The Properties of Cedar
The Bible has much to say when it comes to Cedar. From a practical point of view, many closets feature cedar because it keeps moths and other pests away. The Temple, we are told, is was absolutely covered in Cedar/Juniper:
1 Kings 6:14-15
So Solomon built the temple and finished it. He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.
It is easy to conclude that the cedar is preservative on the basis of this use. However, there is much more to be said about cedar according to the Bible:
The cedar tree is a tree planted by God (Psalm 104:16, Isaiah 41:19). It is considered to be the first of trees (1 Kings 4:33). The Bible describes the cedar tree as strong and durable (Isaiah 9:10), graceful and beautiful (Psalm 80:10, Ezekiel 17:23), high and tall (Amos 2:9, Ezekiel 17:22), fragrant (Song of Songs 4:11) and spreading wide (Psalm 80:10-11). The eagle makes its nest and perches in the high branches of the cedar trees (Jeremiah 22:23, Ezekiel 17:3-5).
Cedar wood was imported by King Solomon (1 Kings 10:27, 1 Kings 5:10-11). It was widely used in building temples (1 Kings 5:5, 1 Kings 6:9-10), palaces (2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Kings 7:2-3) and ships (Ezekiel 27:5). Phoenicians have sailed across the world using ships built from cedar wood. King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon (Song of Solomon 3:9). The cedar wood that was used to prepare the water of separation and to purify leprosy (Leviticus 14:4-7, Leviticus 14:49-52) is illustrative of powerful nations (Ezekiel 31:3, Amos 2:9), the flourishing of saints (Psalm 92:12) and the majesty, strength and glory of Christ (Song of Solomon 5:15, Ezekiel 17:22-23). The cedar tree is mentioned 72 times in the Bible.
source: https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/c/cedar-of-lebanon-and-mary-the.php
72 times is not an accident either, as 72 years is the amount of time it takes for one degree of precession to occur. (Precession is the slight wobble in the orbit of the Earth that causes the stars to appear in slightly different locations per 72 year period. Over a long interval, all these differences cause great change in the night sky)
It is little wonder that many consider the cedar tree equivalent to Mary. Of course, ultimately a human is a human and a tree is a tree, and though they may share certain prophetic overlap, they are not equal to one another. One should neither worship Mary, nor the cedar tree. Neither should one worship the cedar tree as Mary.
Nonetheless, when burning incense, one is offering the scent–quite literally to the heavens–as the smoke rises. There is a prophecy about this scent:
Hosea 14:4-8 The Message (MSG)
“I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring. He’ll put down deep oak tree roots, he’ll become a forest of oaks! He’ll become splendid—like a giant sequoia, his fragrance like a grove of cedars! Those who live near him will be blessed by him, be blessed and prosper like golden grain. Everyone will be talking about them, spreading their fame as the vintage children of God. Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods. From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me.” * * *
Here we find that the fragrance of cedar is an indicator of the future promise of Israel and the cessation of the anger of YHVH against it. Healing occurs and a purgation of idols has taken place. While the verse indicates that Israel itself will smell like cedars, until that time the scent of cedar burned as incense is a potent reminder of this promise.
When considered with the above information about cedar, it is clear that cedar is a purifying essence, as well as a healing one. Since it is an element in the ingredient to help heal leprosy and also later features in a prophecy about a more unified, blessed Israel, it is easy to conclude that YHVH is more likely to accept it as an offering for prayers that center on such requests.
Indeed, we find a sort of allusion to the protective properties of the cedar with the words of the Messiah:
Matthew 6:19
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
Moths allude to what cedar repels, and so again, investing in cedar incense which has only one purpose–to rise to heaven as a kind of prayer or offering–is to fulfill this verse in expectation of Hosea.
It becomes easier to see how confusion develops and paganism sets in when considering the powerful properties latent in incense like cedar. While cedar is a great mediator, one should not divorce its use from YHVH, or YHVH from it. It is a substance placed here by God that allows us to develop, with wisdom, a tighter relationship with Him. It is not a substitute for prayer, and neither does it act as something that has power to cure on its own. It is, however, a potent reminder of the Will of God, and the future of Israel.
