Hosea 14:5-6 TLB, “I will refresh Israel like the dew from heaven, she will blossom as the lily and root deeply in the soil like cedars in Lebanon. Her branches will spread out, as beautiful as olive trees, fragrant as the forests of Lebanon.”
 

Today we return to the descriptive picture in Numbers 24:5-7 that God gives us regarding our homes. Remember, He calls them “lovely homes.”

He wants our marriages and families to be…

FAITHFUL AND ENDURING

“Like cedars beside the waters.” Numbers 24:6

The cedars speak of majesty, beauty and faithfulness. They are called “excellent” trees in Song of Solomon 5:15.

Strong and rooted

Cedars are strong and firmly rooted. Because of this they can grow to 120’ high and 30’ to 40’ in girth. In Psalm 80:10 TLB God likens His people to the “mighty” cedar trees.” The word “mighty” is “el” in the Hebrew, meaning “strong”, a word that is also used of God. Psalm 92:12 MLB tells us that the “righteous… shall become mighty like the cedar of Lebanon.” 

The Hebrew word for “cedar” is “erez” and the Strong’s Concordance gives the meaning, “from the tenacity of its roots.” God wants our marriages to be strong. He wants them to be strongly rooted in God’s principles and the covenant we made on our wedding day. He wants them to be strongly knitted together in commitment, faithfulness, morality, unity and love.

Durable and lasting

Cedars have remarkable lasting qualities and are noted for their durability. In fact, there are some cedar trees that are estimated to be two thousand years old! This is how God sees marriage - durable and lasting. When we make the covenant of marriage before God and witnesses, we are in for the long haul! It is “until death do us part.”

We are living in an unprecedented hour in history when divorce is as rampart in the church as it is in the world. Oh how God’s heart must be hurting as the beautiful institution of marriage, which God ordained, is being attacked and torn apart by the devil. This is not the vision of “lovely homes” which God designed.

How can our marriages last? Only by doing it God’s way. Our selfish flesh continually puts a spanner in the works! ‘Self’ and ‘selfishness’ are the root of all problems in marriage. We need to lay down our own rights and embrace the same attitude of Jesus who did not cling to His rights as God. Instead, He made himself of no reputation, He became a servant, and He humbled Himself and was obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:6-8) The outworking of this truth in our lives is sufficient to keep a marriage unto the end.

Too many people think that love is a feeling. When the feeling dies, they think love has finished. Love is a commitment. It goes beyond feeling. It goes beyond circumstances. Even when we have no vestige of love left within us, God’s inexhaustible love is still available to us. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the kind of love we need to survive marriage. It is agape love, which starts with - “Love endures long” and ends with - “love endures without limit.”

King Solomon used cedar timber to build God’s temple and also his own palace because of the durability of the wood.  God wants our marriages to be built of cedar too, not poplar or untreated pine that will not stand the tests of time.

Resisting decay and Repelling pests

This is another wonderful feature of the cedar. This quality is an important part of our marriage, too.  Perhaps you are having a self-pity trip and dreaming that you deserve someone better than your husband. Resist this evil thought in the name of Jesus! Perhaps you are thinking that you may be better on your own. Repel this deceiving thought in Jesus name! Resist and repel all resentment and all negative thoughts about your union. The devil roams about seeking to devour your marriage. Don’t be deceived by his seducing temptations.

Fragrant

The cedar exudes a gum, which gives off fragrance. Does your marriage exude fragrance like the cedar? Fruitfulness and fragrance are the theme of each description God paints of our homes.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, sometimes I feel as though I don’t love my husband any more, but Lord, I know that my love is deceptive. Please fill me with your agape love that loves even when it does not feel like loving. Help me to realize that my marriage is a commitment to a covenant that goes beyond my feelings and desires. Save me from being a chopped-off cedar tree, but one that grows to full height. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

2 Corinthians 2:14 J.B. Phillip’s translation.

“Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on his own triumphant way and makes our knowledge of Him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We Christians have the unmistakable “scent” of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death.”

We continue looking today at the picture God paints of our homes. He wants them to be…

FRAGRANT

“Like aloes planted by the Lord.” (Numbers 24:6)

In the Word of God, aloes are always associated with incense, scent or perfume. God wants our lives and our homes to be filled with worship and overflowing with the fragrances of Christ. Do you remember when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair? The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Along with spikenard, aloes would have been one of the ingredients used in that anointing oil.

In Bible times, the oriental women perfumed their clothes with oils and spices so that even their slightest movement would release sweet odors to everyone around. Oh that we could duplicate this in the spiritual realm. Oh that every word, every movement, and every look would be like lovely perfume to the Lord and to everyone in the house.

Psalm 45:8 gives us a beautiful picture of our Messiah, coming forth from the heavenly “ivory palaces” with His “garments scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia”. But He wants us to be filled with His heavenly scent in this world and in Song of Solomon 4: 13-14 it describes the bride of Christ emanating the beautiful fragrances of Christ, aloes being one of them of course.

