Walking in the groves thinking like an olive tree…

Last night, one of our subscribers asked us to post some pictures of what the local olive groves look like here in our neighborhood.

I have quite a few photos on my computer, but I decided to take a some new pics so you could share in this glorious sunshiny fresh day in Yavne’el.

This grove is a few minutes from my home. It’s typical of a small village grove and is about 12 dunam (3 acres) in size. The larger commercial groves are anyway from 40 – 60 dunam (10 – 15 acres) in size and usually each grove has one variety of olive.

As I was taking the photos, I started to think about all the ways the Jewish People are compared to the olive and olive trees. The prophet Jeremiah (11:16) tells us,

“God called your name “a leafy olive–tree,” (zayit ra’anan) fair with goodly fruit;

So how are we supposed to relate to the idea that we are olive trees?

King David shares this idea in Psalm 52..

When our enemies, like Esav, come to crush us and take the Land of Israel away from us, they put their trust in their own wealth and their own physical power. For Esav, that’s all there is.

However David teaches us the secret to our eternity…

“But as for me, I am like a leafy olive-tree (zayit ra’anan) in the house of God; I trust in the loving kindness of God for ever and ever.” (52:10)