Adapted by Rigoberto Gómez
PREACHING THE RIGHTEOUS WILL FLOURISH LIKE THE PALM TREE, REFLECTION, WRITTEN PREACHING
Verse the just shall flourish like the palm tree:
The righteous will flourish like the palm tree (Psalm 92:12)
The first question that comes to mind is why a palm tree? And what does it mean the righteous will flourish like the palm tree? What does it mean to flourish like the palm tree? Well, to understand this analogy, a figure of speech used here to emphasize how the just should prosper, we need to understand the palm tree of Biblical lands.
The Hebrew word “flourishing” used here, “the just shall flourish like the palm tree,” means: To flourish; to spread or grow; fly (such as spreading the wings); burst, break; emerge. Palm trees are known for their long life. The righteous will flourish like the palm tree means to stand upright and live long. The Amplified Bible says that the righteous will be: Long-lived, majestic, upright, useful and fruitful.
The righteous will flourish like the palm tree according to the book of psalms chapter 92 verse 12
Palm trees have been important to humans throughout much of history. They are mentioned almost 40 times in the Bible. One of the texts where it is mentioned is “the just will flourish like the palm tree”. Palm trees are among the best known and cultivated families of plants in the world.
Palm trees can be found in all kinds of habitats, from rainforests to deserts, which means they can grow almost anywhere. In arid soil, palm trees are watered deep at the roots. Not only are they functional in providing shade, but virtually every part of the palm serves a useful purpose. With this plant he compares himself to the just when he says that “the just will flourish like the palm tree”.
The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, a symbol of victory, fertility, peace and abundance.
The fruit of the palm, of which the just are said to flourish like the palm tree, provided a large part of the diet of the East. Various palms also provide a wide variety of usable materials, both in Biblical days and now. The different parts of the palm tree produce foods of high nutritional value, fruits, oils and syrups, waxes, dyes, medicines, varnishes, raffia and palm wood.
From the products of the palm tree, furniture, baskets, doormats, brushes, mattresses, ropes, thatched roofs and clothing can be made. In many historical cultures, palms were symbols of victory, fertility, peace, and abundance, which is why it is said that the just will flourish like the palm tree. Palms were placed before Jesus at his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
Comparison of the Christian with the palm tree, for the just will flourish like the palm tree
The uncompromising righteous will be like a palm tree, (The righteous will flourish like the palm tree): Long-lived, majestic, upright, useful and fruitful! They can grow, flourish and bear fruit anywhere and under any conditions! Hence it is said “the just shall flourish like the palm tree”.
The palm trees grow upright and tall, up to 80 or 90 feet. Throughout their height they do not change thickness. They are a very strong palm that can withstand harsh weather, including monsoons; they are flexible and bend in storms, but do not break. This is the just one, because “the just one will flourish like the palm tree”.
In difficult times, the righteous will flourish like the palm tree
The root system of the palm tree is so secure that a palm has never been known to be uprooted by a storm. The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, like the palm or palm tree, we who are justified by God must grow upright, even if the storms of life hit us, we are flexible in nature and firm in the Word of God so as not to break nor be uprooted. In difficult and good times, the righteous will flourish like the palm tree.
The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, will bear fruit at all times
The palm tree that God speaks of, saying the righteous will flourish like the palm tree, also bears fruit throughout the year. From January to March you can get milk from the fruit, from April to June you can break the fruit and eat the meat. From July to September the fruit has become soft enough to be peeled like an apple and eaten the flesh, and from October to December it can be eaten like a plum. The Bible tells us that the righteous will flourish like the palm tree, but this also means that it will bear fruit all the time.
We must continually produce fruit, for the righteous will flourish like the palm tree
The fruit of the palm is slightly larger than a grapefruit and is supplied in abundance throughout the year. So, to the Eastern mind, when God says the righteous will flourish like the palm tree, not only will it grow straight and firm, but it will bear fruit to give abundantly in all seasons.
The righteous will flourish like the palm tree
The palm tree, of which it is said that the just will flourish like the palm tree, is a symbol of fertility, rectitude, perseverance, health and longevity. God had his image engraved in the House of the Lord in abundance of places that symbolize the fecundity, rectitude, firmness, health and longevity that He can provide to his people (I Kings 6, Ezekiel 40-42 ).
We are the people of God; the righteous will flourish like the palm tree, therefore, we must continually produce fruit so that others can be attracted and participate, be straight and firm in the Word of God. Be healthy, God can make and keep you that way. And while you live, feed the people of God.
