"Planted, Old, Fruitful"

August 17, 2010

“Planted, Old, Fruitful”

Blessings folk!

So, yesterday we examined Ecc. 12 for insight into aging.

It was not a pretty picture. Happy

True, but not particularly encouraging.

We as believers are not to simply fade away.
God has something greater planned.

Read…give close attention to…
  • what we are to do “unto the Lord.”
  • how we are to do it
  • what the Lord has done for us
  • what happens to the brutish, fool, wicked…
  • what happens to the enemy of the Lord
  • what happens to the righteous
  • the aged?

Psalm 92
 1 IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:
 
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
 
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
 
4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
 
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

 8 But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
 
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
 
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
 
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
 
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.

Look at verses 12-15 again.

The righteous shall still flourish...like the palm...shall grow like a cedar...strong, tall, tough, beautiful.

“Those planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish…”?

This is a picture of living in the Presence of the Lord at all times. In the Old Testament the house of the LORD was the place of the Presence of God. Today, we as believers have the Lord residing within us. We are the very Presence of God… (you can imagine how folk pervert that truth&hellipWinking

If we live planted in His residing Presence then we will flourish in His Kingdom.

We will bring forth fruit in old age!
We will be fat and flourishing in old age.

Ok, I hear the comments about “having the fat part down pat”...read from the NASB…

12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
         He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
   
 13 Planted in the house of the LORD,
         They will flourish in the courts of our God.
   
14 They will still yield fruit in old age;
         They shall be full of sap and very green,

Great! We will be full of sap and very green.

Fat saps.

LOL Happy

This is a marvelous promise that those who dwell in the Presence of God will find their last days to be fruitful, full, vibrant with life...sap flowing is what brings forth the green leaves.

I believe our last days can be more fruitful and powerful than the younger days.

Note the last verse…

15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

The Lord does this to reveal that He is upright.
Fruitfulness in later days is evidence of a life founded upon the Rock.

The decision is ours.

Will we mope, groan, moan with the transitions of age...somewhat as Solomon was doing in Ecc. 12, or…

Will we rejoice in the Lord?
Will we be fruitful?
Will we be full and overflowing with the Life of the Lord?

Choose ye this day.

Remember, the Lord is Most High forevermore.

Blessings!