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Psalms 92 :12 "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon."
The first time I saw a real live palm tree was in 1953 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
My brother invited me to visit him at West Palm and paid my expenses as a graduation gift.
It was to be the year my brother married. He had met Sylvia while stationed there.
It was a memorable trip in many ways. First, I met Sylvia, her parents, and her nice friends.
Second, I was fascinated by the many palm trees and remember them to this day.
I was captivated by the coconut palm tree with its fruit the coconut.
The tall Royal palms lined the boulevard in West Palm as high as 20 feet.
An indication of the importance of palms is that they are mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible.
It is described as tall (Song of Songs 7:7), "upright" (Jer. 10:5). Its branches are a symbol of victory (Rev. 7:9).
It is described in our text as "flourishing" (Ps. 92:12). The word palm (TAMAR-HEB.) refers to the date palm.
The whole land of Palestine was called by the Greeks and Romans Phoenicia, i.e., "the land of palms."
The finest specimens of this tree grew at Jericho (Deut. 34:3) and along the banks of the Jordan.
The palm rises up to 80 feet high; its feathery branches, snow-like, pale-green fronds extend up to 12 feet long.
Three points from three verses: Psalm 92:12-14.
Point #1, verse 12: The righteous should be growing.
"Flourish": Heb.- to break forth as a bud, that is, bloom; generally to spread; to fly (as extending the wings).
Seeing a noble palm standing erect, sending all its strength upward in one bold column,
and growing amid the dry desert, we have a picture of the godly person, who aims alone toward the glory of God.
Very different picture from the wicked per Ps 92:7, who are likened to grass.
Peter commands (2 Pet 3:18) "Grow [from a babe] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul commands "come to mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ"(Eph. 4).
Point #2: The righteous should be planted in God's House.
verse 13--"Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God."
Solomon's temple was built with decorative palm trees CARVED on the wooden walls and doors overlaided with gold.
God makes His abode NOT IN HOUSES MADE WITH HANDS BUT in the human house now.
Acts 2:42-- Those that are saved are added (planted) in the house of God which is the church of God (1 Tim. 3:15).
Point #3: The righteous should always bear fruit!
verse 14--"They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing"
A remarkable thing about the living Palm is that age does not decrease its fruit bearing.
The date palm provided a concentrated energy food, which could be easily carried along journeys across the deserts.
While the sap of trees generally feed the fruit by flowing below the bark, not so with the date palm.
This fruit is fed through the heart of the tree: i.e., the heart of the stem.
So it is with the righteous. "For with the heart man believes Unto righteousness" (Romans 10).
Romans 6-- [Having being baptized] "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God,"
"you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Rom. 6:22).
Jesus wants you to be God's righteous PALM TREE planted IN HIS CHURCH, yielding good fruit all your days.
URGENT! BE A GROWING PALM TREE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE LORD.
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