A
GREEN OLIVE TREE
Let’s
take a quick test.
Lets see how many of these
nicknames you can identify.
Let me give you a hint.
They do not all belong to people.
Ready?
1.
“Hawkeye”
Benjamin Franklin Pierce from
M.A.S.H
2.
“Tinsel Town”
Hollywood, California
3.
“The King”
Elvis Presley
4.
“The Babe”
Babe Ruth
5.
“The Big Apple”
New York City
6.
“JFK”
President John F. Kennedy
7.
“The Duke”
John Wayne
8.
“The Chairman of the Board”
Frank Sinatra
9.
“The Pack”
Green Bay Packers
10.
“Tree”
David Elam
Now,
to be honest, I didn’t expect you to
recognize the last name. David Elam was a
classmate of mine in college. He was also
a groomsman in my wedding.
He was nicknamed “Tree” due to
his size. He was one big and tall man.
Has
anyone ever compared you with a tree? No?
Well, as a matter of fact, the answer is
yes. The Bible compares the child of God
to a tree on a number of occasions. For
instance:
·
Psalms 92 compares the
righteous to the beautiful palm and the
stately cedar.
·
Psalms 1 compares the saint
to a deep-rooted and fruitful evergreen
tree.
·
Psalms 52 compares the
believer to the OLIVE TREE.
This
morning we will look at how and why we
would, should and could be compared to an
olive tree.
The
passage that I want to pick up on can be
found in Psalm 52:8-9, “But
I am like an olive tree flourishing in the
house of God; I trust
in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.
I will praise you for ever for what you have done; in your name I
will hope,
for your name is good. I will praise you
in the presence of your saints.”
The
writer compares himself to this tree in
three ways. Let’s look at them one by one.
1.
I WILL TRUST IN MY LORD'S UNFAILING
LOVE FOR EVER AND EVER.
Trust.
I find it fascinating that the word trust
is found some 128 times in the Old
Testament. One-half of those occurrences
can be found in the Book of Psalms. Trust
was foundational to David’s relationship
with God.
Do
you remember this passage?
Psalm
25:1, “To
you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust,
O my God.”
How
about this one?
Psalm
125:1-2, “Those
who trust in the Lord are as secure as
Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but
will endure forever. Just as the mountains
surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people, both now and
forever.”
In
my text David said,
“I trust in God's unfailing love for
ever and ever ....” David trusted
the Lord – in fact, trust was one of
David’s favorite themes when he talked
of God.
Yes,
pastor, but David was David -- loved and
revered -- rich and in need of nothing.
Lets face it, trust comes easy in such
circumstances.
Well
before we get too far out on that limb,
let me tell you the story behind Psalm 52.
I think you'll find it very interesting.
To do so, I want to take you back several
years to when David Janson starred on
television as "The Fugitive." As
you may remember, Janson had been wrongly
accused of murdering his wife. Each
episode therefore found him in some new
location trying to do two things.
·
One, he was desperately
trying to find the “one-armed man” who
was seen by Janson fleeing from the scene
of the murder.
·
Then, secondly, he was
always trying to allude capture.
There
was a certain detective who always seemed
to be two steps behind Janson. Each week
the fugitive would escape capture but only
by the skin of his teeth.
That
is somewhat the story here in my text. The
passage finds David hiding as the
fugitive. King Saul hates him and is
seeking to have him killed. One of Saul's
cronies, a fellow named Doeg, had betrayed
David and was responsible for
“putting to sword the town of Nob,
killing the priests, men, women, children,
infants, cattle, donkeys, and sheep.” This
awful massacre of 85 people was due to
the priest not telling Saul where David
was hiding. Doeg was a detestable and
relentless foe. Like the detective in
Janson’s television show, he would stop
at nothing to get his man.
Not
only though, was David a fugitive, all of
his plans and ambitions were on indefinite
hold.
·
The Prophet Samuel had
already anointed him to be king over
Israel.
·
He had faced off with the
giant Goliath and had won.
·
He had become well-known as
a great officer in the king’s army.
·
In fact, it was during this
time that one of the top songs and dance
tunes in the country was “Saul
has slain his thousands, and David his
tens of thousands.”
And
yet his life was going nowhere fast. Here
he was on the run, actually pretending to
be insane, and no doubt wondering if the
prophet Samuel had dialed the wrong
number!
Have
you ever been to Portland, Oregon? It is a
beautiful city. One of the things that
stands out about the place is the Marquam
Bridge high over the wide Willamette
River.
