Read Psalm 34
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Go Deeper
The historical context for Psalm 34 comes from 1 Samuel 21-22. At this point, David was literally fearing for his life, living on the run from King Saul. David sought refuge from the Philistines, but when they began to realize who he was, he feared for his life again and pretended to be insane to protect himself. The Message version of 1 Samuel 21:13 says, “When David realized that he had been recognized, he panicked, fearing the worst from Achish, king of Gath. So right there, while they were looking at him, he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard.” David then escaped to a cave where (the sub-heading tells us) he likely wrote this Psalm.
It’s important for us to realize that when David wrote this Psalm boasting of the goodness of God, he had not been delivered from danger⏤he was in the midst of it! We can learn from the behavior David models that we should stop and worship God when we are in the middle of ongoing uncertainty. We can safely assume that David is afraid, more than likely panicked, and has quite a long list of things to worry about. Yet, he begins this Psalm with the utmost adoration for the majesty and deliverance of the Lord.
In addition, David is inviting friends, family, and readers (us!) to not just take his word for the refuge that is found in God. He wants us to actively experience God’s refuge and know it for ourselves. Verse 8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
David is encouraging us to not just know about God, but to truly taste and see Him⏤to digest His word, His provision, and His protection. David was actively seeking the Lord in the midst of danger. We should learn from his experience that taking refuge in God’s presence in the midst of danger is far better enjoying comfort or safety apart from God. No matter what storms await us tomorrow, may we proclaim today, as David does in verse 3, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!”
Questions
- Even though David is in the midst of a terrible situation, he is determined to praise the Lord. What is your initial response when you find yourself in a troubling situation?
- The entirety of Psalm 34 boasts of the goodness of God. What does boasting of the goodness of God do for your heart and mind?
- What are some storms that you need to stop focusing on so that you can set your heart on believing in God’s promises and goodness?
Listen Here
Enjoy listening to this musical rendition of Psalm 34 by Shane & Shane.
5 responses to “Psalm 34”
Psalm 34 is an alphabetic acrostic, meaning each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In Hebrew literary culture, the acrostic form communicated completeness or wholeness. To move through the alphabet from aleph to taw was to cover everything, to say the whole thing from beginning to end. By casting his praise and instruction in this form, the psalmist is declaring that the trustworthiness of God and the wisdom of fearing Him are not partial or selective. They cover the full range of human experience (Psa 119:1–8).
When David writes that he sought the LORD and was delivered from all his fears (Psa 34:4), he is living out exactly what Paul commands in Philippians 4:6–7: bring every anxiety to God and receive peace in return. (Maybe Paul was thinking of this Psalm as he wrote Phil chapter 4.) I believe that we truly need to understand that would fear in the context in which it is written. Fear is yes, like we think of, genuine dread. But in this context David is talking about reverent awe. We are to fear being far from God. This Psalm talks about it like we watch what and how we say things so that it is glorifying and honoring to God. You will not do evil and only good because your standard is not about what people think but the character of God. You will pursue peace because it is wholeness. ” The one who fears the LORD “lacks no good thing” (Psalm 34:10), is “delivered from all his fears” (Psalm 34:17)”
God thank You for me being able to taste Your goodness. To be so in touch with You that it is a tangible peace, understanding and love. God thank You for letting others have such a sweet expericence to know deep in your knower that You are God. You are never far, just one breath away at all time. God thank You that I can bring all anxiety to You and receive peace in return. God I so fear not being close and in right standing with You because I have tasted and seen how great You are. God I exalt, glorify and honor You today in these minutes of this day. God thank You for helping me have words in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!
Fascinating!
1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
This reminds me of the admonition to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians. I will now add to that constant extolling and praise!
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them” (v7).
The recent Sisterhood study was on the life of David, so the backstory of Psalm 34 is fresh on my mind. David had fled from Saul fearing death, and rightly so. On the run he engaged with the priest, Ahimelek, for food. Shockingly, he is given “the bread of the Presence” and the sword of Goliath. Still on the run he is discovered by servants of King Achish of Gath which drives fear in David’s heart.To escape, David pretends to be insane and it works. David had experienced the goodness of God and thankfully penned beautiful reminders that can drive deep trust in our Lord in the battles we face.
Vs 18 offers comfort and has spoken clearly to my heart.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.” In times of sorrow or heartache, God is especially close. He offers healing and salvation to those who are humble and contrite.
Truly His presence has comforted me during difficult times, and I have found solace in His love.