Psalm 92 – Bearing Fruit in Old Age
Do birthdays get better as we get older? Instead of a birth “day” some years, I have a birth “week”, finding fun ways to celebrate all week. Psalm 92 offers words of hope to all of us as we grow older; that we aren’t just getting older, we are getting better.
Psalm 92
A hymn that extols God’s just deeds, Psalm 92 begins with words of praise. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness throughout the night.” (1-2)
The writer goes on to praise God’s great works. “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands, I sing for joy. How great are your works, O Lord!” (92:4-5)
Not only does Psalm 92 talk about bearing fruit in old age, “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon, they are planted in the house of the Lord, they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bring forth fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green.” (12-14), it says the wicked will get their just desserts. “Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction for ever.” (7) “My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies, my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.” (11) Two great reasons to praise God.
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Just Rewards
I take a delight in the notion that not only will I bear fruit in old age, but my enemies will get what’s coming to them. I know what Jesus said about loving your enemy and turning the other cheek, but it feels good to gloat a little over the thought of my enemies’ demise. It’s a guilty pleasure. The early Hebrew community had no such scruples. When angry, they give us the full force of their anger. They have no problem with leveling curses at those they consider enemies. Not only that, their curses often extend to the next generation, asking God to wipe out all of their enemies’ descendants from the face of the earth.
While not my enemies, as a writer, I thought to myself, all those people with best sellers, where will they be in ten years, twenty years? They will be a flash in the pan while I’ll still be bearing fruit in old age . . . or not. Still, it’s a nice thought. My mantra continues to be, slow and steady, book by book. They will get their just reward and I will get my just reward as well.
In the meantime, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.” (1-2)
What better way to spend a birthday week or any week than giving thanks to God and enjoying God’s creation!
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This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
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