"Like A Palm Tree"

Carl Wells, PhD

Funeral • Sermon • Submitted 2 months ago • Presented 2 months ago

Psalm 92:12–15

Righteousness

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Eulogy For Sally Dowd

Psalm 92:12–15 ESV

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, 15 to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

(Background information about the Palm tree comes from Insights Into Bible Times and Customs by G. Christian Weiss, which is a valuable resource for understanding the cultural and historical context of biblical passages).

ABOUT SALLY DOWD

Beloved,

Today, we gather in this appointed place at this appointed time to honor the life of Sally Ann McNair Dowd.

To know Mrs. Dowd was to love her. She was a woman whose essence epitomized grace, charm, and unparalleled beauty; she was beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. Sallie Dowd was not merely a good mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and wife (her beloved husband James Dowd now rests in peace), but she was also a cherished Christian neighbor, friend, and humanitarian. Her life radiated with virtues that seemed to transcend the ordinary, leaving an indelible mark on all who were blessed to know her.

Given my love for Sallie Dowd, James Dowd, and their family, I searched scripture for a fitting tribute to Sallie Dowd, and I was led to Psalm 92.

INTRODUCTION

Psalm 92 compares the righteous to the palm tree.

So what is a righteous person? A righteous person lives their lives in accordance with the Word of God. A righteous person has integrity. A righteous person is honest. A righteous person has compassion for others and care in the way they speak to others. A righteous person brings light to a dark world and offers love in a world characterized by hate.

Everything that I ever saw and knew of Sallie Dowd, the way she walked, the way she talked, how she treated other people, how she lived her life suggests that she was a righteous woman.

Why does the Psalmist say the righteous will flourish?

The word "flourish" means to thrive, prosper, or grow vigorously. It appears three times in Psalm 92. When you are righteous you thrive and prosper spiritually, morally, and materially. I submit to you that Sallie Dowd was a righteous person; she flourished in every area of her life. Sallie was a palm tree.

But what is so special about the palm tree?

It is not as large as the Sequoia tree of the Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges of California. It does not have as many leaves as the great Oak tree of the deciduous forests of North America. It is not as majestic as the Redwood with its towering height in the coastal forests of California. It may not be as resilient as the Willow tree that is planted by the rivers of waters, or as sturdy as the Maple tree that is cherished for its vibrant autumn colors in the forests of North America. It may not be as enduring as the Cedar, with its aromatic wood in the Mediterranean and North America. Oh, but the palm tree surpasses them all.

The palm tree is beautiful and upright. The palm tree stands tall and graceful. The palm tree possesses an inner strength that allows it to withstand even the harshest of weather conditions. The palm tree is master over its environment no matter where you plant it. It reminds of what the Bible says about the Proverbs 31 woman: “Many women have done excellently, but she surpasses them all.”

THE PALM TREE IS BEAUTIFUL

No tree is as unique, graceful, and beautiful as the palm tree. The palm tree is tall and slender, and its top looks like a crown on the head of a king or a queen. The bark on other trees is rough, but the texture of the palm tree is smooth, and every aspect of it is symmetrical. When other trees are showing the effects of age, or bending over because of exposure to the winds or the weather, the palm tree is still standing straight and upright.

The last time I saw Sallie Dowd was at her husband James Dowd's funeral. I was struck by the timeless grace she exuded. Her skin glowed with radiant beauty, her smile captivating as ever, and her physical beauty and presence seemed to only grow more striking with each passing year. Sallie Dowd was a timeless treasure and beauty. She was a beautiful woman.

Some people are beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside. By that, I mean they are filled with ugly ways and ugly attitudes. Not so with Sallie Dowd. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. If anybody should project beauty from the inside outside, it is God’s people.

We live in a mean world where some people seem to get pleasure from being mean and ugly towards others. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, there is no way that ugliness and evil can come out of your spirit. If it is evil, God is not in.

James 1:13 says, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one."

If it is evil God is not in.

And if God is not in, you don’t have to worry about it.

Because greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world.

When everybody else is crooked, God's people should be upright.

You have never seen a crooked palm tree. Invariably, the palm tree is always erect and straight. And if you do see a palm tree that leans a little in a given direction, you can be sure it is due to some unnatural circumstance such as constant strong winds. You can’t say that about other trees. They bend, break, lean, and fall in the midst of the storms.

The way a righteous person lives his life is a testimony of the God that lives in their heart.

THE SECRET OF THE PALM TREE IS ON THE INSIDE

While the Palm tree is beautiful on the outside, its secret lies on the inside. I learned a long time ago, if you announce that you are holy, chances are you are not holy. Everybody can talk the talk. But not everybody is walking the walk. Righteous people do not have to announce they are righteous. Their spirit and the way they carry themselves will reveal that they are righteous.

