Psalm 34

34 1 לְדָוִ֗ד בְּשַׁנּוֹת֣וֹ אֶת ־ טַ֭עְמוֹ לִפְנֵ֣י אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ וַֽ֝יְגָרֲשֵׁ֗הוּ וַיֵּלַֽךְ ׃ 2 אֲבָרֲכָ֣ה אֶת ־ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל ־ עֵ֑ת תָּ֝מִ֗יד תְּֽהִלָּת֥וֹ בְּפִֽי ׃ 3 בַּ֭יהוָה תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל נַפְשִׁ֑י יִשְׁמְע֖וּ עֲנָוִ֣ים וְיִשְׂמָֽחוּ ׃ 4 גַּדְּל֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה אִתִּ֑י וּנְרוֹמְמָ֖ה שְׁמ֣וֹ יַחְדָּֽו ׃ 5 דָּרַ֣שְׁתִּי אֶת ־ יְהוָ֣ה וְעָנָ֑נִי וּמִכָּל ־ מְ֝גוּרוֹתַ֗י הִצִּילָֽנִי ׃ 6 הִבִּ֣יטוּ אֵלָ֣יו וְנָהָ֑רוּ וּ֝פְנֵיהֶ֗ם אַל ־ יֶחְפָּֽרוּ ׃ 7 זֶ֤ה עָנִ֣י קָ֭רָא וַיהוָ֣ה שָׁמֵ֑עַ וּמִכָּל ־ צָ֝רוֹתָ֗יו הוֹשִׁיעֽוֹ ׃ 8 חֹנֶ֤ה מַלְאַךְ ־ יְהוָ֓ה סָ֘בִ֤יב לִֽירֵאָ֗יו וַֽיְחַלְּצֵֽם ׃ 9 טַעֲמ֣וּ וּ֭רְאוּ כִּי ־ ט֣וֹב יְהוָ֑ה אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י הַ֝גֶּ֗בֶר יֶחֱסֶה ־ בּֽוֹ ׃ 10 יְר֣אוּ אֶת ־ יְהוָ֣ה קְדֹשָׁ֑יו כִּי ־ אֵ֥ין מַ֝חְס֗וֹר לִירֵאָֽיו ׃ 11 כְּ֭פִירִים רָשׁ֣וּ וְרָעֵ֑בוּ וְדֹרְשֵׁ֥י יְ֝הוָ֗ה לֹא ־ יַחְסְר֥וּ כָל ־ טֽוֹב ׃ 12 לְֽכוּ ־ בָ֭נִים שִׁמְעוּ ־ לִ֑י יִֽרְאַ֥ת יְ֝הוָ֗ה אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם ׃ 13 מִֽי ־ הָ֭אִישׁ הֶחָפֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים אֹהֵ֥ב יָ֝מִ֗ים לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב ׃ 14 נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה ׃ 15 ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה ־ ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ ׃ 16 עֵינֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה אֶל ־ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְ֝אָזְנָ֗יו אֶל ־ שַׁוְעָתָֽם ׃ 17 פְּנֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה בְּעֹ֣שֵׂי רָ֑ע לְהַכְרִ֖ית מֵאֶ֣רֶץ זִכְרָֽם ׃ 18 צָעֲק֣וּ וַיהוָ֣ה שָׁמֵ֑עַ וּמִכָּל ־ צָ֝רוֹתָ֗ם הִצִּילָֽם ׃ 19 קָר֣וֹב יְ֭הוָה לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי ־ לֵ֑ב וְֽאֶת ־ דַּכְּאֵי ־ ר֥וּחַ יוֹשִֽׁיעַ ׃ 20 רַ֭בּוֹת רָע֣וֹת צַדִּ֑יק וּ֝מִכֻּלָּ֗ם יַצִּילֶ֥נּוּ יְהוָֽה ׃ 21 שֹׁמֵ֥ר כָּל ־ עַצְמוֹתָ֑יו אַחַ֥ת מֵ֝הֵ֗נָּה לֹ֣א נִשְׁבָּֽרָה ׃ 22 תְּמוֹתֵ֣ת רָשָׁ֣ע רָעָ֑ה וְשֹׂנְאֵ֖י צַדִּ֣יק יֶאְשָֽׁמוּ ׃ 23 פּוֹדֶ֣ה יְ֭הוָה נֶ֣פֶשׁ עֲבָדָ֑יו וְלֹ֥א יֶ֝אְשְׁמ֗וּ כָּֽל ־ הַחֹסִ֥ים בּֽוֹ ׃

Psalms 34:1-22

esv

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good 34 1 Of David, when he n changed his behavior before o Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 1 I will bless the Lord p at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul q makes its boast in the Lord ; let the humble hear and r be glad. 3 Oh, s magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I t sought the Lord , and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are u radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 v This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and w saved him out of all his troubles. 7 x The angel of the Lord y encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, z taste and see that a the Lord is good! b Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord , you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 c The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who d seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 e Come, O children, listen to me; f I will teach you the fear of the Lord . 12 g What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may h see good? 13 i Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from j speaking deceit. 14 k Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and l pursue it. 15 m The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous n and his ears toward their cry. 16 o The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to p cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 n When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to q the brokenhearted and saves r the crushed in spirit. 19 s Many are the afflictions of the righteous, t but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; u not one of them is broken. 21 v Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord w redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be x condemned.

