Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 92:12
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
12. The fruitfulness of the palm and the fragrance of the cedar, the stately growth and evergreen foliage of both trees, above all, their longevity in contrast to the ephemeral grass which is the emblem of the wicked, may be among the points of comparison intended. Cp. Psa 92:14; Psa 1:3; Hos 14:5-6; Isa 65:22.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree – That is, the beauty, the erectness, the stateliness, the growth of the palm-tree – all this is an emblem of the condition, the prosperity, the happiness of a righteous man. The wicked shall be cut down; but the righteous shall flourish. This image – the comparison of a righteous man to a flourishing, majestic, green, and beautiful tree – is not uncommon in the Scriptures. See the notes at Psa 1:3; compare Jer 17:8. On the palm-tree, see the notes at Mat 21:8. The stem, says Dr. Thomson (land and the Book, vol. i. p. 65) tall, slender, and erect as Rectitude herself, suggests to the Arab poets many a symbol for their lady-love; and Solomon, long before them, has sung, How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love! for delights; this thy stature is like the palm-tree. Son 7:6-7. The following remarks of Dr. Thomson (land and the Book, vol. i. pp. 65, 66) will illustrate the passage before us; – The palm grows slowly, but steadily, from century to century, uninfluenced by those alternations of the seasons which affect other trees. It does not rejoice overmuch in winters copious rain, nor does it droop under the drought and the burning sun of summer. Neither heavy weights which people place upon its head, nor the importunate urgency of the wind, can sway it aside from perfect uprightness. There it stands, looking calmly down upon the world below, and patiently yielding its large clusters of golden fruit from generation to generation. They bring forth fruit in old age. The allusion to being planted in the house of the Lord is probably drawn from the custom of planting beautiful and long-lived trees in the courts of temples and palaces, and in all high places used for worship.
This is still common; nearly every palace, and mosque, and convent in the country has such trees in the courts, and, being well protected there, they flourish exceedingly. Solomon covered all the walls of the holy of holies round about with palm-trees. They were thus planted, as it were, within the very house of the Lord; and their presence there was not only ornamental, but appropriate and highly suggestive; the very best emblem, not only of patience in well-doing, but of the rewards of the righteous – a fat and flourishing old age – a peaceful end – a glorious immortality. The following cut will furnish an apt representation of the appearance of the tree, and a proper illustration of the beauty of the passage before us.
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon – On the cedars of Lebanon, see the notes at Isa 2:13. The following remarks by Dr. Thomson (land and the Book, vol. i. pp. 292, 295), with the accompanying cut, will show the propriety of the image here. The platform where the cedars stand is more than six thousand feet above the Mediterranean, and around it are gathered the very tallest and grayest heads of Lebanon. The forest is not large – not more than five hundred trees, great and small, grouped irregularly on the sides of shallow ravines, which mark the birthplace of the Khadisha, or Holy River.
But, though the space covered by them does not exceed half a dozen acres, yet, when fairly within the grove, and beneath the giant arms of those old patriarchs of a hundred generations, there comes a solemn hush upon the soul as if by enchantment. Precisely the same sort of magic spell settles on the spirits, no matter how often you repeat your visits. But it is most impressive in the night. Let us by all means arrange to sleep there. The universal silence is almost painful. The gray old towers of Lebanon, still as a stone, stand all around, holding up the stars of heaven to look at you, and the trees gather like phantoms about you, and wink knowingly, or seem to, and whisper among themselves you know not what. You become suspicious, nervous, until, broad awake, you find that it is nothing but the flickering of your drowsy fire, and the feeble flutter of bats among the boughs of the trees. A night among the cedars is never forgotten; the impressions, electrotyped, are hid away in the inner chamber of the soul, among her choicest treasures, to be visited a thousand times with never-failing delight.
There is a singular discrepancy in the statements of travelers with regard to the number of trees. Some mention seven, others thirteen – intending, doubtless, only those whose age and size rendered them Biblical, or at least historical. It is not easy, however, to draw any such line of demarcation. There is a complete gradation from small and comparatively young to the very oldest patriarchs of the forest. I counted four hundred and forty-three, great and small, and this cannot be far from the true number. This, however, is not uniform. Some are struck down by lightning, broken by enormous loads of snow, or torn to fragments by tempests. Even the sacrilegious axe is sometimes lifted against them. But, on the other hand, young trees are constantly springing up from the roots of old ones, and from seeds of ripe cones. I have seen these infant cedars in thousands just springing from the soil; but as the grove is wholly unprotected, and greatly frequented both by human beings and animals, they are quickly destroyed. The fact, however, proves that the number might be increased ad libitum. Beyond a doubt, the whole of these upper terraces of Lebanon might again be covered with groves of this noble tree, and furnish timber enough not only for Solomons Temple and the house of the forest of Lebanon, but for all the houses along this coast. But, unless a wiser and more provident government controls the country, such a result can never be realized, and, indeed, the whole forest will slowly die out under the dominion of the Arab and Turk. Even in that case the tree will not be lost. It has been propagated by the nut or seed in many parks in Europe, and there are more of them within fifty miles of London than on all Lebanon.
We have seen larger trees every way, and much taller, on the banks of the Ohio, and the loftiest cedar might take shelter under the lowest branches of Californias vegetable glories. Still, they are respectable trees. The girth of the largest is more than forty-one feet; the height of the highest may be one hundred. These largest, however, part into two or three only a few feet from the ground. Their age is very uncertain, nor are they more ready to reveal it than others who have an uneasy consciousness of length of days. Very different estimates have been made. Some of our missionary band, who have experience in such matters, and confidence in the results, have counted the growths (as we Western people call the annual concentric circles) for a few inches into the trunk of the oldest cedar, and from such data carry back its birth three thousand five hundred years. It may be so. They are carved full of names and dates, going back several generations, and the growth since the earliest date has been almost nothing. At this rate of increase they must have been growing ever since the Flood. But young trees enlarge far faster, so that my confidence in estimates made from such specimens is but small. The idea in the passage before us is, that the righteous will flourish like the most luxuriant and majestic trees of the forest; they may be compared with the most grand and beautiful objects in nature.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 92:12-15
The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
The prosperity of the righteous
I. Who shall flourish? The righteous. There are none who are righteous by a righteousness of their own–that is, a righteousness derived from themselves; but there are those who are righteous by a righteousness derived from God. Of this the apostle speaks; That I may be found in Him, not having mine own, etc. There is a twofold righteousness spoken of in the Scriptures: the righteousness of justification, and the righteousness of sanctification. These are very distinguishable from each other; and unless it is clearly discriminated, a confusion will pervade the whole of the religious system. The one is the change of our state; the other of our nature. The one is a relative change; the other personal. The one entitles us to glory; the other is a meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. The one is an instantaneous operation, and applies at once; the other is gradual and progressive. Yet they are always inseparable, though distinguishable.
