Psalm 52: Thanksgiving – Part VI
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Giving thanks for the Deceitful Tongue
In this Favorite from September 21, 2008 we find that thanksgiving finds us even when we encounter lies and deceptions.
Like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God’s love forever.
The image of the olive tree is used often in the Old Testament. Either the fruit or its oil was present at every meal in Jesus’ time. The tree is evergreen and grows anywhere it can get a foothold, even on rocky hillsides. “It is no wonder it assumed an almost mythical character. The tree became a symbol of fertility (Ps. 128:3), beauty Jer. 11:16; Hos. 14:6), divine blessing (Deut. 7:13), peace and bountifulness (Gen. 8:11), and it was inextricably associated with Jesus (the Mount of Olives [Mark 14:26; John 8:1]).” (Achetemeier 782)
The olive tree serves as an apt model for the life of a Christian. It takes hold where it can; its fruit and oil sustain, light, heal and anoint.
I will praise you always for what you have done.
We so often turn to God in time of sorrow and trial. We must remember to praise God in thanksgiving when we are blessed.
I will proclaim before the faithful that your name is good.
We so often think that when things go well we have been clever, “on top of things”, and well-prepared. We must remember to give God credit for the good in our lives, for without God we have nothing. God is the one who ordained us with our aptitudes.
The first portion of this psalm asks Why do you glory in evil, you scandalous liar? It is a question we pose when we discover that someone we trust has been untruthful in such a way that our relationship has suffered.
The second portion of the psalm describes how God will strike down the liar while the righteous jeer. From a New Testament standpoint, we know that compassion and Christ-like witness are the proper responses to an evil act. Still, we can empathize with the pent-up anger expressed in this Old Testament view. That is why it is all the more important to look at the third portion.
Like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God’s love forever.
It reminds us that after we have done all possible to rebuke a sinner, we must place our trust in God.
I will praise you always for what you have done.
It reminds us to thank God for the blessings in our lives, for the evil turned to good.
I will proclaim before the faithful that your name is good.
It reminds us to tell the wonderful story of our own conversion so that others may also be converted.
Like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God’s love forever.
It reminds us to trust God, to love as Christ loves, to endure, to hold on, and to be faithful to God forever.
Like an olive tree in the house of God, trust in God’s love forever.
Achetemeier, Paul J. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE DICTIONARY. 2nd edition. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1996. 782. Print.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.com/sharp0902/olive-trees/
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