Isaiah 2:13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan…
These trees begin a list of items that were revered in Isaiah’s day as great or a show of strength. Lebanon is the country north of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. Today on Lebanon’s flag is the very Cedar of Lebanon. These trees grow primarily in the mountains of the Mediterranean region. They grow up to 130 feet tall with a trunk of up to 8 feet in diameter. The wood of the cedar is disease resistant and slow to decay. This is a stout tree.
The first mention of cedar wood in the Bible comes in Leviticus 14:1-7. The context is the cleansing of Leprosy. Specifically noted in Leviticus 14:4 then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed. God recommends the use of cedar wood for the cleansing of a skin condition. This seems to be an odd request? Remember, Moses wrote this approximately 1,400 years before Jesus.
Cedars are by nature antiseptic and have always been used to disinfect wounds and to promote healing. Volatile oils in cedars have the ability to open up the blood vessels and deliver more immune cells to the damaged region, which in turn speeds the healing process. For the most part, cedars are associated with skin healing and the treatment of arthritic joints. The cedars are also used to treat warty conditions of the skin due to the tannins and flavonoids found in the wood. These chemicals attack abnormal tissue and leave normal tissue unmolested, thus warts disappear and the normal tissue remains unscathed. Information obtained from http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/cedar.htm
How would Moses and the Jews know about the healing power of the cedar? God’s word.
Cedar is the chosen wood of God’s temple. The temple built by Solomon was primarily made of cedar. 1 Kings 6 gives significant detail regarding the temple.
Verse 9-10 So he built the house and finished it; and he covered the house with beams and planks of cedar. He also built the stories against the whole house, each five cubits high; and they were fastened to the house with timbers of cedar.
Verse 15a Then he built the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar; from the floor of the house to the ceiling he overlaid the walls on the inside with wood…
Verse 16a He built twenty cubits on the rear part of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the ceiling;
Verse 18 There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen.
Verse 20b He also overlaid the altar made of cedar.
Verse 36 He built the inner court with three rows of cut stone and a row of cedar beams.
All of this said these trees, like proud men, are coming down. Psalm 29:5 confirms this fact. The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; Yes, the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
