The Date Palm

The Planting of the Lord

By William M. Self, Sr.

 

The Date Palm in the scorching sun flourishes

It grows straight up

Unlike other trees, it never loses its crown of glory

Its fruit is in the thousands

The righteous are like the Palm Tree

Proclaiming… "The Lord is upright” Psalm 92

The Date Palm

I have read the Date Palm is the tree referred

to when the Bible speaks of a Palm Tree.

Living in Ohio, I confess I do not

know much about Palm Trees.

Psalms 92 says… “The righteous

will flourish like a Palm Tree.”

Going on to say… They are planted in the

Lord’s house and flourish in His courts.

I never realized Solomon’s temple was full of

carvings of cherubim, Palm Trees and open flowers.

Ezekiel’s temple also was full of

carvings of cherubim and Palm Trees.

The Palm Tree is mentioned in many

other places giving it significance.

When God’s people crossed the Jordan into the

promise land, the first city of promise was Jericho.

The Palm Tree flourished there to such a

degree it was called the City of Palm. Deuteronomy 34:3

Palm Trees flourish where other plants cannot.

Heat, the scorching sun, does not seem to bother

 them as long as their roots have a source of water.

They grow straight up toward heaven with

 no branches reaching in another direction.

At the top of a palm are its leaves,

 a crown that is always green.

As the old leaves fall to the ground, there

is always new green ones to replace them.

From Glory to Glory 2 Corinthians 3:18

Unlike other trees, the Palm Tree

never loses its crown of glory.

The fruit of the Date Palm has

 been a staple going way back.

When I think of fruit, I think

of apples, peaches, plums…

Where the people of Jesus’ time and the

Israelites before Him, think of fruit as the date.

 

The Date Tree is amazing… It develops

large clusters with thousands of flowers.

These clusters produce thousands of dates.

No wonder God uses the Date Palm

Tree to describe the righteous…

       

“They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

proclaiming, "The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no

 wickedness in him."” Psalm 92:14,15

 

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 61:3 NIV

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendor.

Psalm 92:12-15 NIV

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

15 proclaiming, "The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."