Mystery Of Trees: The Olive

Last year, on my mom’s birthday, April 7th, God opened my eyes to such an amazing revelation. It involves trees and the various types there are. I’m sure you’ve seen the Bible call you some tree names. But do you know what they mean. Let me take you through a study of the Olive tree today;

See, on birthdays, we all want to pray a special prayer. God led me to pray this over my mother, and oh I was blessed. Most prayers on birthdays tend to incline toward long life. There’s a tree we are called that suits this. And it is named in the Psalm below;

“Blessed [is] every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, You [shall be] happy, and [it shall be] well with you.

Your wife [shall be] like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed Who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you out of Zion, And may you see the good of Jerusalem All the days of your life.

Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace [be] upon Israel!” (Psalms 128:1-6)

The Word says ‘your children are like olive plants around your table’. Now I told my mom, that she was my grandparents’ child, meaning she’s one of those olive plants around their table. But what is an olive plant?

Did you know that the olive plant or tree lives up to 4000 years? Here are some examples;

The olive tree of Mouriscas, Abrantes, Portugal, (Oliveira do Mouchão) is one of the oldest known olive trees still alive to this day, with an estimated age of 3,350 years, planted approximately at the beginning of the Atlantic Bronze Age.

An olive tree on the island of Brijuni (Brioni), Istria in Croatia, has a radiocarbon dating age of about 1,600 years. It still gives fruit (about 30 kg), which is made into olive oil. An olive tree in west Athens, named “Plato’s Olive Tree”, is thought to be a remnant of the grove where Plato’s Academy was situated, making it an estimated 2,400 years old.

The olive tree of Vouves, also in Crete, has an age estimated between 2000 and 4000 years. An olive tree called Farga d’Arió in Ulldecona, Catalonia, Spain, has been estimated (with laser-perimetry methods) to date back to 314 AD, which would mean that it was planted when Constantine the Great was Roman emperor!

Isn’t this amazing! This all leads us to one conclusion. When we are called olive trees, we are being pointed to the oath, truth, promise and aspect of LONG LIFE!

The psalm begins by talking about how blessed he that fears the Lord is, and how he will eat the labor of his hands. Notice that olive trees grew in large chunks back then, and from them olive oil was harvested! The oil was traded for a living, hence ‘the labor of his hands’ and the profit hence ‘he shall be happy and it shall be well with him…or her’.

On the other hand, imagine yourself as the olive tree. This means you’ll be well tended and overbear fruit for your husbandman.

Another promise comes, ‘seeing the good of Jerusalem all your days’. Since an olive tree lives for millennia, the blessing states it (you) would see the goodness in the land of the living for a LONG time. The goodness wouldn’t run out, so it is limited to your experience of seeing it.

And the last promise states ‘may you see your children’s children!’ Else where, we are told that we are to see our great grand children (our fourth generation)… And not only will that happen, but each of your children as well will taste the same longevity. You won’t bury any of your children. They’ll live a full life. God will fulfill both the number of their days and yours!

Believe it and you’ll have it!

From this analysis, I realise that every time I read this portion of God’s word, that His standard for me (for us) is LONGEVITY. That’s what the olive tree is all about!

Living for 4000 years is as well possible for us. Remember we are not just bodies but spirits. If you doubt so, then how come you still talk or hear about Abraham who lived 4000 years ago. We speak of Him, and his attempted murder of his son without the illusion of time, like it happened sometime in 1800!

God means to say He can do mighty works through us that can be talked about thousands of years even after we are gone. David understood this mystery and confessed it over himself again here;

“Psalms 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 thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints.”

May you understand today that long life is yours. It’s your birthright! It is not about you however to bring it to pass. Yours is only to believe what God said He would for you.

Lastly, the olive tree grows largely around the Mediterranean sea. They also grew along River Jordan. This reminds us about Psalm 1:3, that says, He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The aspect of prosperity pops up again. But the prosperity seems to be influenced by the water. It’s mentioned often that water is life. And John 1:4 says in Him (God’s word) was life and the life was the light of men (the sunlight you need as an Olive tree)

Long life is yours. You’re an olive tree…

Long life is yours. You’re an olive tree.

May you remember this on every birthday you celebrate!

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Psalms 91:16 “With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”