December 27, 2021 – Monday
Psalm 92:12-15 NIV
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 92:12-15 AKJV
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 to shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Comment.
I was listening to a David Wilkerson sermon on youtube when I was surprised at something he said. So I set the time back on this sermon of his and at 18:15 and said, So it is for those planted in Jesus Christ then reading from his notes or his Bible went on saying, Those that are planted in the house of the Lord they will flourish in the court of God. I was not familiar with the verse and did not recognize it at all, but the bigger surprise came when he followed up saying, And that’s a covenant promise!
First thing I had to do was to find the verse and its context. I found it in the Old Testament as shown above in Psalm 92. By the way, if you look up the word flourish at BibleGateway.com as I did, you will find in the AKJV it occurs 18 times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament in Philippians 4:10. If you search in NIV you will find flourish occurs 22 times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament in Acts 12:24. Still I had to dig deeper into this Psalm and into these verses to find if this was indeed a covenant promise as David Wilkerson had stated.
First, the Psalm is titled A Psalm, A Song for the Sabbath Day and is the only psalm with a title for the Sabbath Day. A few thoughts from verses 12-15 of this Psalm, it speaks of God’s continual blessings for the believer which brings to mind Psalm 1:3 where we read, That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. And if we consider verse 6b of the 23rd Psalm, I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever it implies blessings into the next life as well.
As for flourishing, in verses 12-13 it means to be vigorous, to flourish richly while in verse 7 (that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever) the flourishing of the wicked may be conspicuous and shining but it simply does not last. In contrast the date palm and the cedar tree both had long lives. We know not all godly people live long lives, but godly people largely avoid a great deal of the behaviors that often result in danger and disease. The promise in verses 13-14 to stay fresh and green (NIV – better than fat and flourishing in the AKJV in my opinion) in old age is a special blessing from God. I have observed this blessing even in those who have a long-term debilitating illness of one type or another. The psalmist provides an image of righteous people, believing people, putting down roots in God’s house or in Jesus Christ as David Wilkerson said and as a consequence despite the challenges of life still fresh and green – flourishing,
Thus, with Jesus ascended into heaven, can we, his believers, continue to bear fruit through his Spirit? I believe John 15:5 would apply to the Spirit as well as Jesus, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and Ii in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. And then Galatians 5:22-23 has no age limit, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. I think and believe God desires us to bear into our old age, even as we grow old and weak. Therefore, for me ,I believe if I keep myself planted in Jesus Christ then the promises can be a covenant promise for me as well.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for the promises that carry throughout time. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton in Beavercreek
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