A Flourishing People (vv. 12-15). The senseless, brutish crowd is like grass (v. 7), but the righteous are like trees (see 1:3; 52:8; Prov. 11:30; Isa. 1:30; 61:3; Jer. 11:16; 17:8). The wicked may look like sturdy trees, but they don’t last (37:35-36; 52:5). The word flourish in verse 7 means “to be conspicuous, to shine,” while the word in verses 12-13 means “to be vigorous, to flourish richly.” The stately date palm and cedar were highly valued by people in the Near East, the palm for its fruit and the cedar for its wood. Both were appreciated for their beauty, and both trees can survive for many years. Not all godly people live long; some, like Robert Murray M’Cheyne and David Brainerd, die very young. But generally speaking, those who obey God avoid a great deal of the danger and disease that can cause an early death. The promise in 91:16 is still true, and so is the picture in 92:13-14. To stay “fresh and green” in old age and not spend one’s life complaining and demanding is a mark of God’s special blessing. (See Ps. 71 for a description of an older saint who is fresh, fruitful, and flourishing.) We change as we grow older, but the Lord never changes. He is our Rock (18:2), and what He wills for us is perfect, so we will not complain.