Psalm 52:8

Psalm 52:8

The Olive Tree

Olive trees are important symbols in the Bible. These trees grow slowly but continue to bear fruit even after they have aged. Tyndale’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary notes that an olive tree “often attains an age of several centuries if left undisturbed. If cut down, new shoots spring up from the root, so that as many as five new trunks could thus come into being.” These trees were known for being “prolific,” because they were useful in so many applications. Their wood helped build the temple. Their oil was used for cooking but also to light lamps, and for anointing, commerce, and dressing wounds.

David thought about olive trees when he wrote this verse in Psalm 52. As we know, he was being hounded by Saul. Although running for his life, he still realized that he was “like a green olive tree in the house of God.” Trusting in the Lord, he could remain firm, confident, and at peace.

We can be very impatient at times, one of the things that olive trees teach us is that fruitfulness takes time. The Lord works on us in ways that may seem slow, but He is always teaching us deeper things, eternal truths. He is refining our minds and hearts and working on our flaws. He is changing our character, moulding us to be more like Jesus, and weaning us from the things of the world. 

Some of the most famous olive trees in the world are in the Garden of Gethsemane and a few of them have been dated to at least 900 years old! Perhaps one of the lessons of the olive is simply this; are you in it for the long haul? God is! Today, ask God to help you be like a green olive tree. Let Him shape you, teach you, mould you, guide you. The more you cooperate, the more He can make you strong in Spirit, durable, prepared, anointed, and a blessing to others.

Lord, make me like an olive tree—steadfast, long lasting, joyous, peaceful, abundantly fruitful, and life producing—as I flourish in Your greenhouse, lovingly nurtured by Your hand that guides me always and forever. Hallelujah!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more