Ever since Stuart Greaves spoke about the beauty of Jesus’ humility and meekness as our Servant, my heart hasn’t been able to get away from this amazing attribute of His. Jesus’ humility is one of the most stunning things to me. You might be wondering what that picture of the apple tree painting has to do with any of that. I’m in the prayer room right now and they’re singing around this verse in Song of Solomon 2:
“Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” (verse 3)
A while back when I first started to get into the Song of Solomon and would come across this verse, I really had no idea what it meant for Jesus to be likened to an apple tree. All I understand from it was that it’s like she’s saying that He’s the only source of nourishment and refreshing. And that was and still is an awesome truth for my heart that the Lord revealed to me. But when I actually saw an apple tree in real life, it opened up so much to me.
Now, I didn’t see an apple tree for the first time in the past years or something. I’d gone to the orchards and stuff as a kid, but I was a kid. Any tree seems huge and majestic to you. But I remember when I first drove by an orchard of apple trees in the last couple years. My response was, “That’s what You’re like?” It suddenly made so much sense! If you’ve seen an apple tree, you know that they aren’t the most ascetically pleasing trees, especially in the winter time. They’re kinda all over the place branch wise and overall they’re just…small. The Lord reminded me of that verse in Isaiah 53 that says,
“He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.”
The One who’s very name IS beauty! The One who was covered in unapproachable light, covered in His Father’s glory since before time began! He came and took the lowest place. He was so high and lofty but came so low. That is unbelievable to me. No wonder why Isaiah says before that, “Who has believed our report?”
Like an apple tree…He came so low to make Himself, His fruit, His life available to us. He was wrapped in light as with a garment but when He came to us, we found Him wrapped in OUR flesh and swaddling clothes as a helpless baby! Man. I love how the bride here in Song of Solomon is exalting Him as this apple tree among the trees of the woods too. His amazing humility makes Him to most beautiful among men, the fairest among men to our hearts.
That’s what I was trying to show in that painting I did up top. The background is supposed to represent the high and lofty trees. And the apple tree Jesus’ beauty and humility. I purposely did the background black and white. When you look at the painting, because the background is that way, your eyes go straight down. Not to what is high and lofty, but straight down to where He is. That’s where I want my heart to go. To where He is as my Servant, to learn from Him how to be meek and lowly like He talks about. He is exalted IN His humility and servanthood as higher than the lofty things of this world.
This is such an appropriate theme in the midst of the Christmas season too. We won’t ever exhaust what it meant for our Jesus to come as that little baby. The earth received her King in the body of a shivering, little, crying baby boy. The King who knew glory forever and ever, CHOSE to rise up from that place and lay aside His eternal garments. To take on the form of a servant, to meet with us and wash us (John 13:4, Philippians 2:6-8).
God, especially this holiday season, reveal to us Your humility. Let us fall in love with You and how beautifully humble You are.
) You pour Yourself out time and time again. I’ve been looking around the whole forest for someone to feed me and have given myself to what I thought to be food from others, but You are the only apple tree among the trees of the woods. I come in desperation, with thorns in my mouth, hurt from feeding off of others. You remove them and feed me with Yourself, You satisfy me with Yourself. Searching frantically through the woods for food, desperation makes the find all the more to rejoice over and appreciate. I imagine myself running through the woods looking for something to eat, frantic, starving, desperate. Trying to see if any tree will taste good, a vain attempt for satisfaction. I go deeper within the woods knowing that there’s gotta be something that will feed me. I’m starving! It gets darker as I travel deep within the woods as all the trees block the sunlight from shining through. I’m about ready to give up and pass out, exhausted. I sit down and as I turn to one side I see light! There’s an open place there! I could at least use some sunlight instead of this cold darkness of the forest around me. So I follow the light, letting it lead me carefully through the maze of trees. It’s as if the light were a Person itself, extending its hand with each ray of light that shines through. Running frantically as my desperation seems to grow with every step, I end up tripping over some tree roots and get thrown a couple feet ahead of myself.