Do you notice that in Numbers 24:6 these aloes are planted by the Lord? It is only that which the Lord plants that will give off lovely fragrance. It is only as we walk in the Spirit that we will have about us the “unmistakable scent of Christ.”

We cannot give off any fragrance of our own flesh. In fact, our flesh stinks. What kind of aromas do you have in your home? Do your family inhale the sweet fragrances of the fruit of the Spirit, or the bad smells of the flesh? We certainly don’t want the testimony of God’s people in Isaiah 3:24, “Instead of a sweet smell, there will be a stench.”

Tension and strife give off bad smells. So does unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, bickering, arguing and bad moods. Self pity is a stinky one too. Everyone in the home is affected by it. Gloom, despair and negativity fill the house with bad odors.  Ungratefulness and unthankfulness give off awful smells. And what about the “silent treatment” when a husband and wife will not talk to one another? The children hate that stench!

Are any of these bad smells lurking in your home? Perhaps it is time to have a clean out. Let go off your fleshly “rights” and ask the Holy Spirit to come in and work in your heart. Abide in Him and let Him abide in every area of your life. As you do, He will plant in your life and your home with be filled with fruit of heavenly fragrances.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please convict me of anything and everything in my life that is making a bad smell in my home. Lord, sometimes I get so used to my own bad smells that I don’t realize how offensive they are and how they are affecting my husband and my children.  Lord, I yield my life to the working of your Holy Spirit within me. Plant in me the beautiful fruits of Your life so that my home will be filled with heavenly fragrance. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His wondrous compassion and purity.

Oh Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,

‘Til the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”
 

P.S. References to aloes in the Word of God.

Numbers 24:6; Psalm 45:8; Proverbs 7:17; Song of Solomon 4:14; John 19:39.

Proverbs 14:11, “The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.”

We continue God’s description of our homes. He wants them to be…

FLOURISHING AND FRUITFUL,

“Like gardens by the riverside.” Numbers 24:6, Isaiah 58:11

There is nothing more delightful to the eye than a beautiful flower garden. There is nothing more satisfying to the soul than a flourishing vegetable garden. A garden gives pleasure, but it also provides sustenance. God wants our homes to be a delightful place to live and a wholesome place for our children to grow and for our husband to return each evening. Who is the one who can make it a delightful?  It is the mother of the home, of course.

In Ezekiel 19:10 NLT God likens mothers to “a vine planted by the water’s edge” with “lush, green foliage because of the abundant water.”  Psalm 128:3 NLT gives us the same picture - “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine, flourishing within your home. And look at all those children! There they sit around your table as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees.”  Growth is not enough. We must also be fruitful. What is the good of a plant that grows prolifically and yet produces no fruit? 

Can you see God’s picture for your home? A garden where the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow in abundance – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)  A life-giving garden, not only to those in the home, but providing nourishment and healing to those outside the home.  A garden where the fruit of the womb is received with joy – new olive shoots sprouting up to bring more life and blessing to the home.  Isaiah 44:4 promises that our children will “spring up among the grass like willows by the watercourses.” The allegory in Ezekiel 19:10-14 tells us that we should have a funeral dirge when the fruit “dries up”.

This all sounds like a nice dream. But let’s get to reality. How can we produce this fruitful garden? God gives us the secret. We have to live close to the water! It’s the water that produces a flourishing garden. You can have the best soil and the best plants. You can be the most industrious gardener, but without water the garden will die. My big garden is flourishing, but it takes a lot of watering. It usually takes me over an hour to water my garden each evening. We have also planted a number of fruit trees on our land, but there is one tree that is bigger and greener than all the others. I wondered why until I realized that this tree is planted near the water tap. Every few days I give a drink to all the trees, but this tree constantly receives water – and so it flourishes.

In God’s Word, He likens water to two different things – the cleansing power of God’s Word (John 15:3, 17:17; Ephesians 5:26; 1 Peter 1:22) and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. (Isaiah 44:3-4; John 4:14; John 7:38-39; Acts 2:17) We can’t make our homes flourish by our own strength or our own intelligence. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am looking forward to the day when I can get soaker hoses for my garden. This will save me a lot of valuable time but it is also the best way to keep the garden watered.

Mothers, to keep our home flourishing, we need to daily soak ourselves in the Word and in the Holy Spirit. You may not have time to have long Quiet Times when you have little children around, but you can read a few verses when you are nursing the baby. Put your Bible on your windowsill, opened at Psalms or Proverbs so you can read a verse here and there as you are doing the dishes. Have a Bible on the table and one in the bathroom. These moments will keep you nourished and cleansed. 

