Olive Tree, Very Pretty

Today, I study Psalm 52. A scant nine verses it is a scathing rebuke of Doeg the Edomite. In this psalm, David questions the haughty actions of Doeg and predicts the end result of his treachery and deceitfulness.

A laundry list of some of the charges: boastfulness, plotting, practicing deceit, loving evil and lying. If I didn't know this was about Doeg, I might be inclined to think that it is a description of the man I was before God got hold of me.

David predicts that Doeg will be brought down to ruin, made homeless and then die. He can expect post-mortem mockery and to be used as an example of how not to live your life.

But my focus today is on the last two verses of this psalm. Consider;
"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints." (Psalm 52:8-9, NIV)

In this passage David is contrasting himself to his adversary. David first describes himself as an olive tree and if not read carefully, a tree that grows in the temple. I interpret this more along the lines of 'I flourish in the house of God, like an olive tree.' The olive tree in this instance is a reference to security and prosperity and stands in stark contrast to the one who does not obey God. Indeed, the believer has roots that are firmly attached and cannot be uprooted.

Though not mentioned in this passage, my mind runs ahead to consider the fruit of such a tree. If the fruit of the sinful is lies and evil, then the fruit of the righteous must be truth and goodness. When confronted with the pressure of life, the fruit of the sinful is harsh and bitter. But when the fruit of the righteous is crushed by the pressure of life, it yields oil which is smooth and savory. In this way, the metaphor of the olive tree is presented to describe the life of the righteous.

Nevertheless, the psalmist continues with the revelation that he 'trust(s) in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.' For the sinful, their trust is placed in temporal things which cannot be sustained; consequently, they know no peace and experience the fear of disaster. The righteous trust in God's love and they enjoy a sense of permanence and peace.

The response then of the righteous is praise. David wrote 'I will praise you forever for what you have done.' Not only will he praise in the present time, but ultimately in the hereafter, David reveals how he, and we, shall spend eternity. I can imagine that when we come to the full realization of God's mercy and grace, we will be most compelled to forever praise Him for what He has done.

Again in contrast to the lost, David states that his hope is in the name of God for the name of God is good. It is almost laughable that we should ever place our hope in anything but! Imagine the futility of saying "in money I hope" or "in job security I hope." To be a believer, to trust in God, there is the only hope worth hoping.

Lastly, David states that "I will praise you in the presence of your saints." Again to me, this is a statement of a current condition, one that we are familiar with in terms of fellowship and also a portent of things to come. It is with certainty that David states "I will praise you in the presence of the saints."

I look forward to that day when I am gathered with all the saints of all the ages and we may stand before the presence of God and rejoice in song, singing his praise and glorifying his name. And to that day, I will gather with the living saints as often as I can and rejoice in song, singing His praise and glorifying His Holy name.

EVOO,
Carl