THE RIGHTEOUS WILL GROW LIKE A CEDAR IN LEBANON
Not only will the righteous flourish like a palm tree but he will also grow like a cedar in Lebanon
The Hebrew word “grow” means: to enlarge – especially upwards; grow; grow; to increase. The Amplified Bible says that the righteous will grow like a cedar in Lebanon: majestic, stable, enduring and incorruptible; In addition to being told that the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, we are also told that the righteous will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
It is not only that the righteous will flourish like the palm tree but will also grow like the Cedar of Lebanon, what is the biblical meaning?
Cedars were very important in Biblical days. They have strong and beautiful wood and were used to build very important and stately buildings, such as temples and palaces. The words cedar or cedar wood are found many times in the Bible.
Cedars are large, evergreen trees that live a long time and grow very tall. The cedars of Lebanon were especially large and of the best quality. Cedar trees are common in forested areas that have a large amount of annual rainfall.
Cedar trees can live a long time, because the moist habitat they enjoy is relatively free of fire. Its wood is also very resistant to diseases. The wood from cedar trees has a very pleasant smell, which comes from the natural oils in the wood that are toxic to insects and fungi. These oils do not develop in younger cedar trees, often leading to rotting of their heartwood, resulting in mature trees having hollow trunks.
Cedar trees have been very important to humans for thousands of years. Its wood was used to build buildings, canoes and boats, and other useful items. Its bark was used to make blankets and covers. Cedar wood is also an excellent fuel source.
They typically grow to be 50 feet tall, but some grow 80 to 100 or 120 feet tall and can be 30 to 40 feet around the trunk, so they were solid, strong, and immovable. Some are supposed to be 1000 years old! Cedars express the ideas of majesty, durability, incorruptibility, and stability. The older they get, the better they get!
The righteous will grow like a cedar in Lebanon: Majestic, stable, enduring and incorruptible.
Even though they may face challenges, they continue and continue to grow, for the righteous will grow like a cedar in Lebanon, the righteous will flourish like the palm tree. They are honorable; they are incorruptible; they are solid, stable and immovable; they endure through the years and seasons of life; they have withstood the onslaught of sin and demons; they have withstood sickness and disease; they only get better with age; they are clothed with strength and dignity; they will be before kings; will be held in honor.
The just are upright, strong, and indifferent to the winds of circumstance. If you put your faith firmly in God, then you too can have and enjoy this strength and vitality, and it will only get better with age! For it is said that in addition to the just flourishing like the palm tree, he will also grow like a cedar. in Lebanon.
The righteous will grow like a cedar in Lebanon: They will bear fruit in old age; they will be fat and blooming
The Hebrew word for “bear fruit” means: Germinate; make bloom; to produce fruit; make cheerful; to increase. The word translated “blossom” here, means: to be green; green; new; prosperous; flourishing.
The Amplified Bible says that the righteous are: Growing in grace – will still bear fruit in old age; they will continue to be filled with the sap of spiritual vitality and rich in the verdure of trust, love and joy.
Psalm 1:3 says that the man who trusts in the Lord and delights in His word is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which bears its fruit on time and whose leaf does not wither. Everything he does prospers.”
For all of the above, if you honor the Lord, you will not grow old, nor will you weaken, you will not lose your faculties, like the rest of the world. Instead, you can expect to become stronger; increase, not decrease; continue to bear fruit; be fertile, productive and prosperous; and full of joy.
We are compared to trees, that is why it is said: The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Believers are often compared to trees in Scripture: “He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in its season; its leaf will not wither either; and everything he does will prosper ”(Psalm 1: 3). “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God” (Psalm 52:8). “Its branches will spread out, and its beauty like an olive tree, and its scent like Lebanon” ( Hosea 14:6 ).
The figure of the palm tree in the Bible (The righteous will flourish like the palm tree)
The figure of the palm tree is especially intriguing. In Scripture, the palm is always the majestic and beautiful date palm. It has very deep roots, called root balls, and therefore can flourish even in the desert, growing tall and living a long time.
The palm tree, perhaps the most useful of all trees, produces not only dates, but also sugar, wine, honey, oil, resin, string, thread, tannin, and dye. Its seeds are fed to livestock, and its leaves are used for thatching, fencing, matting, and baskets.
It is said that the fruit of the palm tree…