God uses the sign of the almond sprig to encourage the hesitant Jeremiah. Clearly, it is flowering, although this is not said in so many words. The almond tree is the first tree in Israel to flower in spring. When all other trees are still hibernating,
the almond tree is already awake.
In the Hebrew of the Old Testament, the word for almond sprig
(shakeed) is very similar to the word for watch
(shokeed). God wants to make this clear. As the flowering almond sprig precedes everything in nature, so God’s Word precedes all events. God is watching over his Word: it will all come to pass as he has said it. Also through the mouth of Jeremiah. As a result, he may feel encouraged in his task. God never forgets his words, he will keep all his promises.
11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.”