Psalm 92:12-14 (NLV)
The man who is right and good will grow like the palm tree. He will grow like a tall tree in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will grow well in the home of our God. They will still give fruit when they are old. They will be full of life and strength.
I am writing this while visiting a friend in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I can see several palm trees in his yard soaring to the skies. I looked up that there are 3,000 species of palm trees in the world (there’s your trivia for the day) with the tallest species, the Wax Palm Tree, able to grow to 230 feet (think of a 23-story building!). The “tall tree in Lebanon” refers to Lebanon cedar trees, the most common type of tree mentioned in the Old Testament. Cedar trees were big, the wood very strong/hard and had a nice smell. King Solomon built the temple and his personal house using cedar wood (I Kings 6-7).
Palm trees are symbols of beauty and cedar trees are symbols of great strength. The psalmist uses tree analogies to describe the righteous man. The righteous man (the man who is right and good) will grow like the palm and cedar trees, grow to be beautiful and strong in the sight of God (and people who recognize godly beauty and strength). What is a righteous man? There are several descriptions of a righteous man in the Bible. Jesus described the righteous man, as opposed to a Pharisee, in His beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Read the eight descriptions of the righteous man in these verses. A righteous man is also described as a man of faith (Romans 1:17). Indeed, you may not think of yourself as righteous, but if you have sincere faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God sees you as a person of faith. Of course, faith is not only believing in the Son of God, but doing what He teaches you should do (or not do).
As a faithful person you are promised spiritual growth, just like being a healthy palm or cedar tree. You are “planted in the house of the Lord” meaning that your faith and growth as a Christian fits well within God’s presence. Furthermore, there is the promise that your growth as a righteous person of God (not your own righteousness, but righteousness because of what Christ did for you through His sacrificial death) will result in your bearing fruit for the rest of your life. Bearing fruit means to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ, to help others in the name of Christ, and to enable others to grow spiritually through your example of faith and obedience to Christ. You cannot bear fruit in others’ lives on your own, but only through your trust and dependency on Christ (John 15:1-5). Later in John 15 (verse 16) Jesus said that He chose and appointed you to bear fruit. The fruit you bear comes from the Holy Spirit and is revealed in your life as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).
What a wonderful promise to the people of faith that as long as you live, no matter how old you are, you will be full of life and strength and give fruit to others. Never allow anyone, including the great enemy of your soul, Satan, to tell you, especially as you grow old, that you are worthless. That is a lie and a direct opposite of the truth of Scripture as stated in Psalm 92:12-14. Be encouraged by these promises, but also be certain that your faith is firmly rooted and grounded in the Word of God. You will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water that bears fruit and whose leaf does not wither and everything you do will prosper (Psalm 1:3).
Are you firmly planted in the house of the Lord? Or, are you still floundering somewhere outside of His presence? Is it not time for your life to flourish like the palm and cedar trees by dedicating or rededicating your life to Christ and showing your yourself and others what a life dedicated to Christ can do? May your life be beautiful like the palm tree and strong like the cedar tree.
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