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The Palm Tree Blessing
A discourse on the various characteristics of the palm tree,
illustrating the many features of the sanctified, Christian life.
_By_ Evangelist W. E. Shepard
_Author of_ "Wrested Scriptures Made Plain" Etc.
NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE KANSAS CITY, MO.
COPYRIGHT, 1913 NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS BEAUTY 7
CHAPTER TWO
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS STRAIGHTNESS 11
CHAPTER THREE
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS PERENNIAL FRESHNESS 14
CHAPTER FOUR
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS FRUITFULNESS 19
CHAPTER FIVE
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR SWEETNESS OF ITS FRUIT 26
CHAPTER SIX
THE PALM TREE BEARS FRUIT IN ITS OLD AGE 34
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS UTILITY 41
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE PALM TREE IS APPRECIATED 56
CHAPTER NINE
THE PALM TREE WILL GROW IN THE DESERT 66
CHAPTER TEN
THE PALM TREE FINDS THE WATER 71
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE PALM TREE GETS OTHERS STARTED 76
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE PALM TREE MOUNTS HEAVENWARD 81
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE PALM TREE IS PECULIAR IN ITS GROWTH 86
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE PALM TREE HAS A ROUGH, COARSE EXTERIOR, BUT IS
SOFT AT THE HEART 89
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE LIFE OF THE PALM TREE IS AT THE CENTER 96
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE PALM BRANCH IS THE SYMBOL OF VICTORY 113
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE PALM TREE WILL NOT ADMIT OF GRAFTING 128
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE PALM TREE IS ADAPTED TO WARM CLIMATES 142
CHAPTER NINETEEN
PALM TREE PECULIARITIES 146
a. _The Explosive Flower._
b. _The Living Sacrifice._
c. _The Foreign Missionary._
d. _Differences in Size and Form._
Introduction
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree."--Psalm 92:12.
Wherever the Holy Spirit in the inspired Word has made any statement
concerning anything, whether in regard to flowers, fruit, agriculture,
horticulture, stock raising, minerals, earth, sea, sky, stars, science,
religion, or what not, rest assured that statement is absolutely
correct. There may be some statements which are hard to understand at
first, but which may become perfectly clear when proper light is thrown
upon them.
The Word of God abounds in comparisons. It says the wicked are "like the
troubled sea," the backslider like the dog "turned to his own vomit
again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." In the
first Psalm it says the ungodly "are like the chaff which the wind
driveth away," but on the other hand the godly are "like a tree planted
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his
leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Wherever God has compared the godly or the ungodly with anything, He
certainly understood the case and made no mistake.
If one is not sure of his spiritual standing, it might be well to select
something to which God has likened him, and then note the difference.
Among the most beautiful comparisons in the Word is this: "_The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree_."
The object of this little book is to show some of the characteristics of
the palm tree blessing. Let the reader not forget to keep before his
mind the thought of measuring up, and in that way be able to determine
whether he belongs to the class mentioned. Please do not think of
neighbor So-and-so, but keep your thought on your own personal
experience.
The Palm Tree Blessing
CHAPTER I
THE PALM TREE IS NOTED FOR ITS BEAUTY
It is certainly one of the most beautiful trees in nature. That is why
so many are used in decorating the premises. People do not plant scrub
oaks in their gardens, but they plant nature's beauties.
In the palm tree realm we have a large variety, of different sizes, such
as date, fan, and cocoa nut, and in them all it seems that God laid
Himself out to make something charming to behold.
When He compared the saint with the palm tree, it signified that there
is something in him that is beautiful. One may be counted homely, or
disfigured by some mark of nature or accident; but in spite of all he
can have God's beauty shining out from his face and life. It matters not
how he may be marked with some naturally undesirable feature, in spite
of all, the palm tree saint has the effulgence of the upper-world glory,
which over tops it all, and there shines forth real, heavenly beauty. So
there is hope for all.
That beautiful daughter of King David, and sister to Absalom, who was
the finest looking man of his day, was called Tamar, which is the Hebrew
word for _palm_. Doubtless she was called Tamar on account of her
beauty. Absalom named his daughter Tamar for this same reason: "And unto
Absalom there was born three sons and one daughter, whose name was
Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance."
Moses was so close to God and heaven during those days on the mount,
that his face literally shone. And just in proportion as people today
get close to the upper world, will God cover them with His celestial
cosmetics. This far surpasses the paint and powder and Circassian cream
of a frivolous and fashion-loving world. If people only knew it, the
more of these--and of dead birds, rag posies, and glittering
gewgaws--they put on, the more unbecoming they appear, and the more any
natural beauty they chance to have is covered up. Whenever a woman
besmears her face with paint and powder, hoping to cover up what she may
think to be unseemly, she might as well carry a placard bearing this
inscription:
To whom it may concern: This is to certify that I am homely, and am
trying to cover up the fact by the use of paint and powder, thus
hoping to deceive the public.
SIGNED--O. C. PRIDE.
"The King's daughter is all glorious within." And because of this it
works out, and so, with God's glory upon one, surely there is no need of
the world's adornments to supplement God's handiwork. "The ornament of
a meek and quiet spirit" is the adorning which all should seek, and all
may obtain.
The climax of trinket wearing is to be found in the heathen world. There
they deck themselves literally from head to heel. They puncture ears,
lips, and nose to find more room for their jewelry. God's arraignment of
His people in the third chapter of Isaiah for patterning after the
heathen customs is appalling, and we wonder that the translators of the
Bible had the ingenuity to ferret out all the different kinds of
trumpery in that dead language and find their proper expression in
English. When the writer was a boy going to a country school, he was
told by the teacher that barbarians wore jewelry, and in proportion as
people did the same today they were barbarian. We once stepped into a
restaurant in the city of Omaha, and noticed a woman seated at one of
the tables. The sight of her hand eclipsed anything we had ever seen.
There were rings galore. We do not remember the number on her fingers,
but she had so many, it looked as if she had not room enough on her
fingers, so she actually had one on her thumb. Doubtless she thought
this added to her beauty. We once saw a fortune teller with large rings
in her ears, three chains around her neck, seven rings on her fingers
and eight bracelets on the wrists.
How different is all this from the beauty which the Holy Spirit gives!
We have seen the faces of some saints that verily shone with the
brightness of the indwelling Christ within. Sometimes in deathbed
scenes God has lifted the curtain just enough to let a little of
heaven's halo fall across the features, and how it lighted up the face
and made it radiant with a glory which at once was known to be
unearthly. God surely knows how to beautify His people.