Israel will thrive like the lily and root itself as Lebanon does. Its branches will stretch forth, and it will embody a fruitful olive tree, with its fragrance evoking Lebanon. They shall return and find rest in its shade; they shall partake and be satisfied with abundance, and Ephraim will flourish like the vine; his memory will be like the wine of Lebanon. What purpose do idols serve for him? I have brought humility upon him, and I will strengthen him. I will be like a robust juniper tree; from Me, you shall bear fruit. When they embraced repentance and acknowledged the Father they had abandoned, God responded with grace, restoring their brokenness—whether in their communities where they suffered, or in their lives marked by adversity. I will love them according to the favor I have freely given them. The Lord cherishes those who cherish Him, as it is written, "I love them that love Me" (Proverbs 8:17). I, who once held anger against them for their transgressions, will now extend mercy because of my goodness. I will refresh them as the dew, allowing it to extinguish the flames of Babylon’s furnace and the heat of the crucible. I had previously conveyed to my servant Jacob through the patriarch Isaac: “By the dew of heaven shall your dwelling be” (Genesis 27:39). Just as He is light, way, truth, bread, vine, fire, shepherd, lamb, and door for believers, so for those yearning for His mercy and burdened by their sins, He transforms into dew. Isaiah spoke of this: "The dew that comes from You is their healing" (Isaiah 26:19). Furthermore, Moses proclaimed in Deuteronomy: "Let my words come down like dew" (Deuteronomy 32:2). When the Lord anoints us with His dew and His rains alleviate the dryness of our hearts, we will flourish, blooming like the lily, akin to our Savior, who declares in the Song of Songs, "I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys" (Song of Songs 2:1). To His unblemished bride, He says, “As the lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters” (Song of Songs 2:2). As we grow in the Lord, we will take root like the majestic cedars of Lebanon, whose roots extend deep into the earth as their heights soar toward the sky, holding firm against all storms. The branches of these trees spread wide, providing sanctuary for the birds of heaven. Yet, to prevent the misunderstanding that the words refer merely to roots emerging, it is essential to recognize the righteous who turn to the Lord are likened to the fruitful olive tree, as expressed in another psalm: "But I am like an olive tree in the house of God" (Psalm 51:10). Its fruit nourished the five wise virgins; it soothes wounds, rejuvenates the ailing, dispels darkness, and is used for anointing in competition. From this olive will emanate a fragrance akin to that of Lebanon, or incense—indicating both the mountain and the fragrant offering—calling to mind Lebanon, a land rich and verdant, adorned with dense foliage, whereby the olive proclaims: "We are the fragrance of Christ" (2 Corinthians 2:15). Those who turn to the Lord will reap the rewards of their conversion—finding solace in His shadow, exclaiming, "Under His shadow I will sit, and His fruit is sweet to my taste" (Song of Songs 2:3). Those who were previously lifeless will find rejuvenation under His wings, as the Septuagint suggests; they shall partake and find abundance in all things. Here, intoxication signifies not a loss of reason, but fullness in all aspects, confirmed by the subsequent verse: "You have visited the earth and have satisfied it" (Psalm 64:10). Joseph is also said to have nourished his brothers at a feast (Genesis 43). The Lord invites His disciples, saying, "Eat, my friends; drink and be filled, my brethren" (Song 5:1). Thus, as our Lord embodies the wheat and the vine, all who believe in Him partake as those who drink. Henceforth, they will blossom like the vine, and their remembrance shall be as the wine of Lebanon. This wine, spiced and aromatic, may represent the offering presented in the Lord’s temple, which Zechariah refers to as Lebanon: “Open, O Lebanon, your doors” (Zechariah 11:1). As such abundance is granted to you, Ephraim, who seeks repentance and has begun to belong to Me, abandon your idols and dismantle your graven images; for I have humbled you, and I will uplift you, or I will hear you and elevate you like a flourishing fir tree, as the Hebrew text of the psalm remarks: "The fir tree is His dwelling place" (Psalm 103:17). Alternatively, I will be like a resilient juniper, offering you shade to find rest beneath. Solomon, as translated in the Septuagint, crafted the temple's doors from juniper trees, for Christ, through whom we approach the Father, continually bears fruit, flourishing eternally green. This juniper tree provides sustenance, allowing those who find refuge beneath its branches to escape the harsh elements of this world, shielding them from the scorching sun that once afflicted Jonah (Jonah 4). It not only grants rest to those who seek refuge under it but also nourishes those who partake of its fruit. Every interpretation we have shared, concerning the coming of our Savior and the genuine conversion of Israel, similarly applies to heretics, Jews, Gentiles, and all errant doctrines, ensuring that those who repent shall be forgiven. While the fullness of the promise was realized in the advent of the Savior and is continuously fulfilled within the Church, we must hold fast to the belief that it will be realized in even greater fullness when perfection arrives and when that which is partial is no longer (1 Corinthians 13:10). It is crucial to understand, as we have often reflected, that the deliverance of Israel, its turn towards the Lord, and its liberation from bondage, must not be interpreted in a corporeal sense, as the Jews mistakenly presume, but rather in a spiritual context—a truth that is indisputably supported.
THEOSIS