Psalm 92:12 tells us that “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree.” But just what does this comparison mean?
The palm does not grow in the depth of a forest or in a fertile loam, but in the desert. Its verdure, its green and healthy vegetation, often springs apparently from the scorching dust. “It is a friendly lighthouse, guiding the traveler to the spot where water is to be found,” one author has written.
The palm tree is remarkable for its beauty and its erect aspiring growth. Its leafy canopy, and its waving plumes make it the emblem of praise in all ages. It never fades, and the dust never settles upon it. Its very foliage is the symbol of joy and exultation! Palm branches were twisted into booths at the Feasts of Tabernacles and were borne aloft by the multitude that accompanied the Messiah into Jerusalem. They are even represented as the hands of the Redeemed in Heaven. (Rev. 7:9)
For usefulness, the palm tree is unrivaled. One author says that the natives of Syria speak of 360 uses to which the palm could be applied. Its shade refreshes the traveler. 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 are made into fences and walls, and its fibers fashioned into rope or rigging. Its best fruit, moreover, is born 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 for the righteous in the desert of a guilty world! And as the palm lifts its head to the sky above, let us as believers in Christ lift our faces and voices to our Lord on high.
The palm tree points to water in a dry land. The Christian is to point the lost to the Water of Life. The palm flourishes and stands tall in the heat of the day. The Christian should flourish in the trials of life supported by the hand of God. And the palm tree feeds the hungry with its fruit. The believer in Christ is to feed the lost, weary, and down-trodden hearts with the meat of the Word of God. The message of hope should ever be on the tongue of the believer to a dying world. Let us be as fruitful in our lives as the Palm Tree is in the desert.
