Glory of the Humble Olive

In Hosea 14, God sends the message that if Israel repents and returns to Him, He will welcome then back.  In verse 5,  “God will be like the dew to Israel [perpetually blessing His people).” Most commentators agree that the rest of the verse shows the result. “; . . . he [Israel or God’s people] will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; ⁶ his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.”

Olive -Splendor?  The Hebrew word  is “hod,” which means “glory” or “majesty”. The humble olive in fact has all the aspects of the possible translations of hod (beauty, splendor, glory, and majesty.”  The olive tree is a plant of unequaled merit in the ancient world. It is beautifully evergreen.  It produces the edible fruit, and a fragent oil.  The oil can be used as food, for cooking, and for lighting. Its wood is a multi-shaded hardwood which can be highly polished and is useful to make furniture and utensils. The tree itself can produce fruit for hundreds of years. If the tree us cut or copiced, the sump will regrow.  The tree is also resistant to drought and fire.  This is a truly splendid tree.

It is significant then that those who turn to God will be like such a tree. You, and I are heirs to such a transformation.  An olive might not seem very splendid; nor you or I in our own estimations. But, God will make us, like that small roundish fruit, into a great tree.  We have the promise and the potential in Him, to be fruitful and useful to Him.

Padre