II. How shall they flourish? Like the palm-tree;. . . like a cedar. There is a real and active progressiveness in religion; though Christian principles and passions at present are all imperfect, yet they are growing, and shall advance to maturity. This progressiveness is to be considered as a Christians duty, his desire, and his privilege. His duty; and therefore it is so often enjoined upon him. Grow in grace, and in the knowledge, etc. Giving all diligence add to your faith, etc. His desire; therefore he forgets the things that are behind, etc.; and therefore his prayer is, Perfect that which concerneth me. Forsake not the work of Thy own hands, etc. His privilege, and therefore it is provided for him; therefore it hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and from this fulness he is to receive grace for grace.
III. Where shall they flourish? In the courts of our God. There it is that you have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. There His ordinances are dispensed–the ordinances of life. There God hath commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. In order to enjoy these advantages, you must be planted there, as a tree must be, in order to be fruitful; that is, you must be fixed there. How is this? In two ways. One by choice–for, where the treasure is, there will the heart be also; and where the heart is, there you are, wherever the body may be. The other is by the frequency of your attendance, availing yourselves of every opportunity the providence of God allows you to be found there.
IV. When shall they flourish? They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. Not that they escape all the effects of old age, far from it; but as the apostle says, When the outward man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day. When the outward ear grows deaf, then the inward man hears the voice of God. When the eye grows dim, the mind is irradiated and enlightened. When the fleshly parts grow weak, we are strengthened with might in the inner man. It is one of the consequences of old age in Christians to look towards heaven. There he reckons upon his relations and friends. There my best friends, my kindred dwell–there God my Saviour reigns. He seems to have more connection with that world than with this. We look for meekness in the aged. The young are giddy, fierce, fiery, and determined–the older are willing to give up everything for the sake of peace, unless it is a good conscience and truth. There we look for maturity and judgment in divine things–that he should be able to distinguish things that differ, that his heart may be established in righteousness. He has not only had faith, but experience: the one is help to the other.
V. Why are they to flourish? To show that the Lord is upright. There seems something remarkable in this. Their fearing God, attending His ordinances, and bringing forth fruit even to old age, shows that they are upright; but how does it show that God is upright? It does this in two ways. First, as it evidences His faithfulness to His engagements. All the ways of the Lord are mercy; not only mercy, but truth; because they are in fulfilment of His promises. Then, next, because it shows their adhering to Him with purpose of heart; and not turning back from Him, shows that they found Him what they took Him to be. Had they been deceived in Him they would have given Him up. Under the law, the servant that had his ear bored gave proof that he loved his master; and he would not have loved him if he had not behaved well to him. The attachment and the adherence of the servants of God proclaim his faithfulness; and show they have not been disappointed in their expectations of Him. Just like the venerable Polycarp, who, when asked to deny his Saviour or perish, saith, He has been a good master to me these eighty years, and can I now forsake Him? This shows the perseverance of the Christian; not what he is, but what God is. By the grace of God I am what I am.
VI. Who can bear his testimony to this truth? I, says David; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Every one can say this, and will say this, who has, like David, made God his rock for building upon–his rock of danger–his rock of refreshment, whose streams follow him all the wilderness through. (W. Jay.)
The plants of grace
I. The threefold righteousness which all the godly possess.
1. Imputed. This is sometimes called the righteousness of God, because God provided it; it is called the righteousness of Christ, inasmuch as He performed it; it is also called the righteousness of faith, as that is the appointed means whereby we receive it.
2. Implanted. He is the subject of new principles, motives, feelings.
3. Exhibited. A changed heart will be seen in a changed life.
II. The comparison employed.
1. For the righteous to be compared to the palm-tree, reminds us of the important truth that the most useful is the most flourishing believer.
2. The righteous will also grow as the cedar in Lebanon. A flourishing Christian is a growing Christian; he grows in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; he advances in the divine life, and abounds more and more both in the active and passive fruits of the Spirit.
III. The place specified. The house of the Lord, etc, Christians, says an able writer, are like soldiers; it is easier to fight in the regiment, where the men stand shoulder to shoulder, than standing alone to maintain some solitary outpost. They are like live coals; when separated they go out, but when gathered into heaps they burn and brighten, so as even to purify gold and silver. They are like trees; they grow the tallest where they stand together, running no small chance, like a solitary tree, of becoming dwarfed, stunted, gnarled, and bark-bound, if they grow alone. You never yet saw a tall and tapering mast which, catching the winds of heaven in its outspread wings, impelled the gallant ship on through the sea, and over the rolling billows, but its home had been the forest; there, with its foot planted upon the Norwegian rock, it grew amid neighbours that drew up each other to the skies.
IV. The period indicated. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, etc. This, of course, does not imply that all the godly live to be old. It is true that the fear of the Lord prolongeth days; but still it often happens that the fairest specimens of sanctified humanity are called away in their early prime and promise. What the words signify is, evidently, that if they lived to be old their souls would continue to prosper, and that the peaceable fruits of righteousness would still be produced.
V. The reason adduced. To show that the Lord is upright, etc. A most conclusive proof have we in every old disciple of the faithfulness of God. When the hoary-headed saint reads the promise, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, he can stand up and say to all the world, It is true, for so have I found it during the whole course of my pilgrimage. (Expository Outlines.)
The provision made in the Gospel for the progressive advancement in holiness, and the way in which we may avail ourselves of that provision
I. The blessed security furnished in the Gospel for our making daily progress in the way of holiness, even to the end of life. This security we may consider as resting on these two grounds.
1. God hath declared this to be His unchangeable purpose with regard to all His people.
2. He hath also revealed to us the means by which that purpose is to be carried into effect, and which we see to be admirably adapted for answering the purpose for which they were intended.
(1) The mediation of Christ.
(2) The dispensation of the Spirit.
II. How we should avail ourselves of this ample provision made in the Gospel for the establishment of our faith, and for our making daily progress in the way of life.
1. Let us often fix our thoughts on that abundant provision, believing the declarations of Gods Word, and that they shall be fulfilled in the experience of all who receive them in faith, and act upon that faith.
2. Let us attend regularly and conscientiously upon the means of grace which are intended for promoting our spiritual improvement.
3. Let us set ourselves without delay to engage entirely in the duties of the Christian life, and to do so heartily, as to the Lord, and to do so in the exercise of faith, believing that in the inexhaustible fulness of Christ there is enough and to spare for all–grace suited to our state and circumstances, whatever they may be. (J. Muirhead, D.D.)
Tongues in trees
I. The palm-tree and the cedar grow in apparently uncongenial soil. In the East the palm does not grow in the fertile loam, but in the arid sand, where there appears to be no moisture to sustain it, and where the scorching sun seems almost certain to destroy it; and the cedar of Lebanon grows, not in the fertile, sheltered valley, where the streamlets play and the silvery rivers glide, but on the rocky heights, where all seems cold and sterile. And the righteous in this world grow and flourish in apparently uncongenial soil.
