O-live For God!

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.
For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good.
____________________________________________________________________________
Anytime I read a verse that says I am ‘like’ something, it makes me stop. “I am like an olive tree.”



If you are in a hurry and just reading for a quick encouragement, it would be easy to glaze over this – to let a statement that begs a question, never to be answered.


So what’s the question?


In what ways am I (or should I be) like an olive tree?


I like comparing translations and the King James Version of the bible the verse reads, “I am like a green olive tree.”


So not only am I “like an olive tree”, I am like a “green” olive tree. Green in this instance refers to the fact that olive trees are an evergreen – they are “green” year round. They don’t wither or brown like other trees. Remember Psalm 1:1-3 from the other day?



Here let me remind you …


“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
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.”
Also, olive trees have been thought to thrive best when planted near the sea or another water source.


Don’t you love when one verse helps you better understand another?


Now back to the olive tree …


A few facts about olive trees:

1. They are resistant to disease, drought and fire.
2. Root structure is so strong that even if the surface level of the tree is destroyed the tree can regenerate itself.
3. They are a symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness.
4. Olives have health-giving benefits
5. Can be cultivated for food, medicine and other resources.

Now apply that to the one who delights in the Lord.

1. She will be resistant to outward attacks that threaten.
2. Her strength comes from her roots been fixed in her love of the Lord.
3. She is a symbol of peace, wisdom, etc.
4. She heals others through her life and love.
5. She gives to others out of her resources.

I wish I could say that I am a symbol of peace and wisdom and that my life helps heal others. Maybe it does some of the time, but I can be impatient and hasty. I can be selfish and unloving. But I want to be like an olive tree.



So what can I do?


For questions like this, I turn to the scholars. I really like using BlueLetterBible.org and the Matthew Henry commentaries are some of my favorite.


From M. Henry,


1. We must live a life of faith and holy confidence in God and his grace.
2. We must live a life of thankfulness and holy joy in God.
3. We must live a life of expectation and humble dependence upon God.


One last thing about olive trees … they grow slowly! They don’t bear fruit overnight; it takes time. And this is so encouraging for me who wants to be an olive tree today.


I am still growing and sometimes that process can be rather slow. (I’m a pretty hard-headed woman.) But I’m getting there.

What about you?
Are you like an olive tree?