To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation[a] of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
2 Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 You love evil more than good,
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
4 You love all devouring words,
You deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy you forever;
He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous also shall see and fear,
And shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will praise You forever,
Because You have done it;
And in the presence of Your saints
I will wait on Your name, for it is good.
There are 2 contrasting verses that stood out to me in today's Psalm.... Verse 7 and 8.
7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
I love, LOVE verse 8. I honestly don't know too much about olive trees, so I studied up on them for a few minutes for this post. Here's what I found out.
"Olive trees tolerate drought well, thanks to their sturdy and extensive root system. They can be very long-lived, up to several centuries, and can remain productive for as long, provided they are pruned correctly and regularly.
The olive tree is the symbol of abundance, glory and peace." - Wikipedia
Do you see all of the similarities? We, as believers, can also tolerate drought and tough times well, if we remain strong in our faith and focus on God, not the world. We too have a sturdy root system, but we do need regular pruning. We need that time with God, that time in worship. We, as believers, are a symbol of abundance, glory and peace, that does not come from worldly things. It is an inner abundance and peace, that only God can give to us. So although many in the world trust in their own strength and focus on riches and wickedness, we, as believers will flourish like the olive tree in the house of God.
How awesome is that.
So, my dear trees, let's get pruning today.
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