II. The palm-tree and cedar grow because they are wed by hidden resources. The palm in the desert is fed by hidden springs that flow beneath the surface of the dry sand; its roots drink deep and are sustained, and they send up the moisture into the leaves and branches, and they are refreshed and invigorated. The roots of the cedar are fed by the streams that come trickling down from the snow-crowned tops of Lebanon; they go far and wide into the fissures of the rocks, securing stability by their sturdy grasp, and continuing strong by drinking of the perpetual supply that comes down from the melting snows. So the righteous in this world grow and flourish. Like the palm, they are fed by hidden resources: with joy they draw water out of the wells of salvation. Like the cedar, the righteous grow, for they are fed by hidden resources which come from above; the water of life flows down from the river of life that flows by the throne of God.
III. The palm-tree and cedar, fed by hidden resources, grow into things of beauty and utility. In many particulars the righteous are as the palm-tree, for they yield the fruit of the lip and of the life to the praise and the glory of God; and their lives are not only happy and holy, but exceedingly useful to their fellow-men. They live, not for themselves, but for others, and endeavour to leave the world better than they found it. They also afford grateful shelter and shade to the weary and heavy-laden ones. Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. They are as palm-trees, the emblems of victory; they have been victorious over the difficulties that beset their pathway and opposed them in their coming to Christ–they have overcome Satan, and they are overcoming the world, and they are to conquer even death itself. Much that we have said about the palm will apply with equal force and aptness to the cedar, for it is towering and widespreading and evergreen, exceedingly noble, and very useful; and there is this additional about the cedar–its wood was exceedingly useful for sacred purposes, being used in the building of places dedicated to the worship of the Most High. So the righteous–they grow stately like cedars, and when cut down by the hand of death, they are removed to the new Jerusalem, and form part of the Church triumphant in the skies. (F. W. Brown.)
The righteous flourishing like the palm-tree
The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree. We must, of course, consider this comparison as chiefly applicable to our adorable Redeemer, the King of Righteousness, and the Tree of Life. It must also have some relation and likeness to the character of every faithful servant of God.
I. Their usefulness. The extensive importance of this tree (says an Eastern traveller) is one of the most curious subjects to which a person can direct his attention. A considerable part of the inhabitants of Egypt, Arabia, and Persia, subsist almost entirely upon its fruit. They boast of its medicinal virtues. Their camels feed upon the date stone. From the leaves, they make a variety of articles for domestic use. From the fibres of the boughs, thread, ropes, and rigging are manufactured; from the sap is prepared a spirituous liquor; and the body of the tree furnishes fuel. However remiss individual Christians may be in the discharge of their duty, the natural tendency of religion is to make them fruitful in every good work (Col 1:10). Where are the homes for orphans? Where the hospitals for the sick? Where the asylums for the lunatic and the blind? These are the monuments of righteousness. These are founded by the Gospel of Christ. Who are the patient and painstaking teachers? Who are the first and foremost in carrying light and cultivation among savage tribes? Who are the peacemakers? Who are most ready to discharge their duties as citizens, and neighbours, and friends? Whose promises are the most solemnly and strictly kept? Whose principles are the source of the greatest benefit to mankind? The righteous–the children of God.
II. Their resistance to external calamities. It is a remarkable fact, that the more you attempt to hinder the growth of this tree, by pressing it down with weights, by heaping stones and rubbish upon its roots, and by injuries to the bark, the stronger powers of resistance does it manifest: shooting up its straight and upright trunk a hundred feet and more. And even when the old stock has withered and decayed with age, and fallen prostrate to the ground, fresh sprouts spring vigorously from the roots; thus giving rise (as some have thought) to the fable of the Phoenix dying, and another rising from its ashes. When does the spiritual life of the righteous flourish best? Not when all hindrances and temptations are removed. Not when the skies are always bright, and the breezes soft and refreshing. Not when prosperity gathers about the Christian everything which heart can wish for. The soul is much more likely to rise upward, or assert its higher claims, when misfortunes, and ill-usage, and wrongs, are pressing heavily upon it. As the bodily strength is best developed and preserved by those inured to toil, and who boldly face the tempest and the cold, so is our inner life invigorated and prolonged by the roughnesses and afflictions which beset the good mans way.
III. Their duration. According to the report of naturalists, this tree is most productive from the thirtieth until the eightieth year, and continues to flourish for more than two centuries. At first thought, it might seem almost absurd to say, that the children of God live longer than those who serve the world, the flesh, and the devil. But the Bible certainly encourages this idea (Psa 55:24; Pro 3:16; Psa 91:14-16). Habits of regularity, and moderation, and self-restraint, which the rules of the Gospel require, do greatly contribute to the health and happiness of such as observe them. And who does not know that peace of conscience, the sense of sins forgiven, and of Gods favourable regard, are more efficacious remedies for healing our infirmities than any which can possibly be devised? (J. N. Norton.)
The righteous flourishing
I. In their usefulness.
1. While other trees are distinguished by their devious trunks, the palm shoots perpendicularly upward to a considerable height, and thus resembles the pious mind, whose inclinations and pursuits ever tend toward heaven. Even Mahomet could say of the generous man: he stands erect before his Lord: in every action he follows the impulse received from above, and his whole life is devoted to the welfare of his fellow-creatures.
2. The palm-tree is noted for the abundance of its fruit. The powerful action of the sap is developed not only in thick umbrageous foliage, but in multitudes of flowers and dates. Are not thus the righteous pictured forth by this tree? They who have put on Christ abound in every good thought, word, and work, and remembering that they are the branches of the living vine, they yield much fruit of righteousness to the glory and praise of God. Are they not eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and feet to the lame?
II. In their resistance to external calamity. Neither weight nor violence can make this tree grow downwards or crooked; but the more it is oppressed, the more it flourishes, the higher it towers, and the stronger and broader it becomes at the top. From this singular quality it became the emblem of constancy, patience, and victory by the Eastern nations; and hence Christ was honoured at Jerusalem by the waving of the palm branches; and the redeemed in heaven are described as carrying palms in their hands, in token of the triumphs they had achieved. No situation so thoroughly proves the Christian as the afflictions of mortality. The feeblest infant may endure the sunshine, but it requires the man to face the storm.
III. In their duration. It has been the prayer of the great and good, that they might never outlive their usefulness: and when we behold the aged, hoary, not with wisdom, but with hairs, we tremble lest they have lived in vain. But when we contemplate the pious patriarch spared for threescore years and ten, who has been both parent and priest of his domestic flock, he resembles, indeed, a fruitful palm-tree, which, still yielding fruit in its old age, is only awaiting for the transplantation of the master of the vineyard. Many are they which have flourished thus around us; but their time of vigour and usefulness has expired, and now they beautify, and enrich the paradise of God. (John Grigg.)
