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!