As you’re heading east, you
can’t help but notice how one of the
lanes of this two-level bridge is sealed
off with concrete barricades. The reason
for this is, the bridge simply juts
straight out into nowhere. Back in the
mid-sixties freeway engineers constructed
the bridge that way so it could eventually
link up with an on-ramp from the proposed
Mount Hood Highway.
But
there is no Mount Hood Highway -- and may
never be. Somewhere along the line, for
some reason now forgotten, the idea died.
But there’s that lane, projecting into
midair, ever so ready for a road that very
well may never be built.
That
bridge kind of reminds me of David’s
condition here in Psalm 52.
He had grand ideas, great dreams,
and soaring hopes.
He even had a girl friend that he
wanted to marry. But not yet. One after
another, his plans were ending in
frustration and failure. His life seemed
to be racing toward an impassable
barricade or worse yet, a bridge that
dropped off suddenly into empty space. On
the one side there was a jealous and evil
king seeking to kill him, and on the other
side was an equally evil and murderous
detective dogging his steps. What was he
to do?
What would you do?
It
is in the midst of this personal crisis
that David gives to us our text.
It
is also in this crisis that he confesses
that his trust is in the Lord.
But
pastor, how could David trust God given
his circumstances? Before I answer that
question, I want you to turn with me to
Psalm 136. Let us read it together. (I
will read the first line, you read the
second line. The second line is always the
same -- “His
love endures forever.”)
1.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
(His love endures for ever.)
2
Give thanks to the God of gods.
(His love endures for ever.)
3
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
(His love endures for ever.)
4
to him who alone does great
wonders, (His love endures for ever.)
5
who by his understanding made the
heavens, (His love endures for ever.)
6
who spread out the earth upon the
waters, (His love endures for ever.)
7
who made the great lights‑
(His love endures for ever.)
8
the sun to govern the day, (His
love endures for ever.)
9
the moon and stars to govern the
night; (His love endures for ever.)
10.
to him who struck down the firstborn of
Egypt (His love endures for ever.)
11
and brought Israel out from among
them (His love endures for ever.)
12
with a mighty hand and outstretched
arm; (His love endures for ever.)
13
to him who divided the Red Sea
asunder (His love endures for ever.)
14
and brought Israel through the
midst of it, (His love endures for ever.)
15
but swept Pharaoh and his army into
the Red Sea; (His love endures for ever.)
16
to him who led his people through
the desert, (His love endures for ever.)
17
who struck down great kings, (His
love endures for ever.)
18
and killed mighty kings‑ (His
love endures for ever.)
19
Sihon king of the Amorites (His
love endures for ever.)
20
and Og king of Bashan‑ (His
love endures for ever.)
21
and gave their land as an
inheritance, (His love endures for ever.)
22
an inheritance to his servant
Israel; (His love endures for ever.)
23.
to the One who remembered us in our low
estate (His love endures for ever.)
24
and freed us from our enemies, (His
love endures for ever.)
25
and who gives food to every
creature. (His love endures for ever.)
26
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
(His love endures for ever.)
What
was David doing here? He was reminding
himself of God’s faithfulness; he was
recounting the many reasons that he
trusted in the Lord.
In
short, He refused to allow the crisis of
the moment to cloud the record of
faithfulness, love, and mercy which God
had established throughout history.
Psalm
78:40-42 lists five great sins of Israel,
two being:
·
“They
limited the Holy One of Israel,” and
·
“They
did not remember His power.”
David
was not going to be found guilty of such
vices. He was reminding himself when he
needed to remind himself!
Does
this sound like you?
·
“Oh God, how did I get
here?
·
What’s happening to me?
·
I don’t know if I am going
to make it?
·
Victory appears to be
impossible!
·
The bridge is out just
ahead, Doeg is right behind me,
·
What am I to do?”
Let
me tell you what to do; get your eyes off
of the Doegs of this world, get your eyes
off of your circumstances, and get them
back on God.
·
Remember Him.
·
Trust Him!
·
Remind yourself of His great
faithfulness though the ages!
It’s
strange, but most of us have a curious
case of amnesia when it comes to obtaining
encouragement. Deep down we know where to
go. We know our source. But when we are
attacked by discouragement, the answer
seems to sip right out of our heads.
I
want you to do something for me. I want
you to write these two passages down
somewhere in your Bible; someplace where
you can find them quickly. Ready?
