Intro: The scriptures deal often with trees. Adam hid behind a tree. Zacheaus climbed up a tree. Jesus hanged on a tree. False prophets were compared to corrupt trees. Christians were likened to good trees. Jonah was given a special shade tree. Jonah’s shade tree was killed to deal with Jonah’s heart. Moses cut down a tree and cast it in the bitter water and God made it sweet. Elijah pouted under a juniper tree. Jesus cursed a fig tree. The birds lit in the mustard tree. Adam and Eve took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Garden of Eden held a tree of life. Solomon’s Song compared the beloved to the apple tree. Isaiah 44:14 referred to the cedar, the oak, the cypress, and the ash trees. Isaiah 41:19 talks about the cedar, the shittah, the myrtle, the oil, the fir, the pine, and the box trees. Psalms 37:35 compared the successful wicked to a spreading bay tree. Ezekiel 31:8 likens the Assyrians to a chestnut tree. David went to battle when he heard the going about in the top of the Mulberry tree. The olive tree was used to illustrate the family of God in Romans. Palm tree is a symbol of strength in Deuteronomy. The pomegranate tree was fruitful in the land of Canaan in II Sam 14:2. The Israelites hung their harps in the willow trees in Babylon. Gopher wood trees were used to build the ark. The Bible talks a lot about trees.

It would be impossible to preach on all of these in one message, but here we find the righteous compared to a cedar. The cedar has distinguishing characteristics that separate it from the others:

1.       It is sweet. Their smell is sweet, and it is also insect repellent! If we would get the sweetness of the Lord in us, we would be repellant from much of the world as well!

2.       It is strong. Though not brittle, the cedar, filled with sap, is strong and flexible. When we are filled with the Spirit, the result is the same.

3.       It is steadfast. They grow deep roots. This gives them stability and steadfastness even in storms and floods.

Let us look for a few moments at the specific areas that our lives will mock the cedar, if we are right with God.

I.                    They Were Planted By the Lord. Man did not sow the cedars of Lebanon. They simply came up at God’s command. 92:13, We are not saved by man; it is by the power of God. He convicts us, convinces us, calls us, and converts us.

a.       Full of Sap: Psalms 104:16

b.       Sacrificed For: Psalms 104 talks about all the things God did to create an atmosphere where the cedar would live and thrive. He has done the same for us.

II.                  They Are Provided For By God. They flourish in the courts of our God. They were not on their own but the Lord Provided for them. The Lord supplies all the sun, all the rain, all the nutrients, and all the care they need.

III.               They Make Progress Through the Storm. They have awful winters in the mountains of Lebanon. But it is the nutrients that are held in the snow that gives the Cedar what it needs to grow in the summer. The same snow that breaks the limbs, feeds the roots! In our storms is where God gives us the strength to continue in the good times. It is through these difficult times we develop power to survive. The snow gives such nutrients that the cedar absorbs that are then converted into a scent. That scent is stronger the more of those nutrients the cedar gets. The scents make it insect repellant. In weakness we are made strong. We always have him.

IV.                They are Productive Trees. They are Evergreen. They are never out of season. We too can be that way by God’s strength. Regardless of my circumstance it is well with my soul. Evergreens glow, grow, and go.

V.                  They Preach To Us. Ezekiel 17:22-24 God uses a cedar to show Ezekiel the message for Israel. In it is preached:

a.       Rest, the cedars of these mountains were so thick that when the snow weighted their limbs, they leaned on one another for strength. There is rest among God’s people.

b.       Refuge, The Lord promised to care for the tree, shelter, and protect it. He is watching out for us.

c.        Responsibilities- The other trees of the field were watching (v. 24). Can your children say, “My daddy knows God?” or will they follow you to the tavern or other places you would not want them to know. They are watching!