Palm-tree Christians
What is there about the palm-tree which would suggest its employment as a figure to describe a righteous man? Let the reader remember where it grows, and he will see. As often as not it grows in the desert. In its own home it is the noblest product of the vegetable world. It lives to a great age, and the older it grows the better its fruit becomes. It often marks the one spot in the desert where water can be found. Other vegetation can spring up under its shadow; it provides food and shelter for the weary and travel-worn. Now let us apply the analogy to our Christian life. In the first place, we may regard the palm-tree as a type of strength. Christian character ought to be stronger than native self-sufficiency, wherever found. Growth in holiness means breaking away little by little from dependence upon the good things of this life. Though rooted in earth we rise higher and higher to breathe the free air of heaven. Health, riches, success, power, fame, should all be held loosely. They are Gods gifts, to be used for His glory, but Christian character should be independent of their presence or absence. They may add to the brightness or interest of life, but if they take to themselves wings and fly away, faith should remain uninjured. Our love for and confidence in Christ should be independent of the external trappings of the soul. How often we find well-meaning, but weak, Christians thrown off their balance by a stroke of adversity, and ready to curse God and die. Further, the palm-tree affords guidance to the thirsty traveller. It is frequently the indication of the presence of water. That which nourishes its own roots can, of course, quench the thirst of man and beast. Christian character has a function of a similar kind, and should never rest till it has fulfilled it. It is our business to live so that men may take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. How often the weary and heavy-laden will turn to the meek and quiet, helpful spirit of one who is wise in the things of God! One now and again hears the remark that So-and-So is evidently in possession of a secret, a secret of goodness which ordinary people have not. As a concluding remark, it may be well to mention over again the fact that the palm-tree affords food and shelter to those who need it. Some Christian Endeavourers, at any rate, must have read with special interest Mr. Jowetts recent sermon on the death of Dr. Berry. It was a happy thought of the preacher to speak of the departed Nonconformist leader as one who had been a hiding-place from the wind, a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. It is said of Dr. Berry that many persons have lived, as it were, by his strength. He has given fresh heart and new hope to many a one who was overborne in the battle of life. There is many a man to-day who would have made shipwreck of himself and his career except he had found a friend, under the shade of whose sympathy he was able to abide until he was strong enough to go forward by himself. To be such a shelter is a great thing in this world. (R. J. Campbell, M.A.)
The righteous like the palm-tree
The palm grows not in the depths of the forest or in a fertile loam, but in the desert. Its verdure often springs apparently from the scorching dust. It is a friendly lighthouse, guiding the traveller to the spot where water is to be found. The tree is remarkable for its beauty, its erect aspiring growth, its leafy canopy, its waving plumes, the emblem of praise in all ages. Its very foliage is the symbol of joy and exultation. It never fades, and the dust never settles upon it. It was, therefore, twisted into the booths of the Feast of Tabernacles, was borne aloft by the multitude that accompanied the Messiah to Jerusalem, and it is represented as in the hands of the redeemed in heaven. For usefulness, the tree is unrivalled. Gibbon says that the natives of Syria speak of 360 uses to which the palm is applied. Its shade refreshes the traveller. Its fruit restores his strength. When his soul fails for thirst, it announces water. Its stones are ground for his camels. Its leaves are made into couches, its boughs into fences and walls, and its fibres into ropes or rigging. Its best fruit, moreover, is borne in old age; the finest dates being often gathered when the tree has reached a hundred years. It sends, too, from the same root a large number of suckers, which in time form a forest by their growth. What an emblem of the righteous in the desert of a guilty world! It is not uninstructive to add that this tree, once the symbol of Palestine, is now rarely seen in that country. (Joseph Angus.)
Like a cedar in Lebanon.—
The righteous like a cedar
1. Downwardly, as to humility.
2. Upwardly, as to heavenly-mindedness.
3. Inwardly, as to heart holiness.
4. Outwardly, as to usefulness.
5. Grow even in the midst of storms.
6. Grow imperceptibly.
7. Grow till it ceases to grow.
The strongest cedar in Lebanon shall cease to grow; so shall every righteous man, as to this world; but the very thought of the termination of his growth here should remind him of the issue of this termination. (T. Adam.)
The good man like a cedar
How does the cedar grow?
I. By the unfolding of its inner life. The cedar of a thousand years once slept in a little germ. Thus holy souls grow by putting forth the germinant powers within them.
II. By the appropriation of the outward. The cedar assimilates to its own substance things that are unlike itself. The dews of heaven, the salts of the earth, the gases of the air, it turns all into its own essence. Thus the godly soul turns everything into its own character.
III. By the influences of the trying. Whence comes the strength of the cedar? Not merely from the dew that sprinkles its branches nor the sunbeam that warms its heart, nor the soil that feeds its roots; but from the tempests also. Even so trials help the growth of the true soul: it makes hostile elements do it service.
IV. By its own constant activity. The sap may be regarded as the very spirit of the tree, and that is ever active; it runs up the roots through all the pores of the trunk into every branch and leaf. From the leaves it runs back again, feeding and strengthening every part as it goes down to the very roots. Thus circulation goes on; it is incessant. The cedar grows so long as it lives; when it ceases to grow it ceases to live. So is it with the soul. There is no end to its growth. It passes from strength to strength, from glory to glory, through all ages. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree] Very different from the wicked, Ps 92:7, who are likened to grass. These shall have a short duration; but those shall have a long and useful life. They are compared also to the cedar of Lebanon, an incorruptible wood, and extremely long-lived. Mr. Maundrell, who visited those trees in 1697, describes them thus: “These noble trees grow among the snow, near the highest part of Lebanon. Some are very old, and of prodigious bulk. I measured one of the largest, and found it twelve yards six inches in girt, and yet sound; and thirty-seven yards in the spread of its boughs. At about five or six yards from the ground, it was divided into five limbs, each of which was equal to a large tree.” Some of these trees are supposed to have lived upwards of one thousand years! The figure of the palm-tree gives us the idea of grandeur and usefulness. The fruit of the palm-tree makes a great part of the diet of the people of Arabia, part of Persia, and Upper Egypt. The stones are ground down for the camels; the leaves are made into baskets; the hard boughs, or rather strong leaves, some being six or eight feet in length, make fences; the juice makes arrack; the threads of the web-like integument between the leaves make ropes, and the rigging of small vessels; and the wood serves for slighter buildings and fire-wood. In short, the palm or date tree, and the olive, are two of the most excellent and useful productions of the forest or the field.
The cedar gives us the idea of majesty, stability, durableness, and incorruptibility. To these two trees, for the most obvious reasons, are the righteous compared. William Lithgow, who travelled through the holy land about A.D. 1600, describes the cedars of Mount Lebanon as “being in number twenty-four, growing after the manner of oaks, but a great deal taller straighter, and thicker, and the branches growing so straight, and interlocking, as though they were kept by art: and yet from the root to the top they bear no boughs, but grow straight and upwards like to a palm-tree. Their circle-spread tops do kiss or embrace the lower clouds, making their grandeur overlook the highest bodies of all other aspiring trees. The nature of this tree is, that it is always green, yielding an odoriferous smell, and an excellent kind of fruit, like unto apples, but of a sweeter taste, and more wholesome. The roots of some of these cedars are almost destroyed by the shepherds, who have made fires thereat, and holes where they sleep; yet nevertheless they flourish green above, in the tops and branches.” – Lithgow’s 17 years’ Travels, 4to., London, 1640.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Like the palm tree; which is constantly green, and flourishing, and fruitful, Son 7:8, and growing even when it is pressed down; and so is a fit emblem of a just mans person and condition. See Rev 7:9.