There is something deep on the inside of them that works its way to the outside. The palm tree’s life is in the center, or the heart, of the tree. It is not on the outside or under the bark like other trees. The good stuff, the life of the tree is on the inside.

Palm trees are nourished from springs of water hidden beneath the surface of the earth. This is the reason they can grow in dry and barren desert territory. They have large, deep roots, and those roots go many feet into the earth until they find water for nurture. This hidden source is the secret of their triumph.

When you are righteous, the Holy Spirit has implanted a new, divine life, making you a child of God. What the Holy Spirit has placed on the inside will find its way outside.

The love of God is poured into the believer’s heart by the Holy Spirit – love “which passeth knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19). Righteous people are loving people. Righteous people are kind. Righteous people are generous.

The Christian also has within his soul a joy that is “unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8) and a peace that surpasses human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Like Sallie Dowd, when everybody else is anxious, nervous, and upset, a righteous person has peace. I like to call it crazy peace. Crazy peace is when everyone around you is falling apart, is crazy, but you have peace on the inside, a peace that does not make sense. That’s crazy peace.

THE PALM TREE IS A MASTER OVER EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE

The palm tree is master over virtually all circumstances. The palm tree flourishes even in barren desert areas where no other plant life can exist. There may not be a spear of Grass or any other kind of foliage, in the barren sands of the desert, but take a look and you see that Palm tree standing alone. It does not matter — drought, heat, blight, wind-no matter what may prevail, the palm tree triumphs. The palm tree knows something that we don’t. Your life is not shaped by or dependent upon what’s going on outside of you. What matters is who you have living on the inside of you.

The man of God, the woman of God, should be like the palm tree, flourishing and triumphant over all circumstances:

in good times, still stand;

in bad times still standing;

when the bottom falls out, still standing;

when your back is against the wall, still standing.

THE PALM TREE IS A GIVER

In this life, some people are givers and some are takers. Takers are always looking to get something from somebody else. They will drain you dry if you let them. But then there are givers. Givers realize that God put us on the earth to be a blessing to others.

The palm tree is a giver.

In the desert, it provides shadow to a weary traveller.

If you can find a palm tree, in the desert, you will find water because the Palm tree marks the oases in the desert where travelers may find water.

The coconut palm produces both food and drink for the hungry and thirsty.

The date palm produces a sweet, nourishing fruit;

and the sago palm produces in the upper part of its trunk a food substance which is also tasty and nourishing.

What I want to know this afternoon is are you a giver or are you a taker? God’s people are commanded to be givers. Here is the thing about giving. You don’t give to get, the principle is true. Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together. Sally Dowd was a giver. Sally Dowd was a palm tree. Beautiful on the inside and outside. Nurtured from the center. A Giver. A master over all of life’s circumstances.

THE PALM TREE IS A SYMBOL OF VICTORY

Finally, the palm is a symbol of victory. In Biblical times, armies returning from a victorious battle would carry palm branches. Like the palm tree that was victorious over every circumstance, the palm tree was the soldiers' symbol that he had been victorious.

Recall, when Jesus made his triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, the people “took branches of palm tree, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13).

In the seventh chapter of the book of Revelation we see the saints of God will have the final victory, the scripture says, “They were clothed with white robes and palms in their hands; and they cried with a loud voice saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb” (vv. 9-10).

WHOOP

I stopped this afternoon to remind you that Sallie has won the victory.

Sallie has "Fought the good fight, have finished her race, she has kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for her, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, has awarded to her on that day, and not only to her but also to all who have loved his appearing."

Sallie has the victory; she can now say, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sallie has the victory. She can now say, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Sallie has the victory; I hear her reminding her children. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

I hear her calling from heaven reminding you, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

Like the palm tree, Sallie has been victorious over all of life’s circumstances:

She is victorious over the power of sin in her life. As Romans 6:14 says, "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

She has victory over fear, knowing that God has not given her a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

She has the victory over condemnation, for there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Victory over doubt, trusting in the promises of God, knowing that He is faithful to fulfill His word (Hebrews 10:23).

Victory over darkness, for Jesus is the light of the world, and whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life (John 8:12).

Victory over the schemes of the enemy, for greater is He who is in her than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

A songwriter said it this way:

We shall not, we shall not be moved, We shall not, we shall not be moved, Just like a tree that's planted by the water, We shall not be moved.

We're on our way to victory, We shall not be moved, Though the earth may shake and the mountains tumble, We shall not be moved.

With faith in God, we'll stand the test, We shall not be moved, With Him beside us, we'll do our best, We shall not be moved.

We shall not, we shall not be moved, We shall not, we shall not be moved, Just like a tree that's planted by the water, We shall not be moved.

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