Calamus Calamus (or cane) is described as a big, smelly plant with sword-shaped leaves and small yellow/green flowers. It grows to about ten feet in height. To extract its essence, calamus must be broken and crushed. Then it unleashes a sweet fragrance.
Do you know what this means? The more the calamus is crushed, the more the fragrance comes.
“ But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word ” (Isa. 66:2b).
To be contrite in Hebrew is to be smitten. I think most of us know what it is to be broken before the Lord. Many walk in a constant process of brokenness. That may seem to be humble and submissive, but is that what the Lord expects from His people? Consider Mark 14:3:
“ And while He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head. ”
The woman had filled a flask with valuable perfume ready to anoint her groom on their wedding day. She chose to anoint Jesus instead. To do that, she had to break the flask. Brokenness is the process by which we give ourselves to the Lord. This lady gave the Lord the most precious item she had. Out of her sacrifice came forth great fragrance in her relationship with Him.
So deal with those things the Lord reveals to your heart, but get on with the “joy of your salvation.” Don’t stay in brokenness all your life. Please take these Scriptures very seriously.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Cor. 4:8–10).
So calamus speaks of fragrance, but it does not come cheaply. It cost Christ His life on Calvary , and it will cost you your life in this world. In return, you will know the fragrance of the Lord.
continued...
I wonder if I may make a comment about one of the concluding phrases "and it will cost you your life in this world." Referencing what cost there is in knowing the fragrance of the Lord. (beautiful post by the way)
ReplyDeleteThis is just a thought. Our life in this world was never ours in the first place, what we fearfully clung to, a life that wasn't going anywhere, was empty of Gods true light, and prideful at best. Yes I believe it does cost our life in this world. Involves loosing our life in something much greater, much more enjoyable, and much more satisfying to the soul.
So in that sense, what a privilege.
I love that phrase as well. I am seeing more and more that we need to truly forsake this world, and that makes us more peculiar than we often want to be...but like the above says, what a privilege!
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