lookup

Notes

Taste and see that the LORD is good! Intro: We're in a culture of fear, everywhere. Despite being safer and more controlled than ever. Both extremes in the pandemic have been calling us to fear, panic, anxiety. Free-floating anxiety which we can't pin down. But the Bible calls us to a different, far greater more delightful fear. Good news is that the greater fear will drive out the lesser fears. So the humble can rejoice. The difference between 'tasting and knowing' (e.g., honey) and just 'knowing'. E.g., playing a sport; music; knowing a person. The superscript; 1 Samuel 21.10ff. cf P salm 56 Acrostic 1 Peter 2.1-3; 1 Peter 3.8-17; quotes this Psalm. Connection to previous Psalm; the eyes of YHWH to his people 1. Let's praise God together, since he saves! (v1-7) v1-3 invitation to praise v4-7 personal experience and truths learned v2 and also v6, afflicted/humble/poor; significance of this word group for the NT passages later. Good news to the poor. Psalm 102 . Application directions: cf rejoice always, Philippians 4.4 etc In light of the Cross, we can always and will always sing this 2. Taste God's goodness and learn to fear him! (v8-14) Taste, don't just analyse and observe. The link from v8 to v9; to 'taste' the LORD is thus to learn to 'fear' him. v10 those who 'fear' him are those who 'seek' him, and enjoy not lacking anything good. v11 the fear of the LORD is something which can be learned v12-14 fear of the LORD shown in how we live; actions, words, inclinations Application directions: How do we learn the fear of the LORD? By knowing him; actually, personally, trusting him, not analysing and knowing about. (Know who vs know how and know what). cf Exodus 20.20 it's not a dread, but a special kind of fear which leads to joyful obedience. It was Jesus' delight, and also something he grew up in his human nature (Isa 11, and Luke 2 he grew in wisdom). So it can be a delight to us too. Jeremiah 33.9 fearing because of all the good. Perhaps we get a hint of this in Les Mis, Jean Valjean's response to the bishop early on. Hosea 3.5. Fear of God a parallel to loving him, eg Deut 6 or here in Psalm 34. [Different kinds of 'love' e.g., I love steak or a flat white, I love GCG, I love my wife] But the deepest level of delightful fear of God is the fear of him as his beloved sons. Part of the wisdom of worshiping as families is learning the fear of the LORD. Seek shalom and pursue it. B ut in Christ shalom has pursued us, and so now we pursue shalom. FCF . We take refuge elsewhere. Our boast is elsewhere. We don't want to learn the fear of the LORD. Yet we're drive by other fears nonetheless. H1. Quite obvious that evil is pursued and God ignored. NB world leaders and the super-rich still can't sleep at night because of fear and anxiety. H2. We seek refuge elsewhere and do not positively grow in the fear of the LORD. 3. The LORD is near to the broken-hearted (v15-22) v15 The eyes of the LORD see everything but are specially on his people; his attention to us in the Lord Jesus. cf last week's Psalm, 33. v16 The LORD's personal opposition to those who reject him. v17-20 the nearness of the LORD in our troubles. v21-22 conclusion. cf Psalms 1-2. C ondemned. I.e., make to bear their own guilt. Application directions: Two ways to live. Christ bears our guilt, or we bear our own guilt? v16 Rejecting God's invitation to you in Jesus has terrible, eternal consequences. Not a neutral nothingness, but the face of God toward you in wrath. Come back to 'imagination' point from last week. In our over-stimulated, distracted culture, we are weak at reflective thought which joins a) my actual situation and experience right now with b) the true things the Bible tells me (like, the LORD's eyes are towards me, his ears towards my cry, his nearness when I am crushed.) God's glory . He hears, answers, watches over, protects, rescues, is near his troubled people. Person of Jesus . YHWH the rescuer Angel of the LORD of Abraham and Israel is now in the flesh (cf Jude); I AM. He teaches the fear of the LORD (eg beatitudes); he shows himself to be truly near to the broken-hearted (cf Lazarus). Work of Jesus . He becomes the righteous one who was yet condemned so that all those who takes refuge in him would not be condemned. He was snatched out of death in victory, so that all his people might know for certain their great deliverance. Union with Jesus. In Christ, we have come to taste and see that the LORD is good. In Christ, we live the covenant-keeping life; we 'do good' and 'turn from evil'. Invitation . Actually taste and see that he is good! Take refuge in the LORD. Boast in him. Learn the fear of the LORD. Confrontation . Stop pursuing evil and deceit. Learn the fear of the LORD instead. Consolation . He is near to the broken-hearted; he encamps around those in trouble and is with them in trouble. Wrap-up: To taste and know God, by personal trust and experience. This leads to a changed life. It leads to blessing, peace, and ultimately life in all its fulness in the coming age. A better fear, a delightful one.

notes

Comments

About Biblearc · Online courses · Report abuse

Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.

Biblearc app Path Courses Courses Learning Resources Login / Free Account Subscription
Glories Authors Groups Donate Gift certificates Ownership, thanks, copyrights and terms