Oaks of Righteousness

In a wooded area along Bohicket Road on John’s Island, just outside Charleston, South Carolina, stands an impressive sight.  Yet, if you’re not watching the signs, you’ll drive right past it.  It is the Angel Oak Tree.  Standing 65 feet high, it also spreads out and covers over 17,000 square feet.  It has endured hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, and people for over 1400 years.  

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 6:3). When Isaiah says that God’s people will be called oaks of righteousness, I think of mighty live oak trees like the Angel Oak.  These trees are a wonderful testimony to the handiwork of our amazing God.  You are, too.  Not only did God create you and give you your physical life, but he also gave you your spiritual life.  And he will give you a whole new glorious life for all of eternity.

Because of sin we find ourselves with broken hearts in this world.  As long as we have a sinful nature to contend with, the Christian can’t help but feel like he is being held captive by sin.  Daily we mourn and grieve because of the devastating effects of sin in this world and in our own lives.  We despair if we try to find any way to change our situation as sinners bound to death and hell.  And this is why Isaiah’s proclamation is such good news for the Christian.  In contrast to all the weakness, pain, suffering, and death we see and experience in this world because of sin, we will be called “oaks of righteousness” in the end.  Having created and planted faith in our hearts and made us the work of his hands, the LORD, in the end, displays his glory in us as surely as he will raise us and lift us up in glory when he returns.

Just as you might drive right past the Angel Oak along Bohicket Road, sometimes we drive past this glorious news in our daily lives.  Sometimes we want to be found strong and glorious in this life.  So, we go barreling down the road of this life to meet those goals.  We get frustrated with God when there are setbacks to all of our glorious plans for this life and all the ideas and goals that we might be planting.  We forget that even in our weaknesses, God is making us a planting of his own that will never be swept away.

When struggling with his own “thorn in the flesh,” which made him weak, Paul was encouraged by the Lord to treasure and look forward to the gifts the promised Savior would bring. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  So, let us also boast all the more gladly in our weaknesses in this life.  In Christ, let us even delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties that come from following him in this life.  One day, even the Angel Oak, which has endured so much for so long, will be swept away.   But because of our Savior’s coming, the Lord has made you into oaks of righteousness who will stand tall before God… even weathering the fierce judgment of the Lord at his return.  Made strong by His righteousness, you will have even more days and more splendor than the mighty Angel Oak.