I will comfort its inhabitants and love them openly, for My anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew. Israel will blossom like the lily and take root as Lebanon. Its branches shall spread like a fruitful olive tree, and its fragrance will be like Lebanon itself. They will return to find refuge in its shade; they will drink deeply and be satisfied with grain, and Ephraim will bloom like a vine; his remembrance will be like the fine wine of Lebanon. What care does he have for idols? I have humbled him, but I will restore his strength. I will be like a sturdy juniper tree, and from Me, you will bear fruit.
When they turn in repentance, acknowledging the Father they once forsook, God responds, promising to mend their brokenness or the wounds of their communities. I will love them based on the grace that is evident and undeniable. The Lord expresses His love for those who love Him, as stated, "I love them that love Me" (Proverbs 8:17). For I, who was once angry due to their transgressions, will now show mercy because of My goodness. I will be to them like the refreshing dew, quenching the flames of affliction, just as I promised Jacob through Isaac: "By the dew of heaven shall thy habitation be" (Genesis 27:39). For to those who believe in Him, He is light, way, truth, bread, vine, fire, shepherd, lamb, door, and servant. For those seeking His mercy, He becomes dew, as Isaiah states, "The dew that comes from You is their healing" (Isaiah 26:19). And Moses, in the song from Deuteronomy, proclaims, "Let my words come down like dew" (Deuteronomy 32:2).
When the Lord showers us with His dew and His rains alleviate the dryness in our hearts, we will thrive, blossoming like the lily, akin to our Savior who declares in the Song of Songs, "I am the flower of the field, and the thorn of the thorn" (Song of Songs 2:1). To His flawless bride, He asserts, "As the thorn in the thorns, so is My beloved among the daughters" (Song of Songs 2:2). As we mature in the Lord, we will sink our roots deep like the trees of Lebanon, their roots as high as their branches are tall, providing an unshakable foundation amid storms. The branches of these trees reach out to host the birds of the air.
Yet, we should not misconstrue Lebanon's cedars and barren trees in reference to the fruitful olive tree, which is emblematic of those who turn back to the Lord. The sage declares, "But I am like an olive tree that bears fruit in the house of God" (Psalm 51:10). The olives provide nourishment, helping to heal wounds, comforting the sick, and dispelling darkness; they are used to anoint those who compete. From this olive will arise a fragrance, just as from Lebanon, or from incense, for both have the same name, referring to the fruitful mountain of Lebanon, abundant and lush, so that we can proclaim, "We are the fragrance of Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15). Those who return to the Lord will reap the rewards of their repentance; they will dwell under His shadow, declaring, "Under His shadow I will go and sit; His fruit is sweet to my taste" (Song of Songs 2:3).
Sitting beneath His protection, those who were once lifeless will find renewed life; as the Seventy version states, they will drink and be satisfied with grain, signifying abundance in all areas. This insight underscores that this drunkenness does not imply loss of reason, but rather an overflowing of blessings, as seen in: "Thou hast visited the earth and hast quenched it" (Psalm 64:10). Joseph, too, is said to have filled his brothers with joy at the feast (Genesis 43). The Lord invites His apostles, "Eat, my friends, and drink and be filled" (Song 5:1). Since our Lord embodies both wheat and vine, all who believe in Him are those who partake. Hence, it follows: they will blossom like the vine; their remembrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
The wine of Lebanon may be understood as uniquely blended and fragrant, akin to the offerings in the Lord's temple, which Zechariah refers to as Lebanon, calling, "O Lebanon, open your doors" (Zechariah 11:1). As you experience such abundance, Ephraim, who seeks repentance and has begun to belong to Me, forsake idols and topple false statues; for I have humbled you and will raise you up, or I will hear him and elevate him like a flourishing fir tree, as the Hebrew of the Psalm indicates: "the fir tree is his dwelling place" (Psalm 103:17). Alternatively, I will be like a stout juniper, granting you refuge in My shade. Solomon referred to juniper wood (as the LXX translates) when he constructed the temple doors, because Christ—the avenue through which we reach the Father—forever blossoms, continuously bearing fruit and remaining verdant. This juniper tree produces fruit that allows those resting under its protection to escape the harmful heat of the world and find relief from the sun's scorching rays, as Jonah once experienced (Jonah 4). It not only brings rest to those who sit beneath it but also sustenance to those who partake of its fruit.
The truths we have expounded through an allegorical lens concerning the arrival of the Lord and the conversion of true Israel may also apply to heretics, Jews, Gentiles, and all who embrace false doctrine. When they state their repentance, they will find forgiveness. Though the fullness of this promise was realized with the Savior's coming and continues to manifest in the Church, we must trust that it will be fully realized when perfection arrives, at which point partial things will pass away (1 Corinthians 13:10). We must recognize, as we have indicated before, that the salvation of Israel, its turning to the Lord, and liberation from bondage are not to be interpreted in a physical light, as the Jews maintain, but understood spiritually, which is clearly evidenced in Scripture.
THEOSIS