Keeping with the theme of trees, today’s reading is from Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15. However, unlike yesterday’s text from Ezekiel, in which God promised to provide a tree of rest for us, Psalm 92 promises growth for the righteous.
1It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
12The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Some days we live in a world where these words can be hard to believe. Some days it seems that everywhere you look you see the righteous being cut down in broad strokes of moral deforestation. Some days it is hard to remember the last time a righteous person flourished like a healthy palm tree. When was the last time our world valued a righteous person for their beliefs and behaviors? When was the last time our culture respected the choices of the righteous? It seems to me that our world, our culture, our society is more likely to criticize, mock, and belittle a righteous person than not. But that does not make these words any less true.
Part of the problem is the world, which is definitely not in favor of the kind of righteousness Christians espouse. The morals of the Church are simply not the morals of the rest of the world. But that is no excuse to dismiss Psalm 92. A contrast of moral systems now is not a new occurrence. The Israelites of Psalm 92 had the same problem; their moral system was just as, if not more so, different than their surrounding culture as ours. Yet God still promised them flourishing growth. Just because a righteous person does not fit in with, or is not accepted by the world does not mean they cannot flourish and grow. Yet for some reason we still find God’s promise of flourishing growth hard to believe. We remain skeptical as we live in a world where the media bombards us with stories of Christians being mocked, discarded, vilified, and martyred, and we wonder where this promised growth is.
But maybe the problem is us. Maybe the reason we struggle to believe these words is because we don’t understand them correctly. You see, growth can mean a lot of things. If you think that Psalm 92, a promise of growth for the righteous, indicates that righteous Christians will grow their bank accounts, portfolios, and investments you missed the point. If you think that Psalm 92 promises that righteous Christians will grow successful, respected, and appreciated in the world you missed the point. This is not a psalm promising worldly growth and worldly success; this is a psalm promising spiritual growth and spiritual success.
Do you remember back in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount what Jesus said about those who are righteous? He mentioned them twice in the beatitudes when he said,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” and“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus did not promise worldly success and happiness to the righteous, but he did mention expected persecution, inheritance in God’s Kingdom, and a soul full of as much righteousness as it could ever hunger for. This is the growth I think Psalm 92 has in mind. To those who strive after righteousness day in and day out, they will be filled with righteousness – regardless of how the world may treat them. And to those who are mistreated by the world for their righteousness, God will not forget you when the fullness of God’s Kingdom arrives. In other words, though the world might – no, will – despise, punish, and hate the righteous for their beliefs and way of life, their God will never forget them and will not leave them to fend for themselves alone and scared in a strange world. Thought Christians may die at the hand of ISIS, their God gives them strength and growth in eternity. Though Christians may be mocked and criticized for their beliefs, their God will give them courage, support, and spiritual growth. We may not physically see the growth promised in Psalm 92, and it may not look like the kind of growth the world teaches us to expect, but never, ever doubt that our God is working in and around us at all times to support us, to plant us firmly, and to help us grow into righteousness. You see, God helps the righteous to grow their righteousness.