Palms & Palms
God is a
Master Wordsmith! Although these two types of "palms" are very
different, they are very much the same! It was fun to discover this
ingenious play on words:
While
reading the following scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 109:76, I wondered
about the significance of Palms.
"That our garments may be pure, that we may be
clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands,
and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our
sufferings."
I
know they waved & covered the ground with palms leaves for the Triumphal
entry of Christ but was it just because palm leaves are big and it was the best
option for “rolling out the red carpet” so to speak, or was there some other
significance? This prompted a study and this is what I learned:
Ezekiel
41:18-20, 25 And it was made with cherubim and palm trees, so that a
palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub; and every cherub had two faces;…
*Solomon
ornamented his temple with “cherubim and palm trees” But why? In my searchings,
I found this gem of an explaination on Biblehub:
The
Significance of the Palm Trees by W. Clarkson
“The cherubim and the palm trees were closely associated; both were largely
represented, and they were found in close conjunction: "a palm tree was
between a cherub and a cherub." Both of them pictured the righteous man in
the sanctuary of God, but while the cherub signified the good man at his best
bringing himself and all that he had as an offering to God, the palm tree stood
for the good man...that man's goodness is the fair and excellent result of
much communion with God. Among the
resemblances are these-
I. ITS UPRIGHTNESS. ..."The palm rises straight toward heaven, it stands
upright among the trees... The good man... he is the man who does not stoop,
who does not bend and bow earthward, who stands erect, who moves in one
heavenward direction, who is governed constantly by true and abiding
principles..."
II. ITS FRUITFULNESS. "The palm, as a fruit-bearing tree, bearing a fruit
which is remarkably nutritious - for the date will sustain life for a long
time, without any other kind of food - is an admirable picture of the righteous
man. He bears fruit; he is expected to "bear much fruit," and fruit
of many kinds: excellency of spirit, - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc.;
worthiness of life, earnest effort to do good, - patient, prayerful endeavor to
awaken the slumbering, to elevate the fallen, to comfort the sorrowful, to
encourage the feeble, etc... He must be a branch abiding in the vine; he must
maintain a very close spiritual connection with Christ; and how shall he do
this without the ordinances of his house?"
III. ITS BEAUTY. The palm tree lends a great charm to the landscape when seen
standing in clusters upon the heights against the sky; and its evergreen
foliage makes each particular tree an object of beauty. The righteous man is he
whose character is fair, excellent, admirable. When he is what his Master calls
on him to be, and what he actually becomes when he seeks the strength and
refreshment to be found in communion with God, then the more he is observed the
more he is admired. Those qualities are found in him which are "lovely and
of good report;" he is unselfish, pure, considerate, open-handed, patient,
brave, loyal, loving. His goodness, like the foliage of the palm, grows not
near the ground, where it can easily be soiled and lost, but high up, where
lower things cannot damage or destroy it.
IV. ITS ELASTICITY. The fiber of the palm is so elastic that, even when loaded
with considerable weight, it still grows determinately upwards . The good man
may have much to depress him and to hamper his growth, but if he "dwells
in the house of the Lord," he will rise, notwithstanding all that would
otherwise check him, to a noble height of virtue and of piety.
V. ITS ULTIMATE TRIUMPH. It does not promise much at the beginning. "It is
rough to the touch and enveloped in dry bark, but above it is adorned with
fruit... so is the life of the elect, despised below, beautiful above;... down
below straitened by innumerable afflictions, but on high it is expanded into a
foliage... of beautiful greenness" (see 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:11)”
--------------------------------------------------------
Wikipedia
says that "The palm branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace…”
In ancient
times, it was tradition to welcome a King or war hero home with palms waving
and laid in his path. It is therefore significant that the believers in
Christ's day did the same for him at his Triumphal Entry, stating that He was
indeed the King of Kings who would triumph over all on our behalf.
Revelation 7:9-10,13-14 9 After this I beheld, and, lo,
a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands; 13 And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence
came they? 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation
to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
I didn’t really
understand what this scripture was talking about until just recently, when I
was taught by some amazing scriptorians: This prophecy is of a latter-day
temple dedication with it's Hosanna Shout. Palm leaves were anciently waved
during the Hosanna Shouts. (Now we use white handkerchiefs).
Many including myself, believe that the dedication of the Palmyra, New York
temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints on April 6, 2000
fulfilled this prophecy. Not only was this on a significant date in church
history, but this was the first temple dedication that was broadcast on a large
scale to all the saints throughout the United States and Canada where we all
were able to perform the Hosanna Shout together, which, in my mind, fulfills
the words: “a great multitude of all nations, kindreds, people & tongues”.
I personally took part in this as my family and I attended via broadcast to a
local meeting house. At that point in my life, I didn’t understand the
significance of what was taking place, but I do now and feel so grateful to
have been able to take part in it! (The dedication of the re-built Nauvoo
temple could also fit this bill as it was broadcast on an even larger scale, to
72 countries across the world.)
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the Palmyra
temple is extremely significant as it overlooks the grove where our Father in
Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ appeared to the young Joseph Smith. This began
the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth! I testify of this
truth.
Another interesting note, that kind of blew me away, is that Palmyra in Hebrew
means "Palm Tree" or "City of Palm Trees The symbolism God
creates for us is amazing, isn't it?! Although the Sacred grove is not a grove
of Palm trees, it is a beautiful grove where Christ returned to earth to begin
the restoration of His church.
1 Nephi
21:16 & Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands….
This
imagery is beautiful…and it is a sign that remains even after His resurrection,
not only to fulfill the following prophecy...but more importantly as a token of
our exquisite worth to Him.
Zechariah
13: 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he
shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
What better symbol could there be of Christ and our ability to attain these same qualities through Him because of the very act that finished the "engraving"… Such an incredible play on words here, that also, at least in my book, can’t possibly be coincidental…
With outstretched hands He invites us to become "a good man", too, to be healed, strengthened, succored, unburdened and finally, perfected IN Him. We only have but to cast off the plague of unbelief and, as they say, not only “Believe IN Him, but to BELIEVE Him”. This is possible when we each personally accept His beautiful Atoning Sacrifice.
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