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Prosperity and
Myrtle Tree
.
We all
see and know people who have no regard for God or his laws but they seem to prosper
in the workplace and in society. How can we meld our personal experiences with
what the Bible says, yes, even promises, about prosperity being related to a
godly life? Evil individuals will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear
themselves out but gain nothing. Because we are Christians does not mean we
will be prosperous - because a person is not a Christian does not mean he will
not be prosperous
Carolyn Roth
The
story of Zechariah’s vision of horses among myrtle trees is in Zechariah
1:1-17.
The
first year the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem they rebuilt the Temple
Altar.
The
second year (536 B.C.), they laid the Temple foundation.
Non-Jewish
people who lived in the area, largely Samaritans, offered to help rebuild the
Temple.
When
the Jews refused their assistance, these enemies initiated a systematic program
to discourage the Jews from rebuilding the Temple.
Temple
construction stopped for about 10 years through the end (530 B.C.) of Cyrus
reign down into the reign of Darius I (522-486 B.C.).
In the
2nd year of Darius reign, God spoke through the prophet Haggai (August, 520
B.C.).
God’s
message was for the Jews to complete the Temple.
Haggai
attributed the drought in Judah to the Temple being in ruins. Almost
immediately the Jews initiated Temple construction.
Two
months after Haggai message from God, Zechariah received a message.
Zechariah’s
prophecy mirrored that of Haggai, e.g., rebuild the Temple; but included that
the Jews repent and serve the Lord.
Several
months later Zechariah received eight visions in one night.
In the
first vision, Zechariah saw a man riding a red horse.
Then,
the man stood among myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind the man were other horses.
The man
explained to Zechariah that these were the riders that God sent throughout the
earth. The riders came back and reported that the world was at peace.
Hearing
the riders’ reports, the angel of the Lord asked God how long he was going to
withhold mercy from Jerusalem.
God
responded with kind and comforting words to the concerned angel: God was
jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.
He was
angry with the nations who punished the Jews because they went too far in
brutality against Judah.
God’s
plan was to punish the offending nations and return to Jerusalem with comfort
and mercy. He promised that Judah’s towns would again overflow with prosperity.
The
setting for Zechariah’s first vision is defined in detail.
The man
who rode the red horse stood among myrtle trees in a small, narrow, steep-sided
valley.
MacDonald
(1995) said that the myrtle trees in the ravine represented Israel under
Gentile subjection.
In
the Bible, the angel of the Lord is often identified as the second
person of the Trinity (Christ); consequently, it was Christ expressing his
concern for the well-being of the Jews and Jerusalem (Adeyemo,
2006).
Myrtle
The
myrtle of the Bible is the Myrtus communis. Its origins are the
Middle East and the Mediterranean region.
At one
time wild myrtle was common throughout Palestine and Lebanon.
Today
in Israel, most myrtle bushes are grown intentionally and used for ornamental
purposes; however, some wild plants remain in the Upper Galilee and Golan
areas.
Although
myrtle is hardy to temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, it is damaged
by cold drying wind.
Myrtle is
classified as an evergreen shrub or small tree that will grow to 24 feet tall.
The
myrtle fruit is a purplish-black berry known in the Middle East as mursins.
Mursins
can be dried then ground add flavor to stews or boiled to yield a jelly or a
beverage.
The
myrtle is one of the four blessed plants used in the Jewish Festival of
Tabernacles (Sukkoth).
To fill
the requirement for Sukkoth, three leaves must grow from one point on the
myrtle stem.
Jewish
sages compared the myrtle, which has a good smell but no taste, to Israelites
those who do good deeds, but do not study the Torah (first five books of the
Old Testament).
Symbolism:
Prosper, Prosperity
Many
world cultures assigned meaning to the myrtle blossom to include beauty, love,
paradise, and immortality.
For the
Jews, myrtle can symbolize sweetness, justice, divine generosity, peace, God’s
promise, and recovery.