Like a cedar; which spreads itself wide, and grows very high and strong, and is very durable, and in some sort incorruptible.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12-14. The vigorous growth,longevity, utility, fragrance, and beauty of these noble trees, setforth the life, character, and destiny of the pious;
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree,…. Not like grass, as the wicked, Ps 92:7 which is weak and tender, and soon cut down; but like trees, and like palm trees, that are firm and strong, and of a long continuance: the word for righteous being of the singular number, has led some to think that Christ is meant; but though he is eminently the righteous One, being so in himself, and the author of righteousness to others, yet not he, but his church and people, are compared to a palm tree, So 7:7, the reason why the singular number is made use of is, as Aben Ezra thinks, because the righteous are very few, in comparison of the wicked: the sense is, that everyone of the righteous, or everyone that is righteous, through the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and are created anew in righteousness and true holiness, and live soberly, righteously, and godly, are like the flourishing palm trees; which grow upright, and under the greatest pressures, and rise upwards against the greatest weight upon them e; whose force and vigour is on the top of them, which being cut off, they die; which delight in hot climates and sunny places, bear a delicious fruit, are ever green, are very durable, and their branches used in token of joy and victory; it is said to be a perfect image of a man, and in many things to resemble him f: so truly righteous persons are upright ones in heart and life, grow up into their head, Christ, and rise up heavenwards in their desires and affections; and, like the Israelites, the more they are pressed with the weight of afflictions, the more they grow; their grace and strength, their life and rigour, lie in their head, Christ; from whom was it possible they could be separated, as it is not, they would instantly die; they flourish under him, the sun of righteousness, and his warming beams of love, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness by him, to the glory of God; their leaf of profession does not wither, but is always green; the grace of God, which is in them, being an incorruptible and never dying seed: hence, in the issue, they make that palm, bearing company in Re 7:9 who are more than conquerors through Christ, that has loved them: the Greek version is, “as the phoenix”, which some of the ancients understood of a bird so called, supposed to rise out of its ashes, and use it to prove the resurrection of the dead g:
he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon; where the best, tallest, largest, and strongest cedars grow; [See comments on Isa 37:24] to which the righteous are compared, who grow up by degrees higher and higher, even to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; and, stronger and stronger in him, go from strength to strength, having their spiritual strength renewed by him; and cast forth their roots in him, like Lebanon, and the cedars there; and spread their boughs and branches, like them, in the exercise of grace and discharge of duty; and grow in every grace, of faith, hope, love, humility, self-denial, and submission to the will of God, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and are durable as the cedar, never die, their life being hid with Christ in God. Kimchi refers this to the days of the Messiah.
e Plutarch. apud A. Gell. Noct. Attic. l. 3. c. 6. f Set Sandys’s Travels, l. 2. p. 80. g Texelii Phoenix, l. 1. c. 4. p. 14.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree. He now passes to the consideration of another general truth, That though God may exercise his people with many trials, subject them to hardships, and visit them with privations, he will eventually show that he had not forgotten them. We need not be surprised that he insists so explicitly and carefully upon this point, as nothing is more difficult than for the saints of God to entertain expectations of being raised up and delivered when they have been reduced almost to the state of the dead, and it does not appear how they can live. Some think the cedar is mentioned from the fragrancy of its smell, and the palm for the sweetness of its fruit; but this is too subtile a meaning to attach to the words. The sense seems simply, that though the righteous may appear for a time to be withered, or to have been cut down, they will again spring up with renewed vigor, and flourish as well and as fair in the Church of God as the stateliest trees upon Lebanon. The expression which is employed — planted in the house of the Lord — gives the reason of their vigorous growth; nor is it meant that they have merely a place there, (which can be said even of hypocrites,) but that they are firmly fixed, and deeply rooted in it, so as to be united to God. The Psalmist speaks of the courts of the Lord, because none but the priests were allowed to enter the holy place; the people worshipped in the court. By those who are planted in the Church he means such as are united to God in real and sincere attachment, and insinuates that their prosperity cannot be of a changeable and fluctuating nature, because it is not founded upon anything that is in the world. Nor indeed can we doubt that whatever has its root, and is founded in the sanctuary, must continue to flourish and partake of a life which is spiritual and everlasting. It is in this sense that he speaks of their still budding forth, and being fat, even in old age, when the natural sap and juices are generally dried up. The language amounts to saying that they are exempt from the ordinary lot of men, and have a life which is taken from under the common law of nature. (599) It is thus that Jacob, speaking of the great renovation which should take place in the Church, mentions, that at that happy period he who was an hundred years old should be a child, meaning that, though old age naturally tends to death, and one who has lived a hundred years is upon the very borders of it, yet in the kingdom of Christ; a man would be reckoned as being merely in his childhood, and starting in life, who entered upon a new century. This could only be verified in the sense, that after death we have another existence in heaven.
(599) “ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. Being thus planted and watered, they shall not only bring forth the fruits of righteousness, but shall continue and go on to do so, and even when they are grown old; contrary to all other trees, which, when old, cease bearing fruit; but so do not the righteous; grace is often in the greatest vigor when nature is decayed; witness Abraham, Job, David, Zechariah, and Elisabeth, and good old Simeon, who went to the grave like shocks of corn fully ripe.” — Dr Gill.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) Palm tree.This is the only place where the palm appears as an emblem of moral rectitude and beauty of character, yet its aptness for such comparison has often been noticed. (See Tristrams Natural History of the Bible, p. 384; and comp. Thomsons The Land and the Book, p. 49.)
A moral use was more often made of the cedar. Emblem of kingly might, it also became the type of the imperial grandeur of virtuous souls. (See Bible Educator, iii. 379.)
The contrast of the palms perennial verdure, and the cedars venerable age, an age measured not by years, but by centuries, with the fleeting moments of the brief day of the grass, to which the wicked are compared (Psa. 92:7), is very striking, as striking as that in Psalms 1 between the empty husk and the flourishing fruit-tree.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. The righteous shall flourish The psalmist now drops the first person, as used in Psa 92:4; Psa 92:10-11, and again speaks in general terms of general principles.
Like the palm This tree was long-lived, vigorous, fresh in its growth, perpetual in its verdure, and renowned for its beauty and fertility. Son 7:7. It was once the glory of Palestine, though now almost perished from the land. The branches of the palm were used as the emblem of joy and triumph, (Lev 23:40; Neh 8:15; Joh 12:12-13; Rev 7:9😉 but the metaphor in the text is based on the fresh, rapid, and healthful growth of the tree, as the word “flourish” indicates. See the use of this word in Eze 17:24; Isa 35:1-2, translated blossom; Son 6:11; Son 7:12; Psa 92:13.
