Encouragement from Psalm 52

Psalm 52:8,9  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God:  I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it:  and I will wait on the name; for it is good before thy saints.

Matthew Henry comments on verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 52:
II. In his own stability, v. 8, 9. “This mighty man is plucked up by the roots; but I am like a green olive-tree, planted and rooted, fixed and flourishing; he is turned out of God’s dwelling-place, but I am established in it, not detained, as Doeg, by any thing but the abundant satisfaction I meet with there.’’

Note, Those that by faith and love dwell in the house of God shall be like green olive-trees there; the wicked are said to flourish like a green bay-tree (Ps. 37:35), which bears no useful fruit, though it has abundance of large leaves; but the righteous flourish like a green olive-tree, which is fat as well as flourishing (Ps. 92:14) and with its fatness honours God and man (Jdg. 9:9), deriving its root and fatness from the good olive, Rom. 11:17. Now what must we do that we may be as green olive-trees?

1. We must live a life of faith and holy confidence in God and his grace: “I see what comes of men’s trusting in the abundance of their riches, and therefore I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever—not in the world, but in God, not in my own merit, but in God’s mercy, which dispenses its gifts freely, even to the unworthy, and has in it an all-sufficiency to be our portion and happiness.’’ This mercy is for ever; it is constant and unchangeable, and its gifts will continue to all eternity. We must therefore for ever trust in it, and never come off from that foundation.

2. We must live a life of thankfulness and holy joy in God (v. 9): “I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it, has avenged the blood of thy priests upon their bloody enemy, and given him blood to drink, and hast performed thy promise to me,’’ which he was as sure would be done in due time as if it were done already. It contributes very much to the beauty of our profession, and to our fruitfulness in every grace, to be much in praising God; and it is certain that we never want matter for praise.

3. We must live a life of expectation and humble dependence upon God: “I will wait on thy name; I will attend upon thee in all those ways wherein thou hast made thyself known, hoping for the discoveries of thy favour to me and willing to tarry till the time appointed for them; for it is good before thy saints,’’ or in the opinion and judgment of thy saints, with whom David heartily concurs. Communis sensus fidelium—All the saints are of this mind,

(1.) That God’s name is good in itself, that God’s manifestations of himself to his people are gracious and very kind; there is no other name given than his that can be our refuge and strong tower.

(2.) That it is very good for us to wait on that name, that there is nothing better to calm and quiet our spirits when they are ruffled and disturbed, and to keep us in the way of duty when we are tempted to use any indirect courses for our own relief, than to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, Lam. 3:26. All the saints have experienced the benefit of it, who never attended him in vain, never followed his guidance but it ended well, nor were ever made ashamed of their believing expectations from him. What is good before all the saints let us therefore abide and abound in, and in this particularly: Turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually, Hos. 12:6.

Comments are closed.