In New King James Version, Psalm
52:8 reads this way, 'But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the
mercy of God forever and ever'.
In the Hebrew context, every color has a meaning. 'Green'
("ra'anan" in Hebrew) is the color of 'new life, renewal, healing,
peace, prosperity, victory', from a root word that means 'to be green,
new, fresh, young, flourishing'. In short, this color speaks
of ‘something that never gets worn out’.
As a matter of fact, our God is a God who never gets old,
because He is the eternal, and the ageless One! Therefore, you
can be sure that He can impart freshness, newness, and youthfulness upon you as
well, and of course, to flourish
you! By the way, 'to flourish',
according to the Oxford Dictionary, is 'to grow healthily, to be widespread,
to be active, to be well, to prosper, to be successful'. Praise God!
In Revelation 4:3 (NKJV), the
apostle John wrote, 'Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set
in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and
a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around
the throne, in appearance like an emerald'.
‘Rainbow’ here speaks of our Lord God who is a God who keeps
His promises, and 'emerald' here is green in color, which speaks
of His throne that never gets worn out, but always fresh and new!
How about ‘jasper’ and ‘sardius’ then? What do these
gemstones mean? What the apostle John saw here actually confirms that the Lord Jesus Christ is the
manifestation of the one true God (see John 1:1-18), the One who sits
on the throne forever and ever (see Revelation 7:9-17).
‘Sardius’ stone is ‘blood-red’ in color, and this speaks
of the blood of Jesus Christ shed for you on the cross. It points to His
sacrifice at the cross, in the First
Coming some 2,000 years ago.
‘Jasper’ stone is basically ‘clear, crystal-like’, and
this speaks of the clear, total victory when He returns in all His glory.
It points to His power and His rule in the Second
Coming that we are awaiting for.
Why did the apostle John mention ‘jasper’ first, and then ‘sardius’?
Because he was brought into the spiritual realm to see from the very end!
Hence, he saw the Second Coming
first, and then the First Coming.
Let’s look at the significance of an olive tree now, which the Word of God describes as ‘you’ (i.e. God's beloved) in Psalm 52:8. The word 'olive' here
is 'zayith' in Hebrew, meaning 'a fruit that yields illuminating oil',
from the root word 'ziv' which means 'to be bright, to flower, to flourish'. In Hebrew
understanding, olive tree is a
symbol of 'fruitfulness', and its branch is a symbol of 'peace'. Therefore,
as God’s beloved, you are meant to be fruitful, and wherever He leads
you (like the branches), there will be peace. Historically, it is a tree
of immense value in biblical times, and can live several hundred years. Its oil
symbolizes 'joy' (see Isaiah 61:3, Psalm 45:7), and has many uses - food,
cosmetics, medicine, lamplight, and of course, for the consecration of
priests/kings.
By the way, have you noticed the message in Psalm 52 (which speaks of ‘God flourishing you’) comes only
after Psalm 51?
There's no accident in the arrangement of chapters/verses in the Bible.
Because the Word is divinely inspired (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17), therefore the Word is also divinely
arranged!
Psalm 51 speaks about one’s
heart returning to God:
Psalm 51:6 (NKJV) says,
'Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts (i.e. the
heart). And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom
(i.e. what to do, and how to go about)'.
Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV) says, 'Create
in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a steadfast spirit within
me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit
from me'.
Psalm 51:17 (NKJV) says, 'A
broken and a contrite heart - these, O God, You will not
despise'.
You see, the Lord looks at the heart, and He honors the heart. When your
heart turns (or returns) to God (Psalm
51), that's when God can begin to flourish you!
People of God, the grace to start afresh and anew is very rich for you right now. His arms are wide open to embrace you, even as you turn (or return) to Him. Look not at those past disappointments or failures, but look to Him and Him alone today. There's a breath of fresh air in the spiritual realm at the moment, and I know He will help you start afresh and anew again. His Word (in Psalm 52:8) says so, and He is a God who keeps His promises.
In this time and season of the Lord, may you also join me to declare:
“My winter time has ended, and my spring
time has come!” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
