Fig Preserves
I like figs. I have a fig tree. And there aren't too many things that are better than some of my mom's fig preserves with melted butter on a warm-from-the-oven homemade biscuit. Mmmmmm... There are several places in the Bible where figs are discussed and I have pondered those many times. And this week I have been reading in Jeremiah and I rediscovered that he wrote about figs, too. Chapter 24 says that God showed him two baskets of figs - one full of beautiful ripe figs and one full of rotten figs. The ripe figs represented the Israelites carried off to Babylonian captivity and the rotten figs were the Israelites who had rejected God and were left in Judah or who had run to Egypt.
God tells Jeremiah that He had sent those ripe figs to exile in Babylon. He said that He was going to make sure they had a good life, that He would watch over them and bless them and that He would make sure they got good treatment. And He said He would bring them back to the place of promise, that He would build them up, not tear them down and that He would plant them and not uproot them. Verse 7 says this: "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."
Daniel was one of those ripe figs. Daniel 1 says that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off the finest, the cream of the crop, to exile so that he could groom them to serve in his palace. And Daniel 1:17 says that God gave Daniel knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret dreams and visions of all kinds. Daniel was a fine fig. And Daniel was part of that basket of ripe figs that God was preserving so that one day He could bring them back to the place of His promise. In Jeremiah 29 Daniel, and the rest of the fine figs, were given instructions along with God's words of promise and blessing. God tells them to build and plant and settle in and reproduce and pray for peace and prosperity while they were in exile. This plan would prepare them and increase them so that when He returned them to their land, they would be strong and ready for the next part of His work in and through them to bring about the promised redemption for the world.
I wonder if those exiles felt blessed as they were heading north to Babylon. And during the years they were there I wonder if they felt like God was watching over them and giving them a good life - or if they felt captive and forsaken. Did they cry out and wonder why God was tearing them apart and why He had uprooted them? Did they moan and whine about the fact that they weren't walking fully in the promise He had given them as His chosen nation? Or did they build and plant and settle in and reproduce and pray for peace and prosperity? And did they look around and see the beauty and blessing and goodness that surrounded them? You know, one of the Seven Wonders of the World was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. And the Euphrates River flowed through Babylon so they probably had some awesome gardens of their own. They probably even grew some amazing fig trees.
As I've been writing this blog Father has been gracious to my little spirit that sometimes feels captive and wounded by tearing down and uprooting. You know what He has said? He has said, "Amy, you are a fine fig. And I am preserving you so that when my time is perfected, and all is prepared, you can walk fully in the place of promise I have for you. And just like the figs in Babylon, I am not tearing you down or uprooting you. You are a fig that I am building up and planting. And I am watching over you and giving you a good life full of blessings. There is a river of life flowing in you that waters your garden and if you will look around, you'll see my Wonders of the World that make Babylon's gardens look wilted by comparison. And while you are here, you know what to do. Build up - equip and encourage others. Plant - the truth of who I am in the soils of your world. Settle in - rest, remain, content in the places where you walk with Me. Pray for peace and prosperity - for yourself, for my beloved ones, for the country of your exile - for that peace and prosperity will then surround you and precipitate My blessings on you. I've given you a heart to know Me. Let your heart run free in it's pursuit of Me. Together we will walk fully in the promise that will be part of My redemptive work in the world."
I don't have any homemade biscuits to eat this morning. But I do have butter and some of my mom's fig preserves. I think I may stick a piece of wheat bread in the toaster and savor a few bites of those preserves and see if Father doesn't let the sweetness of His promise warm my heart as the fig preserves warm my taste buds and my stomach.
Feeling figgy,
Amy
As I've been writing this blog Father has been gracious to my little spirit that sometimes feels captive and wounded by tearing down and uprooting. You know what He has said? He has said, "Amy, you are a fine fig. And I am preserving you so that when my time is perfected, and all is prepared, you can walk fully in the place of promise I have for you. And just like the figs in Babylon, I am not tearing you down or uprooting you. You are a fig that I am building up and planting. And I am watching over you and giving you a good life full of blessings. There is a river of life flowing in you that waters your garden and if you will look around, you'll see my Wonders of the World that make Babylon's gardens look wilted by comparison. And while you are here, you know what to do. Build up - equip and encourage others. Plant - the truth of who I am in the soils of your world. Settle in - rest, remain, content in the places where you walk with Me. Pray for peace and prosperity - for yourself, for my beloved ones, for the country of your exile - for that peace and prosperity will then surround you and precipitate My blessings on you. I've given you a heart to know Me. Let your heart run free in it's pursuit of Me. Together we will walk fully in the promise that will be part of My redemptive work in the world."
I don't have any homemade biscuits to eat this morning. But I do have butter and some of my mom's fig preserves. I think I may stick a piece of wheat bread in the toaster and savor a few bites of those preserves and see if Father doesn't let the sweetness of His promise warm my heart as the fig preserves warm my taste buds and my stomach.
Feeling figgy,
Amy
You have always been a special little fig! I(along with your dad) asked God to mold and make you and your brother into strong Christians and use you for His glory. He is only following our petition! Mom
Reply to this
I am so thankful for you guys! I LOVE YOU!
Reply to this