It has been FAR too long since my last posting and for this I apologize!! This will be just a short Op. Life has hit like a category five tornado in the last few weeks and months and thus most of my time has been spent on these family and personal emergency medical issues! It isn’t lost on me how everyone I know who are striving to walk with HaShem are being absolutely throttled in their own lives whether it be health or other means suddenly striking them! No doubt, life is extremely difficult for everyone right now! The Adversary, may his name be blotted out forever, it seems has taken the gloves off and striking unmercifully against HaShem’s people! But, be encouraged because today as I compile this Op, it is Shabbat, 5 April 2025, and today’s Psalm of the Day is Psalms 92! Why is this important? Consider the following excerpts from Psalms 92:
Psalms 92 verse 8 says “When the wicked bloom like grass (Able to flourish and function unopposed and unrestrained) and all the doers of iniquity blossom, IT IS TO DESTROY THEM TILL ETERNITY!” The commentary on this verse sums it up so very well. It says “The success of the wicked in this world and when they prosper is so that HaShem can legally compensate them for their few merits before He utterly destroys them forever.” So, when the wicked flourishes, it means HaShem is legally rewarding them for their few merits just before He will utterly wipe them out, forever!
Psalms 92 verse 12 says “My eyes have seen my vigilant foes; when those who would harm me rise up against me, my ears have heard.” In other words, I have heard of the wicked and their prophesied downfall and HaShem has proclaimed no matter how they try, those who rise up against me will NEVER annihilate me!
Psalms 92 verse 13 says “A righteous man will flourish like a date palm, like a cedar in the Lebanon he will grow tall.” So, we see the wicked are compared to dry grass which will do nothing other than be utterly consumed by fire as compared to the righteous who are compared to a date palm or a cedar tree! Why is this important? Consider the explanation from the commentary on this verse:
- The palm tree is a symbol of virtue and righteousness because the palm tree grows straight, without bending, just as a righteous man remains upright and honest.
- The wood of a palm tree is free of knots, just as the righteous man is free of flaws.
- The palm tree’s shady leaves and fronds are far off the ground, at the very top of the tree. Similarly, the reward promised the righteous is not immediate, but is reserved for the distant future of the World to Come.
- Every part of the palm tree is useful. Its fruits are eaten, its leaves and fronds used in thatching, and its wood is used for construction. Similarly, each righteous person fulfills a special purpose.
- The cedar symbolizes virtue and righteousness. Furthermore, the unique properties of the cedar compensate for any deficiencies in the palm tree.
- When the palm tree is cut down, its trunk dries in the ground. When the cedar is felled, however, its roots and stump remain alive, and a new cedar shoot will sprout in its place. Similarly, righteousness is indestructible; if a righteous man is harmed, he will only grow stronger. If he is cut down, another righteous man will rise to take his place.
Amazing! HaShem is comparing His people to palm and cedar trees and if we examine these trees carefully we can see what characteristics He is trying to teach us! We can get knocked down, we can even be cut down, BUT, because He is faithful and eternal and the source of all life, He can restore, refresh, renew and strengthen us to get up and keep going forward!
This is my prayer for everyone striving to walk with HaShem, may we reach out and grab hold of Him and hold onto Him even tighter than we did yesterday and may we not be seduced into following after our own desires, fantasies and delusions!
Ultimately in Psalms 92 He says in verse 14 “Planted in the House of HaShem (His Temple), in the courtyards of our Elohim they (His people) WILL flourish!” Again, notice the wicked do flourish but are compared to dry grass which again amounts to nothing but fuel for the fire, but His people are compared to palm and cedar trees, PLANTED in the courtyards of His Temple and will flourish for eternity!
Finally He says in verses 15-16 of Psalms 92 “They will still be fruitful in old age, vigorous and fresh they will be, to declare that HaShem is just, MY ROCK in Whom there is no wrong!” Its a prophecy of the Messianic Age when His people will only grow stronger and healthier as they age! What is considered to be old age today will only be considered to be equal to a child in the Messianic Age. May it be so very soon in our days!
So, with this said in this quick Op, we all, myself included, have to be encouraged and strengthened. It is VERY tough for all of us right now, but like a palm and cedar tree, we will only grow stronger if we choose to hold onto HaShem and His Torah!
As a final note, always remember the below list of eternal characteristics of HaShem and His Torah:
- HaShem never changes per Num 23:19/Mal 3:6/Hebrews 13:8/James 1:17
- His Word is firmly established per Psalm 119:89
- He reveals the end out of the beginning per Is 46:10
- He does nothing without first revealing it to His prophets per Amos 3:7
- He says there is nothing new under the sun per Ecclesiastes 1:9
- He says His Torah is the ONLY truth there is per Psalms 119:142
- He says His Torah is a tree of life and eternal per Proverbs 3:18-19 and Psalm 119:160
- He says His Torah is perfect and restores the soul per Psalm 19:7
- He says His Torah makes the simple one wise per Psalm 19:7
- He says His Torah Is freedom and liberty per Psalm 119:45 and James 1:25
- He says His Torah is the only good doctrine there is Proverbs 4:2
- He says His Torah will add length of days and years of life and peace per Proverbs 3:2
- He says all of the ways of His Torah are ways of pleasantness and peace per Proverbs 3:17
- He says His Torah is for our good and well-being per Deuteronomy 6:24
- He says His Torah is health for our lives per Proverbs 3:8
- He says His Torah is life to our soul and a graceful ornament for our neck per Prov 3:22
- He says His Torah is better than pearls and all desires cannot compare to it per Prov 8:11
- He says those who walk with His Torah are praiseworthy per Psalms 119:1
- He says observing His Torah is how we purify our path per Psalms 119:9
- He says His Torah is better than thousands in gold and silver per Psalms 119:72
- He says His Torah brings abundant peace to those who love Him and His Torah per Psalms 119:165
- He says there is one Torah for all per Exodus 12:49/Leviticus 24:22
- He says those who hate His Torah love death per Proverbs 8:36
- He says His Torah is the way of faith per Psalms 119:29-30
- He says His Torah makes us wiser than our enemies per Psalms 119:98
- He says His Torah is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path per Psalms 119:105
- He says one who finds His Torah has found life per Proverbs 8:35
- He says one who finds His Torah has found favor from HaShem per Proverbs 8:35
- He says Messiah Yeshua is the GOAL of His Torah, meaning without His Torah, Messiah cannot be known per Romans 10:4
- He says if we had believed Moshe/Torah, we would have believed Messiah per John 5:46
- He says His salvation is far from the wicked for they sought not His Torah per Psalms 119:155
- He says to hold fast to and guard His Torah, for it is our life per Proverbs 4:13
- He says His Torah is the bread of life per Proverbs 9:5
I hope to post more often in the days and weeks. Remember, next weekend is Pesach (Passover)! We have to make our preparations this upcoming week for the Seder!
Shabbat Shalom!