Cedar The pride of the mountain, as the palm was of the lower lands. It is celebrated for its breadth of branch, its majesty, its verdure, and its utility.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 92:12. The righteous shall flourish, &c. The flourishing state of the righteous in this verse, is beautifully opposed to that of the wicked, Psa 92:7.
For of these it is intimated, that their prosperity should be momentary, trifling, and perpetually decaying: but the prosperity of the righteous shall be well-founded, durable, and continually increasing. When the wicked flourish, it is only said of them, that they are green as the grass; of which our Saviour says, To-day it is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven. But the righteous flourish like a palm-tree, and spread abroad their boughs like a cedar in Lebanon. The better to illustrate the force of this comparison, I shall add Mr. Maundrell’s account of the cedars of Libanus, who paid them a visit in the month of May 1697. “These noble trees grow among the snow near the highest part of Lebanon; and are remarkable, as well for their old age and largeness, as for those frequent allusions made to them in the word of God. Here are some of them very old, and of a prodigious bulk; and others younger, of a smaller size. Of the former I could reckon up only sixteen; and the latter are very numerous. I measured one of the largest, and found it twelve yards six inches in girt, and yet sound; and thirty-seven yards in the spread of its boughs. At about five or six yards from the ground it was divided into five limbs; each of which was equal to a great tree.” This account adds a beauty to that passage, Psa 104:16 where God is said to have planted the cedars of Lebanon. See Travels, p. 142.
REFLECTIONS.1st,
1. The Psalmist encourages us to join heartily in the sacred song. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High; it is both our duty and privilege, the tribute of gratitude we owe, and the preparation for the service of heaven; and abundant matter we have for the blessed service, to shew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, the various instances of it that we have experienced in providential care, and especially in the spiritual blessings obtained by Christ Jesus, and thy faithfulness every night; not merely confining our grateful acknowledgment to one day, but day and night continually, as most bounden, ascribing to God the glory due unto his name, whose mercy and truth never fail. Note; (1.) Whatever our engagements may be, we are bound at least to begin and end each day with prayer and praise. (2.) They who have themselves a deep experience of the divine love and faithfulness, will delight to be telling of his salvation from day to day.
2. He sets before us his own example for our imitation. Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work; the works of creation and providence, or rather of redemption and grace by Jesus Christ: an experimental knowledge of which is matter of the most enlivening joy: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! when we contemplate the works of creation, providence, redemption, and grace, we are lost in admiration, and can only wonder and adore; and the thoughts are very deep, unfathomable by the shallow line of human reason, and above our conception as the heaven is higher than the earth.
3. They who disregard the works of God, and neglect to praise him, are brutish and wicked. A brutish man knoweth not: neither doth a fool understand this; by the indulgence of their appetites they degrade themselves into beasts; and, brutish in their knowledge, looking no higher than the earth, nor farther than the grave, they leave God far above out of their sight, insensible of all his mercies, and negligent of his service.
2nd, The Psalmist triumphs over his enemies, and in God’s love and favour to himself and all his faithful ones.
1. He expects to see the ruin of the wicked, however prosperous and proud. When the wicked spring as the grass, so numerous and vigorous, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, in health, wealth, power, and every earthly possession, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: their prosperity becomes their ruin, and they are only fattened for the slaughter. But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore, reigning over all, abasing the proud, and ever living to inflict on them their deserved punishment. For lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for lo, thine enemies shall perish; for such are all the workers of wickedness, who daringly oppose the most High, reject his government, and rebel against his crown and dignity; but vain their impotent malice, they must perish under his eternal wrath; and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered, their schemes frustrated, their combinations broken, their ruin irrecoverable and everlasting, when God shall say unto them, Depart, ye cursed, &c. But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn, establishing his royal authority, and exalting his throne on high. This may be applied to the Messiah, who is the horn of salvation, raised up from the house of David, Luk 1:69. And thus also will all the faithful at the last day be set above their enemies. I shall be anointed with fresh oil; every attack of his foes should only serve to bring renewed supplies of grace, strength, and divine consolations into his soul. Mine eye also shall be my desire an mine enemies: and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me, whose power to hurt shall be broken, and God glorified in their punishment. Note; (1.) All the enemies of Christ and his people rage in vain; they who will not submit to his government, must perish together and for ever under his vengeance. (2.) Though we may not wish evil to our bitterest enemies through any private revenge, we cannot but desire to see the power of the wicked restrained, and God’s glory manifested in his righteous judgments.
2. He expects to see the exaltation of the saints of God, however now depressed and low. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; whatever burdens are laid on him, he shall not only be enabled to support them, but prosper in his soul under the load. Crescit sub pondere virtus. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon, strong and high, reaching to the heavens, and unmoved by stormy blasts. Such is the faithful believer, going from strength to strength, having his affections set on heaven and heavenly things, and rooted in Christ. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, removed from the wilderness of the world, grafted into Christ, and thus transplanted into his church, where they partake of the heavenly dew of divine benediction, and in the word and ordinances are watered day by day, these shall flourish in the courts of our God, being full of sap derived from Christ the living root, and adorning the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. They shall bring forth fruit in old age, grace being often most vigorous and fruitful when nature’s strength decays: they shall be fat and flourishing, partaking of the fatness of the root; Rom 11:17 walking in the most enlivened exercise of divine grace, and abounding in every good work: To shew that the Lord is upright, true to all his promises, carrying his faithful people on to hoary hairs and to eternal glory. He is my rock, firm and stable; such the Psalmist had by experience proved him to be, and so will every soul that perseveringly trusts upon him; and their is no unrighteousness in him; he never raises expectations to disappoint them, what he promises he fully performs; and fails not to punish the workers of iniquity, for just and right is he.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 658
THE BELIEVERS SECURITY
Psa 92:12-15. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
WELL may we be filled with gratitude, whilst we contemplate the wonders of creation and of providence [Note: ver. 15.]: but deeper far are the wonders of redeeming love, secured as they are to the saints by the immutable perfections of God. A brutish man, indeed, knows them not; nor does a fool understand them [Note: ver. 6,]: but those who are anointed with that heavenly unction which teacheth them all things [Note: 1Jn 2:20; 1Jn 2:27.] have an insight into them, and can attest the truth of the assertions of the Psalmist, whilst he declares,
I.
The privileges of the righteous
The righteous are indeed highly favoured of the Lord. To them, amidst innumerable other blessings, are secured,
1.
Stability
[The palm-tree and the cedar are trees of most majestic growth; the one retaining its foliage all the year, and the other pre-eminent in respect of strength and durability. And like these shall the righteous flourish: nothing shall despoil them of their beauty, nothing shall subvert their souls They may indeed be assailed with many storms and tempests; but they shall not be cast down; or, if cast down, shall not be destroyed [Note: Job 5:19. Psa 34:19. 2Co 4:8-10.] Being once planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God, never withering for want of nourishment [Note: Psa 1:3 and Jer 17:8.], nor ever decaying by the lapse of years [Note: Isa 65:22.].]
