The pomegranate is an unusual, but beautiful, fruit. Once the outer skin is peeled off, a mass of reddish gelatin encased seeds is revealed. Recently sales have gone up, because health food enthusiasts praise the pomegranate for its benefits; both the juice and the edible (albeit crunchy) seeds are very high in nutrients. In the Mediterranean region, however, it has been popular for thousands of years. Even the flavorful pomegranate-based syrup Grenadine dates back to the thirteenth century.
 
 The pomegranate is mentioned several places in the Bible. One of them occurs in Numbers 13:23-33. Moses had sent scouts into Canaan (the Promised Land), and as a part of their report on the richness of the land they brought back fruits including pomegranates; however, they also gave a pessimistic report, saying that there was little chance for the Israelites to successfully invade. As an indication of the Israelites’ regard for pomegranates, they played a prominent role in the decoration of Solomon’s temple as reported in 1 Kings 7:13-22.

 There is another religious connotation to the pomegranate. Tradition says that the pomegranate has 613 seeds, which is the number of commandments in the Old Testament. We are most familiar with ten of them, but there are many more, mostly in Leviticus. As Christians, we sometimes see the laws of the Old Testament as a burden that was removed by Jesus, but God gave them to the Israelites as a gift; the commandments gave them a way to properly relate to God and to each other.

 Not everyone (including me) enjoys eating pomegranates, since the seeds are so dominant, but most agree that they are beautiful once they are broken open. They also are a symbol of the many gifts, such as the commandments, that God has given us.

 Read 1 Kings 7:13-22 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim

Originally posted October 2016