There is no way to know what bush Ishmael was placed under exactly. Some candidates are the white broom (think of Elijah’s pitstop), the bean-caper, the saltbush, or any number of herb bushes. While we don’t know the exact plant, they all have a few characteristics in common in order to survive and flourish in the desert: they must have a well-developed root system to access the limited water, usually both shallow roots alongside a long taproot; they must be able to manage the salty soil of the wilderness; and they must be able to manage seasons of drought.The whole commentary can be found here. There are resources for eight weeks of preaching written by seven young clergy women starting with the Oaks of Mamre for Sunday, June 18th and ending with the feeding of the 5,000 on Sunday, August 6th.
