Two. Yielding Fruit in Season

Psalm 1 (ESV)

1 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

In our last post, we went into a lot of detail on Psalm 1. Make sure you check it out by CLICKING HERE.

We are going to focus on verse 3 for the rest of this post. As we read from the beginning of the psalm, we see the description of a good Godly man. He avoids following the norms and expectations of this evil world. Instead, he delights in walking with God and the ways God has instructed us to live. Then we get a really good metaphor of how a man is supposed to serve God. It is really easy to just read over this verse without stopping to think deeper into what this metaphor is telling us. So, let’s get into it.

I want to begin by talking about what tree is likely described here. Now, please keep in mind that we cannot be certain of the exact tree species being described here. There is nowhere in the bible that speaks specifically as to the name of the tree. But, many scholar and people way smarter than me suggest that the tree described here is the Acacia Tree. Learning about the Acacia Tree provides an even deeper meaning to verse 3. And… while we can not prove that the Acacia Tree is the tree here in verse three… we can definitely still use it as an example for the type of person God call us to be.

Acacia Trees are prominent in the desert and would have been well known by people living in Judea. Psalm 1 is generally attributed to being written by King David who would have definitely been very familiar with Acacia Trees as the King of Judah. They are slow-growing and long-lived, becoming the tallest tree in the desert at maturity. The wood is well known for use in construction even today by Bedouin people. The wood was also used as good firewood for cold desert nights. The wood was used for The Ark of the Covenant and Tabernacle as instructed by God.

Exodus 25:10

“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.” ESV

Exodus 26:15

“You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.” ESV

Exodus 35:24

“Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD’s contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it.” ESV

Shittim wood is another translation seen in KJV.

Acacia sap is medicinal and noted for its ability to treat stomach ailments and heal minor wounds. Leaves and seeds can be eaten by livestock.

As a tall tree, it provides much needed shade in the hot desert. People and animals use the tree’s canopy for refuge and shelter to escape the elements. Imagine what a relief it was to see an Acacia Tree while travelling. People would have known the locations of these trees for pre-planned stops.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Acacia Trees is that they can enter prolonged dormancy to survive the desert climate. There are observations of Acacia Trees that have entered dormant periods of up to 10 years! What could cause such a dormancy? The number one reason is water. The land can enter a drought, or changes to the topography as sands shift, or even something like increased consumption by animals could cause dormancy. It waits for the right conditions to come out of dormancy and continue life.

How does it survive such a dormancy? How does it survive the desert to begin with? The Acacia Tree has roots that run deep and wide. It must find water somewhere. Those deep roots can tap into water that is unseen to the inhabitants of the area. Because of this, Acacia Trees were also good landmarks for where water could be found deep under the sands.  

So now that we nerded out on this tree… let’s tie it all together.

Verse 3 begins by describing a Godly man as being like a tree planted near streams of water. The success of the tree relies on proximity to the water. For us, God is the Living Water. Jesus tells us he is the living water (John 4:13-14, John 7:37-39). Our proximity to God allows us to soak up what we need to live and flourish spiritually. It’s God’s word that verse 2 tells man to meditate on day and night. It’s the very life source of God’s love, grace, and relationship with us.

In the Judean desert, streams of water could be very temporary, sometimes lasting only for days after rainfall. We should remember that we will go through seasons too. There will be periods of time that we feel close to God. Saturated by Him. And there will be periods where we must dig our roots deeper and deeper to stay connected.

We also may notice that there are times where God leads us into things that produce fruit for Him and His kingdom. There are also times when we must wait patiently for Him to guide us or show us where or how we are to produce fruit for His kingdom. That is our dormant period. Do not get discouraged during your dormant period. Continue to sink your roots deeper and deeper. Continue to meditate on His word day and night. Then, when it is your season, you will emerge and yield your fruit in the season that God has planned for you. Think of other men in the Bible. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Noah was 500 years old when he began building the Ark. Jesus was 30 years old when he began his ministry. Think about the Story of Moses who went from royalty to fugitive to leading the Jews out of Egypt. Talk about seasons.

The psalmist continues describing leaves that do not wither. While we know that a dormant tree likely will have leaves that wilt and drop to conserve energy, the psalmist is eluding to a tree that is completely dying from the lack of nutrients. Spiritually dying from separation from God. We know that in dormancy, we are still connected to God and waiting for him to instruct us on what’s next.

“In all that he does, he prospers”. What is all that “he does”? Let’s take examples from the Acacia Tree and then relate them to being a Godly man.

·         Sink our spiritual roots deep into God constantly

·         Constantly growing whether it is fast or slow

·         Provide protection and shelter for those around us

·         Provide basic needs for those around us – food, healing, warmth

·         Stand out in a spiritually barren world proclaiming there is Living Water within reach

·         Waiting eagerly for our season and ready to bear His fruit when the time comes

Are you living like the Acacia Tree? What are your shortfalls? Let’s grow together! Keep the convo going by commenting below.