Isaiah
40:10-11 (TNLT), “Yes,
the Sovereign Lord is coming in all his
glorious power. He will rule with awesome
strength. See, he brings his reward with
him as he comes. He will feed his flock
like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs
in his arms, holding them close to his
heart. He will gently lead the mother
sheep with their young.”
Philippians
1:6, “Being
confident of this, that he who began a
good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ
Jesus.”
·
God has been, is, and always
will be loving to His children;
·
God has been, is, and always
will be faithful.
·
God has been, is, and always
will be trustworthy.
·
God has been, is, and always
will be merciful and compassionate.
·
He is a great finisher.
Trust
Him, as did David, in your time of need.
HE IS WORTHY OF YOUR TRUST.
2.
david
then continues: “I WILL PRAISE
YOU FOREVER FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE....”
Not
only did David trust the Lord during this
very difficult time, he also allowed his
trust to break forth into the language of
praise.
Do
these lines sound somewhat familiar?
·
“I will praise the Lord when....”
·
“I will praise the Lord if....”
·
“I will praise the Lord, but....”
None
of that is found here in my text. David
simply cried, “I WILL PRAISE YOU FOREVER....”
·
Psalm 100:4-5 declares, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give
thanks to Him and praise His name. For the
Lord is good and His love endures
forever....”
·
Psalm 106:1 adds, “Praise
the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord for He
is good; His love endures forever.”
Over
and over we see it. God’s goodness and
love is already established. It is not up
for debate. Your circumstances; my
circumstances; David’s circumstances
will not and could not alter those great
facts.
David understood, how could he stop praising when God
never stops blessing?
"But
Pastor, how can I possibly praise the Lord
in my circumstances?"
To
be sure, that is an impossible task if all
you're doing is looking at a bad this, or
a sorry that, a sick this, or an empty
that.
In
the parable of the soils found in Matthew
13, Jesus tells of a farmer sowing seed.
·
Some of the seed fell on the
hardened path;
·
some seed fell on rocky
places;
·
some seed fell among thorns;
and
·
some seed fell on the good
soil.
Verse
22 then tells us that, “The
one who received the seed that fell among
thorns is the man who hears the
word, but the
worries of this life and the deceitfulness
of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful.”
The
passage pictures a man who falls away from
the faith – his faith is actually
chocked out – due to his being
circumstance-minded instead of
Christ-minded!
David
was surrounded by terrible circumstances,
nonetheless, he had determined that he was
going to praise the Lord regardless -- forever!
·
We are not to praise our
circumstances.
·
We are not to wait to praise
God until our circumstances are right and
perfect.
·
Rather, we are to praise our
good and faithful God in the midst of and
regardless of our circumstances.
Psalm
73:26 fits so well here. “My
flesh and my heart may fail, but God is
the strength of my heart and my portion
forever.”
·
God is our strength.
·
God is our portion.
·
God is our praise!
Years
ago Marie came to see me in my office. She
was married to a lazy dreamer who refused
to work or make a living for her and her
children. She was literally at the end of
her rope that day. She didn’t know which
way to turn.
The
circumstances had gotten to her and they
were now threatening to affect her faith.
She was depressed and well on the path to
spiritual defeat.
We
worked on several possible answers and
then we prayed. As she was preparing to
return home, I felt impressed to ask her
to do something. I suggested that when she
got home, she put on her favorite praise
and worship music and crank the volume up
loud. I then told her that I wanted her to
sing with the music – loud. I wanted her
to fill the house – every room -- with
the praises of the Lord.
She
was to tell me later that she did as I
suggested and the plan worked. No the lazy
fellow didn’t go out and get a job, that
wasn’t the issue. She refocused her
thoughts on the Lord and her gloom lifted.
She felt victory for the first time in
some time. When the husband came home, he
even noticed a change in her spirit –
for the good.
No,
I have to tell you that Marie’s
circumstances didn’t change right away.
However, her response to the circumstances
changed and the change resulted in renewed
life and victory for the lady. Like David,
she still had her Doeg, but Doeg no longer
had her. She had risen above the gloom and
despair using the vehicle of praise.
Listen,
-- THE MORE WE ARE ABLE TO FOCUS OUR
PRAISES EXCLUSIVELY ON THE NATURE AND
CHARACTER OF GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON,
AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE MORE PRAISE
BECOMES A HABIT AS WELL AS A SOURCE OF
VICTORY AND POWER IN OUR LIVES!