Zechariah’s
vision of horsemen, angels and God among the myrtle trees reinforced God’s
promise that the returned exiles would be prosperous.
Prosperity
means a person or group thrived or flourished and was successful, especially in
financial or economic terms.
For the
Jews of Zechariah’s time to prosper, God required that they repent, serve the
Lord, and rebuild the temple.
Other Bible verses
identified additional requirements for prosperity.
See
Table 4 for a summary of some of these requirements for prosperity. They apply
equally to Christians today.
Table
4: Some Biblical Requirements for Prosperity
God’s Requirements for the Jews to
Prosper
|
Source: Bible Verses
|
Repentance
|
Deuteronomy 30: 1-5
|
Obedience to the will and laws
(commandments) of God
|
Deuteronomy 28:9-11, 30:8-9; I
Kings 2:3; Ezra 6:6; Proverbs 3:1-2
|
Fear the Lord (and walk in his ways)
|
Psalm 128:1-2
|
Do right in God’s eyes, pursuing and
living righteously
|
2 Chronicles 14:2-7, 31:20-21;
|
When we
consider God’s requirements for prosperity, they do not seem particularly
onerous, e.g., repent, obey God’s laws, trust God, do what is right in God’s
eyes, and be generous.
Prosperity
not only benefits people who receive God’s abundance; it also benefits and
causes joy in the entire city and region (Proverbs 11:10).
The
Bible revealed reasons that people do not prosper.
The
chief reasons were the opposite of behaviors that cause prosperity. Disobeying
God (Deuteronomy 28:62), having a perverse heart (Proverbs
17:20), and concealing sin (Proverbs 28:13) lead
to lack of prosperity
The
problem is that we all see and know people who have no regard for God or his
laws but they seem to get ahead (prosper) in the workplace and in society.
How can
we meld our personal experiences with what the Bible says, yes, even promises,
about prosperity being related to a godly life?
The
great prophet Jeremiah asked God the same question.
Jeremiah’s explicit words were “why do the ways of the wicked
prosper. Why do the faithless live at ease?” (Jeremiah 12:1, NIV-SB,
2002).
God’s
response was to Jeremiah but also to all of us who ask him the same question.
God
assure Jeremiah that evil individuals will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will
wear themselves out but gain nothing (Jeremiah 12:13).
Over
breakfast Bruce and I talk about how difficult it is to deal with friends and
relatives who do not embrace the ways of Christ.
Some
are prosperous and seem to live charmed lives. At times their actions are
deliberately or indifferently cruel.
We know
that as Christians, we can not to be offended by what they do, nor can we
respond in kind.
Instead,
our prayers must be that we do not hurt them inadvertently. We need to pray for
their redemption and their prosperity.
Reflection.
Because we are Christians does not mean we will be prosperous. Because a person
is not a Christian does not mean he will not be prosperous.
I
love Bible plants along with their symbolism. If you want to learn more about
them, read my two books: 1) Rooted in God and 2) God as a Gardener. You can
purchase them from my website: Carolyn Roth Ministry at http://www.CarolynRothMinistry.com/
Carolyn
Roth Ministry
(CarolynRothMinistry.com)
offers research,
education, and consultation to individuals and organizations who want to deepen
their understanding of the Bible.
As
the site editor, participants should know I am a spiritual woman with a deep
belief in God. Many friends would describe my Christian perspective as
orthodox. I believe in the inspired, written word of God. I live in Roanoke,
Virginia. I am a Virginia Master Gardener and a Tree Steward.
This
website/blog glorifies God within the context of earth as His garden, describes
Bible and other growing plants, and applies them to our Christian walk in
the 21st century. On Creation day 3, God created vegetation, e.g., trees,
herbs, flowers. On this site, the word plant will be used to
encompass all types of vegetation. God created plants right after He
created the heavens (Day 2) and before He created the sun, moon, and stars (Day
4). This creative order demonstrates that God valued and had a purpose for the
varied flora in our world. Our response to this creative process should first
be love for the Creator and second a reverence for this earthly garden.
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