2.
Fruitfulness
[The Gospel, wherever it comes, brings forth fruit [Note: Col 1:6.]; and all who receive it aright become fat and flourishing, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God [Note: Php 1:11.]. For every season in the year they have appropriate fruit [Note: Eze 47:12.]: and even to old age, when other trees decay, these retain their vigour and fertility. There may, indeed, be a difference in the fruits produced by them at the different periods of life; that of youth being more beauteous to the eye; and that of age, more pleasant to the taste, as savouring less of crudity, and as being more richly flavoured through the influence of many ripening suns. The fruits of the Spirit, indeed, are seen in both [Note: Gal 5:22-23.]; but in one, the fruit of activity and zeal; and in the other, a patient waiting for the coming of their Lord [Note: 1Co 1:7.]. To the latest hour of their existence shall they bring forth fruit unto God [Note: Hos 14:5-7.], and God shall be glorified in them [Note: Isa 61:3.]. Never shall their leaf wither or their fruit fail, till they are transplanted to the Paradise above.]
The confidence with which David announces to the righteous their privileges, will lead us to consider,
II.
Their security for the enjoyment of them
God has solemnly engaged to confer these blessings upon them
[From all eternity did he enter into covenant with his dear Son, that if he would make his soul an offering for sin, he should see a seed, who should prolong their days; and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand [Note: Isa 53:10.]. The terms being accepted by the Lord Jesus, a people were given to him; with an assurance that not one of them should ever be lost [Note: Joh 17:2; Joh 17:6; Joh 17:9-12; Joh 17:24.]. Accordingly, we find innumerable promises made to them, that God will keep their feet [Note: 1Sa 2:9.], and carry on his work in their hearts [Note: Php 1:6.], and preserve them blameless unto his heavenly kingdom [Note: 1Co 1:8. 1Th 5:23.].]
From respect to these engagements, he will assuredly fulfil his word
[Not one jot or tittle of his word shall fail [Note: Isa 54:9-10.]. His children may, indeed, by their transgressions, call forth some tokens of his displeasure: yet, though he visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes, his loving-kindness will he not utterly take from them, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. His covenant will he not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; for once he has sworn by his holiness, that he will not lie unto David [Note: Psa 89:30-35.]. Having thus pledged his truth and faithfulness in their behalf [Note: 1Th 5:24.], and engaged never to leave them till he has accomplished in them and for them all that he has promised [Note: Heb 13:5-6.], he considers his own honour as involved in their happiness [Note: Eze 39:25.]; and would account himself unrighteous, if he left so much as one of them to perish [Note: Heb 6:10.]. But he cannot lie [Note: Tit 1:2.]: and, therefore, all who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them, may have the most abundant consolation [Note: Heb 6:17-18.], in an assured expectation that he will perfect that which concerneth them [Note: Psa 138:8.], and keep them, by his own power, unto everlasting salvation [Note: 1Pe 1:5.].]
Comforting as this Scripture is, it needs to be very carefully guarded from abuse. Permit me, then, to address myself,
1.
To those who are indulging in undue security
[Is there any one that will dare to say, I cannot fall; or, if I fall, I cannot but rise again: for, if God were to leave me to perish, he would be unfaithful and unjust? I must reply to such an one, Thou art on the very border and precipice of hell. Who art thou, that thou shouldst not fall, when David, and Solomon, and Peter fell? Or, who art thou, that thou must be raised again, when Demas, as far as we know, fell for ever? Hast thou been up to heaven, and seen thy name written in the Book of Life? Hast thou inspected that covenant which was made between the Father and the Son, and seen that thou wast among the number of those who were given to Christ before the foundation of the world? The Lord knoweth them that are his; but who besides him possesses that knowledge? What knowest thou, except as far as causes can be discerned by their effects? Thou hast experienced what appears to be a work of grace in thy soul. Be thankful: but be not over confident: thousands have deceived themselves: and thou mayest have done the same. Could it be infallibly ascertained that thou wast given to Christ before the foundation of the world, and, in consequence of Gods engagement with him, wast effectually called to a state of union with him, we will acknowledge that none should ever pluck thee out of the Fathers hands [Note: Joh 10:27-29.]: for his gifts and calling are without repentance [Note: Rom 11:29.]. But, as this can never be ascertained but by a special revelation from God, I must say to thee, and would say, if thou wert the most eminent Christian upon earth, Be not high-minded, but fear [Note: Rom 11:20.]. It is certain that multitudes of most distinguished professors have apostatized from their faith: and such may be thine end; yea, and will, if thy confidence be so daring and presumptuous: and, if this should be thine unhappy fate, we shall not for one moment question the fidelity of God; but shall say of you, as St. John did of the apostates in his day, They went out from us; but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us [Note: 1Jn 2:19.].]
2.
To those who have actually backslidden from God
[Are there none of this character amongst us? Would to God there were not! But look back, I pray you, and see whether it is still with you as it was in the day of your espousals [Note: Jer 2:2.]. Have none of you left your first love [Note: Rev 2:4.]? Time was, perhaps, when the concerns of your souls were of such importance in your eyes, that you thought you could never do enough to promote their eternal interests. The word of God and prayer were then, as it were, your daily food: you walked with God all the day long. To maintain communion with him was your highest delight: you dreaded every thing that might draw you from him: your bodies and souls were, like living sacrifices, offered to him daily upon his altar. But how is it with you now? Perhaps at this time any formal service will suffice to satisfy the conscience: the duties of the closet are become irksome to you; the world has regained an ascendant over your minds; and evil tempers, which once appeared subdued and mortified, display themselves on every occasion, to the destruction of your own peace, and to the annoyance of all around you. Ah! think what dishonour you do to God, and what cause of triumph you give to his enemies. Through your misconduct, the way of truth is evil spoken of, and the very name of God is blasphemed. But His word is true, whether men stumble over it or not: and, whatever a profane world may imagine, He is a Rock; and there is no unrighteousness in him. But delude not yourselves with notions about electing love, or Gods faithfulness to his promises. The only promises in which ye have any part, are those which are made to weeping penitents: Repent ye, then, without delay, and do your first works [Note: Rev 2:5.]: else you shall be filled with your own ways [Note: Pro 14:14.], and reap for ever the bitter fruit of your own devices [Note: Pro 1:31; Pro 22:8.].]
2.
