Children of God Should Never Forget They Are Trees of Righteousness

Children of God Are Trees of Righteousness (Part One)

Psalm 92:12-13

Psalm 92 is a song that was sung at the time of the morning sacrifice in Temple services on the Sabbath. Verses 12-15 testify to the prosperity of the righteous.

Here the author compares believers to the palm tree and the cedar in Lebanon. “¹²The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful]; they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable]” (v.12, AMP). The palm tree lives long, and we will too by obeying and respecting our parents; this pleases God. We casually say, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” But have we really considered the magnitude of its meaning? We will never tell all of God’s goodness, but we can always have praise on our lips and in our hearts.

Like the palm tree we are to stand upright in the Lord all day every day; let the world see Christ Jesus in us. Our character must be reflective of His. Because we are His children, we are His heirs, and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus, sharing His spiritual blessing, inheritance, and, if we share in His suffering, we may share in His glory (Romans 8:16-17, paraphrased). We will sometimes suffer in this old sinful world for righteousness sake; yet we are still blessed if we remain in Christ Jesus; it is the only way to be useful in the body of Christ. Further study reveals that the palm grows straight up. We should be straight up honest and just in our dealings with one another. It has no branches and is green and flourishing year round and grows to a vast size. It also produces dates, a very sweet, luscious, kind of fruit; is a most beautiful tree, and it is a very useful treasure to the inhabitants of those hot places where they grow. Don’t forget the fruit of kindness. It goes a long way in reaching out to others just as Jesus does for us each and every day.  When you consider all the features of the palm tree, it most appropriately symbolizes the flourishing state of the righteous. 

 “He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” The cedars in Lebanon grow very large, with branches having a great span. They flourish for ages, and they, too, are always green. The cedars in Lebanon, as well as the palm trees, are examples of characteristics of a truly righteous person – upright, stable, and continuously producing the fruit of love because God judges us by what’s in our heart. In spite of the storms of life or even droughts that we have endured, weare trees of righteousness, and our strength comes from trusting God.

“¹³Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Along the way, we may stumble and fall for a season, but God the Father is right there with His arms stretched wide open waiting to receive us back to Himself. Thank God for His enduring mercy. Stay connected to God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ for without Him we can do nothing. We need His life-sustaining words; “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).  Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will grow up and flourish like the palm and cedar trees.