The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall
grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. ..
Have you ever noticed how God in the economy of time has
divided it up for us. God created the physical and natural world with seasons. Our
year begins with winter, which blends into spring, then summer and autumn, and
then ends with winter again. Our life is measured by the years, yet we live it
out by the days. We have twelve months on our calendar which then is broken
down into weeks. We have a new week every seven days, and a new month every 30
or so days, and a new year every twelve months.
I’m convinced that God had a divine plan and purpose for us
with His division of time. He designed us to work and labor for six days and
then to rest one day and prepare for the next six days. God knew that we needed
to stop and reflect on the previous six days and remember both His
lovingkindness and His faithfulness (v. 2). Of course, we should do this every
day, but we needed to especially have a day set apart once a week where we recognized
that all that we are, and all that we have is a gift from God. God only gave
ten commandments, yet one of them is the commandment to set apart a day each
week to rest and remember the source and strength of our life. For the believer
in Christ today, that day is Sunday, the first day of the week!
Psalm 92, written by an anonymous person, is a song that is
dedicated to helping us experience true worship of our great Most High God on that
special day each week! In the first five verses, the song reflects on our
worship of God in thanksgiving and the singing of praises to His name, as we
remember His lovingkindness, His faithfulness, and His wonderful and great works.
And even His thoughts (v. 5). Because we take time to worship, we enjoy and experience
a life of overcoming our enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil (vv.
6-11).
I love these final verses in 12-15, that highlight the
truth and reality that the “righteous” worshippers are also a flourishing people.
God often uses contrast in Scripture to teach us the difference between good
and evil, right and wrong, the broad path that leads to destruction or the
narrow way that leads to life everlasting. This Psalm does the same in the
final verses.
The senseless brutish crowd is like grass (v. 7), but the
righteous are like trees (see 1:3; 52:8; Prov. 11:30; Isa. 1:30; 61:3; Jer.
11:16; 17:8). The wicked may look like sturdy trees, but they don't last
(37:35-36; 52:5). The word "flourish" of the workers of iniquity in
verse 7 means "to be conspicuous, to shine," while the word “flourish”
of the righteous in verses 12-13 means "to be vigorous, to flourish
richly." The stately date palm and cedar were highly valued by people in
the Near East, the palm for its fruit and the cedar for its wood. Both were
appreciated for their beauty, and both trees can survive for many years. Not
all godly people live long; some, like Robert Murray M'Cheyne and David
Brainerd, die very young. But generally speaking, those who obey God avoid a
great deal of the danger and disease that can cause an early death.
The promise in verses 13-14, to stay "fresh and
green" in old age and not spend one's life complaining and demanding is a
mark of God's special blessing. Read Ps. 71 for a description of an older saint
who is fresh, fruitful and flourishing. We change as we grow older, but the
Lord never changes. He is our Rock (Psalm 32:4, 15, 18, 30-31), and what He
wills for us is perfect, so we will not complain.
Yes, the “righteous” person who delights and meditates in
the Word of God “will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that
brings forth fruit in its season, whose leaf will not wither, and whatever they
do will prosper” (Psalm 1:2-3).
God bless!
