The Almond has been common to India, Persia and Palestine for thousands of years. The Israelites must have been very familiar with the Almond and its flowers because they used them as a model for ornamenting the cups of the golden lampstands (Exodus 25:33-34) while they were in the barren desert of Sinai where no Almonds grow. To this day the rock crystals used for decorating branched candlesticks are called "almonds" by English craftsmen.

Almond in Hebrew (shâkêd) means "the awakening one", or literally "to be wakeful" - likely because the almond tree was the first tree to awake from the sleep of winter and blossom. It spoke of the speedy and powerful result of light.

Almonds are mentioned a total of six times in the Scriptures and only in the Old Testament. The first reference is in Genesis 43 where Jacob, in an apparent attempt to gain favor with the ruler of Egypt, orders his sons to take some of the "best products of the land" including almonds. 

The almond motif was part of the divine design for the lampstand in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:33-34). Moses was instructed to make the bowls of the lampstand in the shape of the almond flower. 

Probably the best-known reference to Almond is Aaron's rod (Numbers 17:8). It budded, flowered and produced fruit overnight! The Almond is therefore symbolic of the resurrection because it is the first tree to flower. A sign of new life and God’s promise.

As we approach our remembrance of Jesus' resurrection this Easter, we must remain mindful of the ultimate sacrifice and gift that we've received. As Paul writes in Romans 6:22-23, remember the promise of our own eternal life through Christ, and Christ alone.

²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Blessings,

¹Now the famine was still severe in the land. ²So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food." ³But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' ⁴If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. ⁵But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.' " ⁶Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?" ⁷They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?" ⁸Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. ⁹I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁰As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice." ¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift-a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
 

³¹"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand-three on one side and three on the other. ³³Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. ³⁴And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. ³⁵One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair-six branches in all. ³⁶The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold. ³⁷"Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. ³⁸Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. ³⁹A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. ⁴⁰See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
 

¹The LORD said to Moses, ²"Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. ³On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. ⁴Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. ⁵The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites." ⁶So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff was among them. ⁷Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony. ⁸The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.