Know ye the land where the cypress and myrtle
are emblems of deeds that are done in their clime?
—Lord Byron
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
Instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off (Isaiah 55:13).
It’s not enough to eradicate thorns and briers. There is more: Towering cypress trees and multihued myrtles can spring up where nettles once encumbered the ground.
It’s not enough that God removes our transgressions. He does more: He replaces each vice with a virtue, so that the site of old evil becomes a place of rare beauty and grace.
Where cynicism once abounded, hope and optimism emerge; where sarcasm flourished, kind, gentle words appear; where malice produced anxiety and turmoil, forbearance now brings tranquility and peace; where lust grew rampant and unrestrained, pure love springs up. This—the transformed life—is the living and lasting sign of God’s work, the memorial he seeks (55:13d).
And how does this transformation take place? We must “seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (55:6).
There are moments when God can be found: when our hearts grow tired of transgression and we ache for holiness. This is God calling us, reminding us that he is near. We must then act “in season before desire shall fail,” A.E. Housman said.
We must look toward God and his Word for his help: Ask him to make us like Jesus, for, “as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, making it bear and sprout,” so God’s Word will not return to him empty, but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he has spoken it” (55:10.11).
“My ways are not your ways,” God says, “nor are my thoughts your thoughts” (55: 8). How are God’s ways not like our ways? Unlike our ways, God’s ways work!
David Roper
2.24.21
