LAMENTATION OF THE CEDAR TREE He prophesied about Tyre, presenting it like a ship, precious in its construction and cargo; with excellent crew and men of war; that was lost in the midst of the seas, and sank with its cargo to the depths; mourned for by those working on it, and trading with it; and became an example to all the other ships. Now here, as he prophesies about the Pharaoh of Egypt, he presents to us the high Cedar tree, whose top reaches up to the clouds; and among its thick boughs the birds of heaven build their nests, and under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young... that, which will likewise collapse and fall. This tree, according to the Septuagint version, is Assyria, as though He presents to Pharaoh a practical example before him - the nation of Assyria that collapsed, to be replaced by the Babylonian empire. Some scholars believe that He is talking about Pharaoh himself, as the high Cedar tree. Anyhow, this example equally applies to both the haughty Pharaoh of Egypt, and to Assyria before him; and it applies as well to every haughty and arrogant soul. 1- The haughty cedar tree 1-9. 2- The fall of the cedar tree 10-18. 1- THE HAUGHTY CEDAR TREE God commands the prophet Ezekiel to ask the Pharaoh of Egypt; saying: “Whom are you in your greatness? Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fine branches that shaded the forest, and of high stature. And its top was among the thick boughs” (Ez 31:2, 3). If He is rebuking the Pharaoh of Egypt, who feels great in his own eyes, because of the gifts and talents granted to him by God; or if He presents to him as an example, Assyria that carried the same attribute, ‘the pride.’ This portrait presented, also applies to man, on whom God poured all possibilities of success, who, instead of glorifying God, he fell into pride, and so collapsed. This is a lamentation for every soul, that resembles the one presented to the king of Tyre, as a symbol of Satan, whom God had set above all heavenly and earthly creation; a cherub who, in His Paradise, carried the divine throne; and from whom He kept no secret. Yet, as he got proud, he fell. Some believe that God requests of Pharaoh to think about Assyria, the great kingdom that fell. In the year 609 B.C., Pharaoh Necho came to Carchemish to help the Assyrian empire that was facing the attacks of Babylon. But his efforts failed; and Assyria was wiped out from history, like an uprooted cedar tree. And now, what did God grant us? The Lord summarized His gifts to us in three things: a- “Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon”(Ezl 31:3). Assyria was the greatest nation in those days; like a high cedar tree; its king was the greatest among all the kings surrounding him, and they submitted to him. God created us as the most perfect creation on earth; in the sixth day after He prepared everything for our comfort. He granted us a rational soul, in His image and according to His likeness. He gave us the authority over all the earthly creation. He intended, not to humiliate man, but to exalt him; not to deprive him, but to fulfill him; not to set him a helpless tool in His hand, but a being with free will. He exalted him to the greatest length. 5 “It was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches... The cedars in the garden of God, the fir trees were not like its boughs; and the chestnut trees were not like its branches. No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty. I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches; so that all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God”(Ez 31:7-9). Man is God’s plant, made by His own hands, He planted him in His garden; and made him more beautiful than all the trees of His garden. Satan envied him because of the splendor that God poured on him; and provoked him to pride and haughtiness toward God! b- “With fine branches” (Ez 31:3). Satan envied him because of the multitude of his branches (Ez 31:9); as: “All the birds of heavens made their nests in its boughs; under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; and in its shadow all great nations made their home” (Ez 31:6). He likens the nations that were submitted to Assyria, to birds that take refuge in its boughs; and to the beasts of the field that bring forth their young under its branches. What are these multitude of beautiful branches, granted by God to protect the bird of heaven, and under whose shadow the beasts of the field bring forth their young, but the nature of love that God created in man, to extend with his heart to all mankind, and even to every earthly creation. In him, saints would find comfort; and in him, the afflicted would find refuge; and find in him a heart spacious enough, to accommodate many. God created man as a being, beloved and loving; the object of the love of God and His angels, and his heart is widened too to love. Indeed Assyria so extended by its might, to embrace many nations under its authority, including the Pharaoh of Egypt. But the children of God extend by their true inner love, to be able, if possible, to love even the adversaries and the wicked; so that all would find their comfort in them. c- He planted it on rivers of abundant water: “The waters made it grow; underground water s gave it height; with their rivers running around the place it was planted; and sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field” (Ez 31:4). If the abundant waters of the Nile gave Pharaoh riches and wealth, and supported his greatness; and he got fulfilled, and even flowed over the nations around him, “sending out rivulets of water to all the trees of the field;” in this he also simulates Assyria, that depended on the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. And Yet Assyria fell! As far as we are concerned as believers; we have to apply this to the work of God’s grace in us. As we are planted on the holy waters of Baptism, and get fulfilled internally by the Holy Spirit, that grants us uprightness, for our stature to reach the clouds, and for our branches to extend in every direction; That will even be reflected on others, to accept the work of the Spirit in them; to get aflame with its fire, the same way we do; and to get to enjoy the work of the holy Baptism, when they feel its activity in us. If the high stature of the cedar tree to reach up to the clouds (Ez 31:3), refers to the life of perfection and sanctification that God granted to man, by which he enters into the mysteries of the kingdom, and beholds the hidden divine glories; and if the multitude of branches refers to the power of love, to accommodate all; both - sanctification and love - are the gifts of the Holy Spirit that work in us through the water of the holy Baptism; saying: “Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field; Its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long because of the abundance of water, as it sent them out” (Ez 31:5). In the water of Baptism, we grow as a new branch in the true Vine; 6 by the divine Spirit we will continuously grow upward, and by the multitude of branches, we shall extend horizontally. That is why St. Isaac the Syrian says: [If you get good, apparently or secretly, you should be sure that Baptism and faith, are the intermediaries to this good; as by them, you were invited to good works in Christ Jesus1.] Fr. Methodius says: [Those who get enlightened by the features of Christ... on everyone of them, will be printed the shape, image, and features of the ‘Word;’ that Christ would be counted as born in each of them, through the work of the Holy Spirit... And those baptized would become other christs2.] And St. Jacob of Serug says in a work on Baptism: [Baptism will get your name written up there in heaven; in the Church of the firstborns; and you would become a son of God the Father, who sits in the highs.] As such the true believer would have the spiritual beauty, exaltation, power, and love... to surpass and be envied by the other trees. 2- THE FALL OF THE CEDAR TREE The book of Ezekiel concentrates on the sin of pride as the cause of falling. It says here: “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height; therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness” (Ez 31:10, 11). God longed to see his stature exalted to reach the clouds; yet as his heart exalted through haughtiness, he fell down from among the clouds. There are many, whose spiritual statures have exalted, and entered into the hidden mysteries of God, yet they kept their humble heart, like what happened with St. Mary, who praised God, saying: “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly” (Luke 1:52). That is why the Church Fathers warned us against pride and vainglory; and provoked us to adopt humility. St. John Climacus says: [Humility is the heavenly ladder capable of exalting the soul from the pit of iniquities to heaven.] [If the pride of some angels has turned them into demons (Is 14) humility, undoubtedly, can make out of demons (the falling souls), angels; thus those who fell should be encouraged3.] The fruits of pride and its works in us are: a- Pride has humiliated Assyria and subjected it to Babylon; and so it did to the Pharaoh of Egypt: “And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down” (Ez 31:12). While the grace of God would forsake the proud man, to become a prey to the devils; and to be cut off by terrible enemies; a humble man, on the other hand, would be supported by the grace of God; to him the beasts of the field would be subjected; and he would reign over the earth. That is why it is said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mat 5:5). b- It does not stop at the devils’ agitation against him, but he would also lose his own inner features that are given him: “Its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it” (Ez 31:12). This is a bitter portrait of the soul; its perdition is not a result of an outer war, but of an inner death. Its dried up 1 A.J, Wensinch: Mystical Treatises, St. Isaac the Syrian, p. 7. 2 Conirrum virinum, (Ench patr n 613). 3 Ladder 25:68, 63. 7 boughs fall down, and lose all vitality wherever they are: either on the high mountains or in the deep valleys; in the wilderness or by the rivers. Corruption would come from within him, whatever the circumstances are; to become without branches, barren and dry, giving shade to no one, and no man finds rest in him, and left lonely. St. John Chrysostom wrote several articles about this issue, proclaiming that no one can harm man unless he harms himself. By pride man would destroy his life, even when he refers his failure to the circumstances prevailing around him, or to the people dealing with him. The fault is actually in the tree that carries its dryness, and not in the mountains, the valleys, the rivers, or the peoples who forsook it. c- Instead of having the birds of heaven come to get comfort among its branches; and the beasts of the field to give forth their young under their shade, it is said: “On its ruin (the fallen tree) will remain all the birds of the heavens; and all the beasts of the field will come to its branches” (Ez 31:13). The tree turned into useless ruin, on which birds would sit in despise, and to which the beasts of the field would come as though to a desolate place. The soul would be carrying the birds of heaven; namely, the spirits of haughtiness and arrogance; and would be carrying the beasts of the field; namely, the spirit of violence, ferocity and animality. d- It would fall down to the abyss; to become a lesson for the other trees: “So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height... For they have all been delivered to death, to the depths of the earth, among the children of men who go down to the pit” (Ez 31:14). e- Man would lose his joy; and he and those surrounding him would enter into mourning: “In the day it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell”(Ez 31:15, 16). The soul loses the source of its joy; being deprived of the rivers of the holy grace, and of the living waters; it would be mourned for by the other souls that would also tremble with fear for themselves, having partaken of its sins. f- He ended His talk about the destiny of the proud by saying: “You shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword”(Ez 31:18). He would end up, not only by the terrible death, slain by the sword, but he shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised; namely the unclean. As though he not only loses his life here on earth, by that most horrible death, slain by the sword; but he would also lose his other life, being counted among the unclean. So all greatness and glory would be lost; and the soul would be deprived of the fruit of divine grace that was granted free to it! This is the work of pride! 8 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF E ZEKIEL 31 UPROOT PRIDE OUT OF ME! Pharaoh did not learn from the example of the Assyrian king; the mighty cedar tree; That was left fallen on the ground. Instead of having the birds of heaven and the beasts of the field taking refuge under its branches; It became dry and of no use! Uproot pride out of me, O Teacher of humility! Teach me how to be planted in Your Paradise, by Your grace; And how to carry the true fruit of the Spirit! I confess my sin and admit my weakness to You. And thank You for the riches of Your grace in my life! Every goodness in me, is from You, the Beneficent!
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