The Righteous Will Flourish

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree;
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming,
“The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 92:12-15


Here are some facts I learned about the palm tree:

· (Heb. tamar ) – the date palm. The palm tree
· frequently attains a height of 80 feet, but more commonly 40-50
· bears fruit after it has been planted six or eight years, and
· continues productivity for a century.
· trunk is straight, tall and unbroken
· crowned with emerald-green plumes
· leaves frequently reach 20 feet in length
· whispers musically in a breeze.
· it is a beautiful and useful tree.
· fruit-daily food of millions
· sap-wine
· fibers-woven into ropes and rigging
· tall stem-valuable timber
· leaves-made into brushes, mats, bags, couches and baskets.
· The, striking appearance of the tree, its uprightness and beauty, would naturally suggest the giving of its name occasionally to women (Tamar).

Psalms 92 pictures the righteous as a palm tree
· straight growth
· fruitfulness
· perpetual greenness
· height
· fruit-as far as possible from earth and as near as possible to heaven.
· elasticity of the fiber of the palm
· its determined growth upward even when loaded with weights.
· bears fruit well into old age
· palm a symbol of victory and peace

Now, this should greatly encourage those of us over 50!