David
knew that, thus he committed himself to
praising the Lord forever, regardless.
3.
THE FINAL KEY TO BEING LIKE A GREEN
OLIVE TREE IS: “IN YOUR NAME I WILL
HOPE, FOR YOUR NAME IS GOOD.”
David
knew that regardless of Doeg and King
Saul, there was one setting in the heavens
in whom he could place his hope.
1
Thessalonians 2:16-17 declares: “May
our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our
Father, who loved us and by His grace gave
us eternal encouragement and GOOD HOPE,
encourage your hearts and strengthen you
in every good deed and word.” The
God of Hope gives His children a GOOD
HOPE.
I
love Jeremiah 29:11 which says, “For
I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future.’”
May
I see the hands of everyone who is a
“you” in this verse? The you here
includes you here. Got it?
Notice
now Isaiah 56:3. It says, “Let
no foreigner who has bound himself to the
LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely exclude
me from his people.’ And let not any eunuch
complain, ‘I am only a dry tree.’”
God
doesn’t want anyone – again ANYONE --
who belongs to Him to feel excluded from
hope.
Have
you given much thought lately to the
eunuchs mentioned in Scripture? They were
perpetual outsiders. Not only did their
physical condition keep them from
fathering children, but they were also
prohibited from worshipping with the
family of God.
The
eunuch felt especially desolate in that
what he had lost could not be restored.
He could look down the long years
ahead of him and see no hope. He looked at
happy families all around him and could
only shake his head and say, “I am as
useless as a dead dry tree. No leaves, no
blossoms, no fruit -- ever!”
The
picture the prophet drew was one of
hopelessness on purpose, for what could
possibly be as hopeless as a eunuch?
And
yet God uses the hopeless eunuch –
pictured here again as a dead dry tree -- to give to us a picture of the hopeless receiving hope.
Listen to the very next words as found in
Isaiah 56:4-7, “For this is what the LORD says: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my
Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and
hold fast to my covenant—to them I will
give within my temple and its walls a
memorial and a name better than sons and
daughters; I will give them an everlasting
name that will not be cut off. ...These I
will bring to my holy mountain and give
them joy in my house of prayer.”
No
doubt there are people here today that
feel utterly hopeless. As hopeless as a
eunuch. As hopeless as an old dry tree.
Well one of the reasons that this passage
in Isaiah was put in the Bible was to
minister hope to you this morning.
·
He said to the eunuch, there
is that which endures longer than a
physical family.
·
There is a name more sure
than a family name.
·
There are blessings ever
richer then the blessing of sons and
daughters.
The
eunuchs who put their trust in God would
find all their hearts’ desire in Him.
They who had been shut out by the world
would finally find “a place and a name” within His walls.
Isaiah
foresaw a day when Jesus would open the
way for everyone and anyone to approach
God through the blood of His cross.
To
underline that wonder... guess who the
Holy Spirit sought out as the very first
recorded convert to Christianity from the
continent of Africa? An Ethiopian eunuch.
(Acts 8:26-39).
That
“dry tree” planted in African
soil became a fragrant, blossoming tree,
bearing the fruit of life for generations
upon generations. Oh how God delights in
giving hope to the hopeless!
David
knew that he could hope in God –
regardless of how hopeless his situation
appeared to be -- and that God would not
fail him.
·
David eventually went on to
become the greatest king in the history of
Israel.
·
He was a type of Jesus, the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
·
He was able to outlive both
Saul and Doeg.
·
His long night, his time on
hold, finally came to an end and his hope
became sight.
Before
I close I want to make one final point.
Some wise soul has noted that “There is
always an afterwards!”
Recently
during one of my Wednesday night Bible
studies, I noted, “There is no such
thing as a perpetual low.” In other
words, every storm is followed by clearing
skies and bright sunshine. The low
pressure system has to give way to the
more powerful high pressure system.
Similarly:
·
Spring follows winter.
·
Sunrise follows sunset..
·
While
50,000 people a week die here in America,
some 400,000 babies are born EVERYDAY in
the world!
·
For
the saint, resurrection follows death.
·
Glory
follows suffering, and eventually
·
The
crown follows the cross.
The
point is, creation is draped in
hope.
Well,
I hope I have convinced you to be like a
green olive tree this morning. Again, to
do so you must:
·
Trust God,
·
Praise the Lord forever, and
·
Hope in the Lord’s name.
Are
you like a green olive tree in the house
of the Lord?
