Peace and Joy

Yesterday I talked about the words God speaks over us. Today I want to talk about the results. In the first post I mentioned Isaiah 55:10-11 says God's words will accomplish all He intends. Directly after this He tells the result of His words- joy and peace.

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” Isaiah 55:12-13

In the Bible the thorn is a symbol of sin. Back in Genesis 3 Adam and Eve are living in perfect relationship with God, but then the two sin. God curses the ground and allows thorns to come into His perfect creation. God never intended to keep thorns in His creation though. He promised redemption and continued to remind His people He was bringing redemption.

God gives a picture to illustrate this. Instead of briars, there will be myrtle trees (flowering trees). 

Instead of thorns there will be cypress trees. Cypress trees are interesting because they easily adapt to the rise and fall of water levels. They can grow in up to four feet of water or on dry land. The roots spread out over forty feet and are predominantly in the top three feet of soil, though in times of drought they dig deep to find water. Unlike other trees, they do not rot in water and are more resistant to other forms of tree rot.

So what is God saying here? God is saying He will redeem the land that was taken over by briars and thorns (aka sin). He will redeem you. We can ask God for forgiveness for our sins and be forgiven. We can forgive others who have sinned against us. It is not worth holding onto the bitterness and hurt. I like how Eugene Peterson summarizes Matthew 11:28-30—

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”