To those who are holding on in the good way
[You are living witnesses for God, that he is both merciful and upright. You know whence it is that you have been preserved. You know that you would have fallen, even as others, if he had not upheld you in his everlasting arms. Give Him the glory, then; and cast yourselves altogether upon him. Beg of him to water your roots, and to make you fruitful in every good work. Entreat him, not only not to turn away from you, but to put his fear in your hearts, that you may never depart from him [Note: Jer 32:40.]. So may you look forward to all the occurrences of life with a joyful hope, that you shall be preserved even to the end, and be more than conquerors through Him that loved you [Note: Rom 8:35-39.]. The proper medium to be observed, is that between presumptuous hope and servile fear. A filial confidence is your high privilege: and you may go forward with joy, knowing in whom you have believed, that He is both able and willing to keep that which you have committed to him [Note: 2Ti 1:12.], and that he will be eternally glorified in the salvation of your souls.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Here again we must look out for the ever blessed Jesus. Of whom but that righteous One could the Prophet speak? Surely he is as the palm-tree of Engedi, and the tree of life in the paradise of God. Rev 22:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Ver. 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm ] A tree that groweth not in these cold climates, but where it doth is noted for tall, constantly green, long lived, sweet, firm, straight, &c., (Theoph.).
Nititur in pondus palma et consurgit in altum;
Quo magis et premitur, hoc mage tollit onus.
Though it hath many weights at the top, and many snakes at the bottom, yet is still saith, Nec premor, nee perimor.
Like a cedar
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The righteous = A righteous one (singular)
palm. In barren soil, watered deep at the roots. An Endogen.
cedar. In mountain snows and storms, the roots embedded in the rocks. An Exogen.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
righteous: Psa 92:7, Psa 52:8, Isa 55:13, Isa 65:22, Hos 14:5, Hos 14:6
cedar: Psa 104:16, Psa 148:9, Amo 2:9. See note on 1Ki 4:33, and see note on 1Ki 6:29.
Reciprocal: Lev 23:40 – of palm trees Num 24:6 – as cedar Job 14:2 – like Psa 72:16 – the fruit Pro 11:28 – but Son 1:17 – beams Son 5:15 – as Lebanon Son 6:11 – the garden Son 7:7 – thy stature Isa 61:3 – called Eze 17:23 – and it Eze 27:5 – cedars Eze 34:27 – the tree Eze 40:16 – palm trees Eze 40:26 – palm trees Eze 47:12 – by the river Joe 1:12 – the pomegranate Mal 4:2 – ye shall Luk 6:43 – General Joh 15:8 – is Phi 1:11 – filled 2Pe 3:18 – grow
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
PALM-TREE CHRISTIANS
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.
Psa 92:12
The characteristic thing about the palm-tree Christian, mentioned three times, is that he shall flourish. To flourish means four things in such a connection: To grow luxuriantly, to increase and enlarge; to thrive and to be prosperous; to be prominent; and to be in a state of activity or production.
I. The palm-tree Christian grows luxuriantly.In sandy wastes, arid, where other vegetation fails, the palm-tree flourishes. In spite of howling and devastating storms the cedar in Lebanon grows. The palm-tree Christian flourishes in circumstances that seem barren and hopeless to the worldly and the half-way Christian. His flourishing does not depend at all upon varying circumstances, but upon something that changes not.
II. The palm-tree Christian thrives and is prosperous.The seasons run their changing round; but the palm-tree steadily, through all seasons, flourishes. The worldly and half-hearted Christians have seasons of flourishing and seasons of deadness; the palm-tree Christian grows steadily on, in revivals or when others wither, whether men commend or persecute, when fortune smiles and when fortune frowns.
III. The palm-tree Christian is prominent.The palm overtops all other vegetation of its vicinage. So do palm-tree Christians stand out among their contemporaries and in history. The tall ones of history are either very wicked or else palm-tree saints. Half-devoted hearts, though numerous, are inconspicuous. A grove of palms in the desert, with tall, straight stems and fronded heads, looks like a temple of divinity.
IV. Palm-tree Christians are in a state of activity or production.The Hindus say that the palm serves 360 different uses. A good date-palm will yield 300 pounds a year, besides the value of its leaves, its bark, its stem, its roots. The worldling and the worldly Christian have some good points, and many not so good. The palm-tree Christian is good through and through, and all his uses to the world are valuable. He is the light of the world and its saving salt and its fountain of life-giving water; God comes to men through all His words and ways, to bless them. He lasts. The date palm bears best when from thirty to one hundred years old, and perhaps a half-century more. The true child of God flourishes and brings forth fruit, even in old age.
V. Why are these things so?Four reasons are given.
(1). The palm-tree Christian is planted, trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. He is born again, transplanted from darkness to light.
(2) He is protected, planted in the house of the Lord, flourish in the courts of our God. As Solomon planted palm-trees all about the temple walls, so God sets His friends in protection from destruction; He is around about them, their defence.
(3) He is deep-rooted. The palm grows where other vegetation withers, because it strikes its roots down thirty feet, if need be, to find water. So the saint, deep-rooted and grounded in the love of God and man, finding living water when all earthly springs run dry.
(4) To show that the Lord is upright. He is, of all men, most like his Maker, upright among the fallen and depraved and selfish, glorifying thus his God.
Illustration
As trees planted in the courts of the Oriental houses flourished under their shelter, so those who abode in God, and made a house of Him, should bring forth fruit in old age. The Bible takes hold of the crises of life, and lays down the challenge to try God by these. He is King at the flood-overwhelming periods, and trying times. When George Mller spoke in Carrs-lane pulpit, over ninety years of age, the general remark was that he was full of sapexpecting all things, hoping all things, young in spirit.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Psa 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree Which is constantly green and flourishing, spreads its branches very wide, and grows to a vast size, affording a most refreshing shade to travellers. It also produces dates, a very sweet, luscious, and grateful kind of fruit; is a most beautiful tree, and every way an invaluable treasure to the inhabitants of those hot countries, and therefore a fit emblem of the flourishing state of a righteous man. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon The cedars in Lebanon are immensely large, being some of them thirty-five, or even forty feet in the girt, and thirty-seven yards in the spread of their boughs. They flourish for ages, and are always green; and, when cut down, yield a most beautiful kind of wood, inclining to a brown colour, solid, durable, and, in some sort, incorruptible. These then, as well as the palm-trees, compared with the short-lived and withering grass, are a striking illustration of the well-founded, durable, and continually increasing virtue and happiness of the truly righteous, in opposition to the momentary, trifling, and perpetually decaying prosperity of the wicked.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
92:12 The righteous shall {h} flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
(h) Though the faithful seem to whither and be cut down by the wicked, yet they will grow again and flourish in the Church of God as the cedars do in mount Lebanon.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Palm trees produced tasty fruit, so they symbolized fruitfulness. Cedars were not subject to decay, so they stood for long life in the ancient Near Eastern mentality (cf. Psa 92:7). Both types of trees were also beautiful and desirable. The writer likened the godly to these trees planted in the temple environs. They represent people who delight in drawing near to God (cf. Psa 1:3; Psa 52:8). Such people praise God for His consistent righteousness. Because of His unwavering righteousness, He is a sure foundation-similar to a large rock-on whom people can build their lives (cf. Mat 7:24-27). [Note: See Richard D. Patterson, "Psalms 92:12-15: The Flourishing of the Righteous," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:663 (July-September 2009):271-88.]
Reflection on God’s good acts and His righteous character gives His people optimism as they face life. As believers, we can see things in their proper perspective and go through life rejoicing.