4th April 2022
The cedar – cedrus libani – is a native of Lebanon and the eastern end of the Mediterranean. It is coniferous, able to grow in mountainous terrains, can reach a height of 35m and have a life span that can exceed 1000 years. It is often found in parks and gardens as a decorative specimen. It has a hard durable wood with a strong sweet smell – which is said to deter moths. Its resin can be used to produce a type of turpentine.
When Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, cedar imported from Lebanon was one of the key building materials used for both beams and joists, as well as for creating carved panelling to,libe the interior walls.
The cedar symbolised purification and protection, incorruptibility and eternal life.
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar Lebanon. Psalm 92:12
Quietude, which some men cannot abide because it reveals their inward poverty, is as a palace of cedar to the wise … Charles H Spurgeon
The Green Tau 