Taste and See That the Lord is Good

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Psalm 34:1) (Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech who drove him away, and he departed) I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise continually in my mouth.

David apparently wrote this psalm after leaving Achish, king of Gath, at the end of the last post (1 Samuel 21:15).  The king's name was Achish, but here he is called by his title, Abimelech, which meant literally "father of the king."  David proclaimed he would bless the Lord at all times, giving Him honor, praise, and glory, continually, for all that He continued to do for David, or just for who He was.

(2) My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear and be glad.

David said his soul would boast in the Lord.  He would not boast of himself, but in the Lord and what He had done for him.  The humble ones, the lowly and depressed or the poor and needy, would hear his boasts of the Lord and be glad, having hope and receiving encouragement that they might receive such deliverance from the Lord.  The humble might also refer to those with humble hearts and spirits who would rejoice with those who rejoiced and be glad to see others share in the goodness and grace of God.

(3) O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.

David invited the humble ones to join him in magnifying the Lord and praising and exalting His name together.

(4) I sought the Lord, and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

David said he sought the Lord, and the Lord delivered him from his fears.  This is interesting.  David had been afraid of Achish, Abimelech (1 Samuel 21:12), and had surely prayed to God to deliver him.  And the Lord delivered him.  Had the Lord put David in a mad fit so that the king of Gath would send him away?  1 Samuel 21:13 said that David had feigned himself mad, but actually the original word was "halal," and it meant "be mad" or "act madly."  There is another word "mirmah" that meant "feigned," and that is not included here.  Just because David acted madly doesn't mean he feigned it himself.  He changed his behavior, but it may not have been by his own will.  God could have made him act madly, and that seems very plausible considering David's retelling of the incident in his psalm.  

(5) They looked to Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed.

The humble ones looked to the Lord and were brightened as they became cheerful, which is the more complete definition of the original word that was translated as "lightened."  They were not ashamed to have put their trust in the Lord, nor were they disappointed.

(6) This poor man cried, and the Lord heard and saved him out of all his troubles.

David, referring to himself as a poor man, a poor, afflicted, persecuted man, cried out to the Lord, and He heard him and saved him from his troubles.

(7) The angel of the Lord encamps round about them who fear Him and delivers them.

The Lord sets His angels around the people who reverently fear Him to watch over them, and He delivers them.  Some commentators believe David was speaking prophetically, and what is meant is the Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ, literally encamps around them; He indwells them with His Holy Spirit, and He delivers them.

(8) O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him. (9) O fear the Lord, you His saints, for no want to them who fear Him.

David invited people to taste, try the flavor of, that is, test by experience, that the Lord was good.  The one who put his trust in the Lord was blessed.  And that doesn't mean that he is always materially blessed or blessed in the way that the world might judge blessing, but he is blessed in a way that the world cannot comprehend.  There is peace, and freedom and joy, in knowing that the Lord is in charge of one's life.  His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30); you can let go, and let Him, and that is the real blessing that everyone desires whether they really understand it or not.  Those who fear the Lord want for nothing (Psalm 23:1) because the Lord provides all their needs (Philippians 4:19).

(10) The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not want any good.

The young lions, those who ravage and spoil by their own strength, or perhaps the very young who depend on their parents, do sometimes lack and suffer hunger, just as people who rely on themselves and other people will sometimes lack.  However, those who seek the Lord and rely on Him do not want for any good thing.  Once again, the good things of the Lord are not necessarily what the world considers good.

(11) Come, you children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

David calls his eventual children, his eventual subjects, or any not yet followers of the Lord, to listen to him.  As many Biblical scholars see this psalm as an allusion to the Messiah, these could be the words of Jesus beckoning all to come to Him, and He would teach them about the Lord.

(12) What man desires life and loves many days that he may see good? (13) Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile.

All men naturally desire long lives, enjoying prosperity and happiness. David began to teach those children from verse 11 the way of the Lord.  He instructed them to guard their mouths from speaking evil.

(14) Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

David encouraged them to avoid evil, evil men and situations, and evil temptations within themselves.  He told them to seek and even pursue peace as much as humanly possible (Romans 12:18):  "If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men."

(15) The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears open to their cry. (16) The face of the Lord is against them who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Actually, the Lord's eyes are on everyone, but He watches over the righteous and listens to their cries and prayers.  However, the Lord is against those who persist in evil, and He will cut off the remembrance of them, or at least they will never be thought of except with contempt.  Hitler is remembered, but only for his evil; nothing good he ever did is ever remembered.  As we are all sinners, I like to think that this also means that the Lord cuts off the remembrance of the evil that we have done when we turn to Him (Hebrews 8:12).

(17) They cry, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (18) The Lord is near to them who are of a broken heart and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.

The righteous cry out to the Lord, and He delivers them out of their troubles.  The Lord is near to all who are of a broken spirit.  He loves all His children and desires that all be saved (2 Peter 3:9).  Most often it is when people reach their lowest that they turn to God, so He is always near to them then, desiring that they turn to Him, and He saves those of a contrite spirit, humbled under a sense of sin and repentant.

(19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 

Even though we may be blessed by the Lord, it doesn't mean we will have no afflictions.  On the contrary, we will have many, but the Lord delivers us out of them, or sometimes through them that good may come, as "all things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."  

(20) He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

This indeed, seems to be a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ, as not one of His bones were broken.  As far as the righteous, many human bones will be broken, however, not one of their spiritual bones will be broken, so to speak, as no one can do anything to take away their salvation in Christ (John 10:28).

(21) Evil shall slay the wicked, and they who hate the righteous will be desolate. (22) The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of them who trust in Him shall be desolate.

Evil will eventually kill the wicked.  Their evil schemes might catch up with them in this life, but it will certainly catch up with them in the next, in eternity.  Those who hate the righteous will be desolate.  The original word that was translated as "desolate" is "asham."  The primary meaning according to Strong's is "to be guilty; by implication to be punished or perish."  But "asham" is interesting, as they will be eternally ashamed when they realize what they have done, as all will come to know the truth in the end (Romans 14:11).  The Lord redeems the souls of His servants, and none of them who trust in Him shall be made desolate.  Though the evil may kill the body, they cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28).

I couldn't help but relate this to the recent murder of Charlie Kirk.  Evil killed the righteous, but it's the one who killed the righteous who will be desolate.  If he doesn't give his life to Jesus, he will be eternally desolate.  The righteous will never be desolate.  Though his body died, his soul was immediately in the joyful presence of his Savior.  And if his murderer came to salvation in Christ because of what he had done, Charlie Kirk would have been glad to have been a part of God's purpose for him, which he always was.  He knew the risks he took, but he was never ashamed to proclaim Christ and to do his part to bring people to His truth.

Psalm 34 was one of David's acrostic or alphabetical psalms where each Hebrew letter began a verse in sequential order.  It's a wonder that at such a time when his life was in such danger that he had the presence of mind to write a more complicated psalm.  However, as many Biblical scholars believe many of these words were prophetic about the coming Messiah, he was surely divinely inspired to write what he did.