When we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. Don’t quench the Holy Spirit. Allow Him free reign in your heart, in every area of your marriage, and in every room of your home. As you keep a soft and yielding heart, He will come like the dew to refresh you each morning. As you cry out to Him with a thirsty heart, He will come to you like the rain, bringing cleansing and new growth.

Keep the garden of your home well watered.

LOVE FROM NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Father, I don’t want my home to be a dried up garden. I want it to flourish with fruitfulness. Open my heart to fruitfulness.  I know it can only happen as I live by the water. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Fill me to overflowing. Teach me how to live in the Holy Spirit instead of living in the flesh. Thank you, Lord. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION:

Numbers 24:5, “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!”

“What a lovely home you have,” people remark when they enter a well built home with lovely décor. Beauty and exquisite furnishings always inspire me, but there is something greater than the outward appearance. God is more interested in the atmosphere of the home than the arrangements. He is more interested in the sweetness of His presence than the surroundings. He is more interested in our homes being dedicated to His glory than being filled with expensive décor.

Do you remember when King Balak of Moab called for Balaam to curse Israel? Balaam came, but instead of cursing, every time he opened his mouth, He prophesied blessing over Israel. In his third prophecy, as he looked out over the tents of Israel, he exclaimed, “How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob: how lovely are your homes, O Israel.” (NLT)

These words were prophetic, for the children of Israel did not live in spacious mansions – they lived in tents! These words described God’s heart and His vision for the families of Israel. They also portray God’s vision for our homes. He wants them to be filled with the beauty of His peace, the loveliness of His presence, and the joy and laughter of family togetherness. Listen to the beautiful imagery in verse 6 as He continues to describe what He wants our homes to be like – “Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.”

Have you ever read such a beautiful description? Let’s look at it more closely. God wants our homes to be…

FAR REACHING – “Like valleys that stretch out.”

God has a big vision for our families. He has an on-going vision. He wants to enlarge our vision to see like He sees. He wants to take us from our selfish vision of “me, my husband, our two children and we are quite happy like we are” to the vision of Isaiah 54:2-3, “Stretch out the curtains of your habitations; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations…” He wants godly families to fill the streets, fill the neighborhoods, fill the nations, and fill the earth with His glory. Rather than being the minority, God wants His people to increase and overtake the world.

Valleys encompass a river or rivers and continue to spread out to the sea or to a lake. They are the watercourses of the mountains, which is the actually Hebrew meaning of this phrase in the Scripture. Because of this they are always green and fertile. I think of the longest river on our continent, the Mississippi, which is 2,348 miles long.  It starts from little Lake Itasca in Minnesota – a small stream winding its way through lakes and marshes. But it continues to enlarge. From St. Paul to the mouth of the Missouri River it grows in force to become a powerful dominating river. After it is joined by the Missouri and Ohio rivers it swells to full might and grandeur – often 1½ miles from bank to bank.

We are all interested in our family tree. What about a family river? Each new marriage starts as a little stream. God blesses and children are added to the family. The children grow in the ways of the Lord and touch many lives for God’s kingdom - the river flows with life and vitality. The children get married and grandchildren come along. The river widens and influences more and more people for the kingdom of God.  Great-grandchildren are born and the ever-widening and deepening river becomes a mighty torrent, flowing with salvation, truth, love, and joy and healing to a hurting and barren world. Ezekiel 47:9 tells us that everything lives where the river flows.

Sadly, there are many streams that die out before they become a mighty river. They start with a name, but the name does not continue down the generations. We have found that it is not as easy as you think to pass on the family name. Currently, we have 18 grandchildren, but we had to wait for our 15th grandbaby to have a grandson that would carry on the Campbell family name!

Have you got God’s vision for your family? Are you only thinking of the present, or do you have a vision for the future? When God spoke to the patriarchs of old, He also spoke to their children and the children who were yet to be born. He saw the future generations in their loins. You can read of one example in Genesis 17:7-10. When speaking to Abraham God says these words, “you and your descendants after you…” But He didn’t say them only once – He repeated them five times to make sure Abraham got the message that God’s vision was not only for him but for the continuing generations.  

Dear mother, enlarge your vision. Don’t limit your family to a trickling stream. See your family becoming a mighty flowing river, taking life and healing to the nations and down the generations.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, save me from my narrow vision. When I become inward looking, remind me of your great vision to fill the earth with your glory. Help me to see our family becoming a mighty river, flowing through the nation with your light, joy, love and salvation.  Lord, I cannot do this in my own strength. I am dry and thirsty and barren. Please, fill me with your Holy Spirit, Pour your Spirit upon me. Pour your Spirit upon our children. Pour your Spirit upon our home so that we can pour out your love to the world. Thank you, Lord. Amen.”

AFFIRMATION: 

By God’s grace, our family will not become a dried up creek bed, but a mighty flowing and ever enlarging river to bring life and healing to the nations.