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My son came for a visit, and I couldn’t wait to do a Bible study with him. I suggested a topic study on something random like fish or almonds because those are always a lot of fun. He chose ALMONDS so off we went to the Strong’s Concordance and Bible to see what we could learn.
One of the first things that struck me when I looked at the word “almond” in the concordance was that the word almond is in the Old Testament ten times which is interesting because the number ten represents the Ten Commandments or the Law. What was even more interesting was that the word “almond” did not appear in the New Testament AT ALL. Not once!
The first mention of the word “almond” in the Bible is in Genesis. Israel sends his sons to Egypt to present gifts to Pharoah’s second in command not yet realizing that man is his son, Joseph.
Genesis 43:11
And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Joseph is a type and shadow of Jesus, but specifically Jesus’s first coming. Here we see that almonds are part of the gift or tribute to go to the man whose life paints of a picture of Jesus as the suffering Savior of the world.
In Exodus, we see almond as a decorative motif on the menorah in the Tabernacle. You can find three references in Exodus 25:33-34 and three more in Exodus 37:19-20.
Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower
There were three bowls made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. And on the lampstand itself were four bowls made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower.
In both references, we see that the menorah is to have branches with three different seasons of the almond tree: bud, flower, and fruit.
In the book of Numbers, we see Aaron’s staff miraculously bloom establishing his authority. Interestingly, we see three seasons of the almond tree once again: bud, flowers, and ripe almonds.
Numbers 17:8
Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 12, the almond tree with its white flowers are likened to white hair or a person of considerable age. This chapter starts with “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth”. This chapter reminds us that the days are long, but the years are short, and a lifetime is over in an instant.
The final reference is the most fascinating because it seems to tie them all together. I’m going to save it for a minute and talk about the message in the Hebrew spelling. You can see the word shaqed which is Hebrew for almond.
The shin means to eat, consume, or destroy. The qoff means the palm of the hand. The dalet means an open door or pathway. The word almond appears in the Old Testament ten times which is the number of the law. The word almond doesn’t appear at all in the New Testament. We see the answer in the picture that the word paints.
The Israelites in the Old Testament were commanded by God to destroy the enemies of God. In return for their obedience, they could go to God with the palm of their hand out to receive blessings from God. God would also open doors of opportunity for them. We can see this laid out in Deuteronomy 28. Obedience comes with blessings.
In the New Testament, Jesus conquered the enemies of God once and for all. We cannot expect to receive from God based on our obedience, but through the sacrifice of Jesus. It is only through Jesus that we can expect doors to open on our behalf… afterall… He is the door! The almond is missing in the New Testament because Jesus paid for it all.
Now, let’s look at that last scripture because it unlocks all the other scriptures.
Jeremiah 1:11-12
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”
I love this so much because our Heavenly Father makes a “dad joke”… it’s a pun! You can see it clearly in the Hebrew with the help of Strong’s Concordance. Remember that Hebrew is read from right to left, and the vowel points were added much later.
When you look up “almond” in the Strong’s Concordance, it brought me to 8246 & 8247. Both of these words in the Hebrew mean, well, ... almond! There doesn’t seem to be any great revelation until you look up at 8244 & 8245. Shaqed means almond while saqad means to be alert or to be on the lookout. Saqad is used in verse 12 as “ready” or “hasten” in some translations. Both words are spelled identically the same in Hebrew if you ignore the vowel points which were added later.
So Jeremiah says that he sees an almond branch, and God says that means He is alert and vigilant to perform His Word. We can see that same pattern in all the almond scriptures.
Joseph was a type and shadow of the first coming of the Messiah because God is vigilant to perform His promise to Abraham.
The menorah, in addition to being a symbol of illumination, is a symbol of the three seasons of “being on the lookout”. From Adam to Abraham was 2,000 years of the Budding of Mankind. From Abraham to Jesus was 2,000 of the Blooming of Israel. From Jesus until the millennium is 2,000 years of the Fruit of the Spirit, the Fruit of the Harvest. We are to be producing fruit right now. Why? Because God is alert and vigilant to perform His Word, and Jesus is coming back. Only the Father knows when, but we are supposed to be saqad… alert, vigilant, continuously on the lookout… with our lamps (or menorahs) ready.
Just as Aaron had authority under God represented by his staff to lead Israel, we have been given authority to carry out God’s orders and lead as many people as possible to Christ.
What’s the urgency? Well, as Ecclesiastes tells us, the days are long, but the years are short, and our life is a vapor so we don’t have any time to waste. Someone’s eternity depends on us being alert, vigilant, continuously on the lookout while urgently warning others to do the same.
