The Cedars of Lebanon

Psalm 92

It is good to praise the Lord

and make music to your name, O Most High,

proclaiming your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;

I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, Lord,

how profound your thoughts!

Senseless people do not know,

fools do not understand,

that though the wicked spring up like grass

and all evildoers flourish,

they will be destroyed forever.

But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies, Lord,

surely your enemies will perish;

all evildoers will be scattered.

You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;

fine oils have been poured on me.

My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Those of you that know me know that I am, how to put this, not religiously inclined at all. In fact I am pretty much anti religion. So you know that I am not suddenly filled with the holy spirit and have decided to rejoin the ranks of the sheep when I put this Psalm down in this blog. I started thinking about the imagery of the Cedars of Lebanon, or the Cedars of God as they have been referred to, so I went to the source to see what was what with regards to the religious meaning. So here is Psalm 92 for your perusal. 

I have included the whole thing so as to not be accused of cherry picking a line out of context. I think there is more than enough of that already when you can take a line or two and use it as a basis for blowing yourself and a crowded market up in the name of destroying the infidels or attacking an abortion clinic or denying basic rights to homosexuals...more than enough. 

I've read through this a few times and I have to say it pretty well encapsulates what I think is wrong with religion in general. Blind acquiescence, righteous superiority and an appalling lack of plurality. It literally makes me mad to think of people that I know and have known that bandy about their particular "ism" as a way of raising them above the crowd...a massive throat punch here. And to be clear, any "ism" would deserve the wrath of my disdain. This is not simply geared to religious zealots, atheists as well, who seem to believe that their lack of belief in God makes them better than everyone else. 

So while this started as an idea around the beauty and strength in these cedars I got pulled into, by my own self of course, a diatribe on the failure of man trying to convey God. Because that is what religion is to me. Man trying to explain the meaning and purpose of God. How arrogant of us to presume that we can know this. How did we ever get here? Crazy I say. 

But wait. Maybe I can help steer the conversation back to what I wanted to talk about.

In grade four or five I had to illustrate and put words to something in nature. I chose a tree and drew the worst picture ever of a large tree with roots reaching down into the ground. I somehow showed the roots reaching for a pool of water in this picture, badly I am sure as I have never been good with the visual aspects of any artfulness I may have. But the words must have worked because I recall the teacher telling me it almost made her cry. I spoke of the struggle that the tree faced everyday for the simplest and most powerful need to us all....water. 

Those roots sought out life giving water, all the while growing stronger and going deeper, providing more sustenance and more stability, ensuring it's growth and longevity. In turn allowing it's influence to spread, helping the forest to thrive and grow. Purifying the surroundings, fostering growth of other living things and offering protection to others still. The Cedars of Lebanon, the Great Forest of the North, The Boreal Forest, The Rain Forest....we are these things. We men and women can be all these things to our brethren. 

So unlike the co-opting done by the religions of the world we can take back the tree as a symbol of inclusion, of life and of plurality. Not for the righteous but for all of us. Churchill said that "history is written by the victors", well, if this is true, then the chapter around the soul of us all needs a re-write. Not based on winning, as this implies someone losing, but on the simple idea that we are equal and part of this world together. Those roots reaching down as a foundation for us all while the limbs and leaves reach up to show us the beauty around us.

Brought to you by the riot of colour at this glorious time of year right outside your window.

Ciao

D