LONGEVITY AND VITALITY: Psalm 92:12, 14-15 is my favorite reference to the cedar in Lebanon because it provides encouragement to a man who is getting older but hopefully more righteous. “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree and will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock and there is not unrighteousness in Him.”
If you know of any additional characteristics of the cedars of Lebanon, please add them in the comments below.
J. Lee Jagers, PhD, ThM, LPC 
[…] of Lebanon are not only majestic, they have a deep root system to survive the rocky terrain in which they […]
Your picture is awesome, Hosea 14. Good eye. Good photography. “Like the Church” indeed. Thanks.
I love your insight of the cedar of Lebanon, may the Lord continue to blessed and guide you
They’re beautiful and they inspire worship
thex for the teaching of Cedar tree give me the characteristics of Cedar tree
Another comment is that as the cedar gras and wraps around the rocks, the Christian wraps around the Rock of Ages (Heb 6:19,20).
The branches of the spreads round about in in a fashionable canopy. The spreading of the branches represents territorial dominance. Is in charge.
They produce sap and sweet aroma that was used to produce anointing oil. When applied to a person it testified / speaking of strenth, performance, wholeness and restoration. ..AMEN…also NO pestilence can come on this tree…
Good thoughts for Cedar tree.God bless you all.
i liked the sermon of the cedar of Lebanon, a very powerful lesson to learn
We as Christians should emulate the Cedars of Lebanon.
Learning more about the roots of these cedars enlightens our understanding of the vine, the vineyard, and the vinekeeper in John. Revealing! Thank you, brother Lee; may the Lord bless you and keep you today.
it is very interesting studies may the Lord enrich much wisdom to show us more Msigwa Adriano
Thank you for these excellent notes on the cedars of Lebanon. It surely helps in my understanding and continuous learning of God’s Holy Scripture particularly of Psalm 1:3 and Psalm 92:12 and Jeremiah 17:8.
This sharing on Cedar of Lebanon is quite profound and it helps us to know what the life of a believer should look like.Thanks and God bless.
Hello, The cedarwood is made into oil which had antifungal and antispectic properties, useful from head to toe. The nuts from its cone is used to produce oil. The wood was also used to build the second temple (Ezra 3:7) because it’s odoriferous it is less warrant to decay. For every 10ft in height its roots grows down 30ft in depth. When God says our roots are like Lebanon it makes me think how much of my time I must spend in going deeper into Him, His Word by His precious Son Jesus. So I maybe of useful serve for Him.
Thank you for this wonderful enlightenment and encouragement!!!! God bless you!
Wow! This is awesome, it just answered a question in my heart. Many times we want to be out there doing something 4 d Lord, when He desires that we spend more of our time in there with Him. God bless you
Thank you. GOD bless you abundantly
i like it
Your teaching blessed me this morning. Psalm 92 has served as an anchor for my life for many years. As I am aging and dealing with some physical issues I will focus on the truth again that I am planted as cedar in Lebanon. Blessings to you.
As I’m reading about the roots penetrating even the toughest rock, it came to my thought that we should be able to penetrate even the hardest heart of those in the world if our roots are grounded in the love and in the Word of God.
The picture of unity got me. How the cedar actually grows over to support the weak one.Ive felt prompted to read Psalm 91 every day and kept reading over to psalm 92 today. I got curious on the cedars of Lebanon and googled it, landing here. God met me today on your page. The anointing breaks the yoke of bondage that sometimes without realizing it, we are bound, and when God shows up the blinders fall off and we can see clearly! He who the son sets free is free indeed. Thank you for your insights, and for the other great comments below. I want to grow more sappy😀and grow deeper roots! Joshua 1:7-9, Matthew 6:33, Psalm 1
Liked seeing the photo of a Lebanon Cedar and its characteristics.
This is powerful….. God bless you
Found this on May 7, 2020. My 54th birthday. Heard a sermon by Charles Stanley about being useful all the days of our lives where he quoted Ps 92. Thought I would find a picture of a Cedar of Lebanon. Your photo led me to your wonderful blog and this post. Learned a lot more and encouraged in the Spirit as well. Loved the info about UNITY! Thank you SO much for taking the time to share your life with us. Sincerely, Laura-Lee
Thanks for your encouraging feedback. That trip still resonates in my mind & heart as a modern day parable. Keep listening to Charles Stanley. In His hands, Lee
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Thank you Pastor for your message about the Cedar tree. Its ability to penetrate the hardest of rock so it can anchor deep into a strong foundation and its significance on the subject of unity. May the Lord continue to bless you with wisdom and courage to speak the truth.
Psalm 29:5-6 compares the strength of the LORD’s voice with the cedars of Lebanon…He is greater and stronger
Thankful for God’s visible and invisible attributes
A powerful message. I was meditating on 1kings 6. King Solomon used the cedar trees from Lebanon to build the temple of God. Now we are the temple of God. It helps us to reflect over on how we are building our temple. Praise the Lord.
Good insights. I am happy that you found the message encouraging. We are, indeed, the temple of God!
Reading ng this made my entire spirit calm knowing God is with me in all things. This is Amazing to me. Understanding God’s nature is wisdom.
Thanks for your encouraging feedback, Natasha. Happy to hear that it made a contribution to your walk with the Lord.
On Wed, Jan 6, 2021 at 11:57 PM J. Lee Jagers, PhD, ThM, LPC wrote:
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So good and encouraging! I had this vision of a cedar and I didn’t know what it meant
Thank you for your comments on the cedars of Lebanon. As I read Hosea 14 this morning, I looked up information on these trees. Two interesting findings were that the leaves and wood are antiseptic and expectorant, acting to disinfect the respiratory tract! Its oil is used to help arthritis, circulation, cuts/scrapes, rashes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, immune cell production, and even warts and skin problems!
Thanks, Joan. You went further than did. I appreciate your added comment.
I just wanted to let you know that God is still using this writing to teach others. I am studying Hosea 14 and was curious about the cedars of Lebanon. Found your article and was so blessed to learn so much about how meaningful the metaphor is. Take root like the cedars of Lebanon has a completely new meaning for me because of your insights. Thank you!
I’m currently studying Psalm 92 and thought should learn more on this “cedar of Lebanon” that is mentioned and your teaching just gave me such insight and revelation. Thank you for sharing this Word. I want to be Rooted in Christ like the roots of the Cedar of Lebanon.
From what I read in Strong’s, the root Hebrew word for “cedar” is related to the tenacity of its roots. So maybe the thinking of the time had some relationship to being “strong rooted in the LORD as a cedar”? Just a thought.
Good thought. Thanks for commenting. I live near Dallas Theological Seminary, so I’ll check it out with some friends in the Old Testament Dept.
beautiful thanks for the exposition