I read Psalm 52 this morning and was struck by what David says in verse 8:
“But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”
What is this about a green olive tree?
Here’s the context of this psalm: Saul is pursuing David, trying to kill him and David comes to Nob to the home of the priest, Ahimelech. (1 Samuel 21) David’s life is in jeopardy - Saul is jealous of David and has all his men on the hunt. So, David pens this psalm.
The first 7 verses are undoubtedly David’s description of Saul: whose “tongue plots destruction” (v.2), who “loves evil more than good” (v.3), and who “loves all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.” (v.4) In other words, Saul isn’t a very good guy in David’s book - and David predicts that “God will break you down forever…” and “uproot you from the land of the living.”(v.5) Even though David’s life is at stake, he doesn’t see much of a future for Saul’s either.
Then, in verse 8, David pulls out the “green olive tree” analogy. In the face of all this turmoil and uncertainty, what is David getting at?
After reading this, I did a little research on olive trees. Did you know that an olive tree’s life expectancy is around 500 years? In fact, one of the sources I read says that Olive trees “are also tenacious, easily sprouting back even when chopped to the ground.” They are able to grow pretty well even in the face of gross abuse and neglect - although, to bear good fruit, they do require pruning.
I think I’m beginning to see what David is getting at here. Even in the face of such destructive and life-threatening circumstances, David’s faith is resilient. He has a tenacious trust in his God - not based on his circumstances, but based on who God is.
And he sees himself not as merely an olive tree, but as a green one. One that IS being watered and cared for. One that IS able to bear fruit - good fruit. He says - even in these dire circumstances - “I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.” It didn’t look good for David at the time he wrote this psalm - he had a king coming after him with his army. But his trust and his faith apparently didn’t waiver.
Your life may not be in jeopardy due to a persistent predator, but we all get hit with stuff. Stuff that isn’t fair, that doesn’t make sense, that shouldn’t be happening to me…
Be the “green olive tree”. See yourself as the resilient and faithful one with a tenacious trust in your Almighty, powerful and trustworthy God. Be the green olive tree that, even in the face of great trials and even persecutions, is bearing good fruit. Not based in who you are, or how strong you think you might be - but based in who God is. Because, He IS faithful and strong on your behalf.
HT: “Green Olive Tree” poster by John Park
[…] Well, the last couple weeks, I was spending time in Psalm 51 (”create in me a clean heart…”), 52 (wrote a post on the “green olive tree“) and on to the late 50’s - Psalm 59 really spoke to me in a real way in this reading, given life’s context… But something very sweet and familiar is just around the corner… […]
[…] heart and soul – post about the green olive tree. He was also struck by verse 8 of Ps. 52. A green olive tree is one that is being taken care of and bears fruit. It needs to be pruned. One thing a couple sources said is that the olive tree will grow back even if it is cut to the ground. This reminds me of at least one person I know who’s life’s situation and circumstances have left them devastated financially, physically, etc. Their lives are testimonies to their trust and steadfast faithfulness to God. […]