Howl Fir Tree - Zechariah 11:2

In the book of Zechariah, Zechariah said, “Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour your cedars”, and in chapter eleven and verse two of Zechariah, Zechariah said, “howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen” where we read,

Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: 

howl, O you oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

The verse reads, “Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled:” Zechariah began with the words, “howl, fir tree” or “wail, yell and make a boisterous noise, cypress, junipers or pine trees”; “for the cedar is fallen” which means “because, since and on account that the cedar tree exists as cast down, prostrate and made inferior”; “because the mighty” or “since and on account that the powerful and strong” “are spoiled” which means “exist as despoiled, devastated, ruined and destroyed”. Zechariah called upon the cypress or pine trees to make a boisterous noise on account that the powerful and strong exist as destroyed.

The verse continues, “howl, O you oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.” Zechariah added the words, “howl, O you oaks of Bashan” or “wail, yell and make a boisterous noise O you, great oak trees belonging to Bashan whose name means fruitful and was a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh”; “for the forest of the vintage” which means “because, since and on account that the wood thicket and wooded height belonging to the inaccessible, enclosed and fortified” “is come down” or “exists as descended, declined and sunken”. Zechariah called upon the oak trees within “Bashan” to make a boisterous noise because the wood thicket belonging to the fortified and inaccessible exists as sunken and declined. 

When we consider the words in this verse, we discover how Zechariah called upon the “fir tree” to shout aloud because the “cedar” tree was cast down and the strong and powerful were destroyed, and He told the “oak trees” within “Bashan” to shout because the wood thicket was inaccessible and sunken. Each of these were employed as symbols for how Jehovah God would allow the people of Israel to be forcefully conquered by the Roman government. We shall discover more about this in our next few verses, but for now let us remember God loves the people of Israel, and His Messiah and Son Jesus came to the world through to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we believe and trust in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put within us an understanding that He has all His creation within His control to use and employ according to His will and purpose.

Next time Zechariah says, “there is a voice of the howling of the shepherds”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".