Psalm 34
David was described as a man after God’s own heart in1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. It is the person after God’s own heart that the Lord anoints (separates for a holy responsibility or chooses for distinction). Like David, you and I are people after God’s own heart, or at least we ought to be. It means we want to know God personally, it means we take after Him in His nature, and that we want what He wants.
Have you ever been in a dire situation and had no idea how you would be delivered from it? David was in that kind of trouble more than once. The Lord always rescued Him. Because David was a man after God’s own heart, when he was in one of those harrowing predicaments he was able to listen to The Lord and trust Him. Such was the case in 1 Samuel chapter 21 when David was brought to Achish the king of Gath. The king’s servants exclaimed what a great warrior David was. The Lord impressed on David the danger of the circumstances as the king would likely kill him in his vulnerable state and gave him a plan. David began acting as if he had lost his mind. The king saw that David was no threat and let him go. This psalm was written in celebration of The Lord’s deliverance of David. Verses 1-7 read,
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.”
David praised the Lord, not only sometimes, not only when things were good but in every circumstance. He intended his words to always bless The Lord. That means that David never wanted his speech to bring displeasure or disagreement to God but to please Him and show others how great God was.
Notice that when David was in trouble he didn’t lean on his own strength or wit, but he sought God. God delivered him every time. Even if The Lord chose to let Him continue in his dilemma, he still gave David peace and took his fears away. God does that for us too. He may choose to allow us to go through trials, tribulations, and tests, but we do not have to fear because He is with us, surrounding us, protecting us, and delivering us from sin and death. Even in the worst of times we can smile, we can shine as we faithfully radiate the peace and love of The Lord.
It is that radiance which testifies to God’s greatness. The world can’t fathom how or why we don’t freak out. They can’t grasp how we can have such calm through the calamities we face. Philippians 4:4-7 describes it like this,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our lives are testimonies to God. Our lives call out to people. “Hey you oughta give this a try!” People not only wonder at our peace and joy, but at our contentment and provision. Verses 8-10 read,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
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 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
Your life is a testimony to God and it should make people curious to know Him. You have the opportunity and the obligation to share Jesus with them. Verses 11-14 put it this way,
“Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.”
To seek a relationship with God, to call Jesus Lord, and to repent from sin is all anyone needs to do to be saved. Yes, God delivers us from many bad situations. But the worst situation He rescues us from is that of slavery to sin and eternal death in Hell. Once that is done, there is nothing to fear in this world. God’s got us in His strong hands. He keeps in His loving heart. He leads us with His awesome Spirit. Verses 15-18 read,
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.”
He wants to do this for us, but we have to call out. We have to realize we need Him. We have to recognize our desperate situation and let it break our hearts. We can call out to friends, the government, and the bank, but the help we might get from them is temporary and still leaves us bereft and in slavery to sin. But calling out to Jesus means He will set us free, He will save us.
We will suffer, but we will go through those tribulations with the assurance and peace of The Lord God Almighty. We go through it with the hope of eternal life. We go through it knowing we will see Jesus face to face one day. The lost on the other hand will suffer eternal death and while we celebrate in New Jerusalem we will not even remember them, it will be as if they never existed. We know The Spirit, God Himself is not only with us surrounding us but inside us as we are in Him. Jesus died on the cross to give us that gift. He rose from the dead to claim victory and freedom for us. He ascended to Heaven to give us the guarantee of salvation through The Holy Spirit. Verses 19-22 say,
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”
David was described as a man after God’s own heart in1 Samuel 13:14 and Acts 13:22. It is the person after God’s own heart that the Lord anoints (separates for a holy responsibility or chooses for distinction). Like David, you and I are people after God’s own heart, or at least we ought to be. It means we want to know God personally, it means we take after Him in His nature, and that we want what He wants.
Have you ever been in a dire situation and had no idea how you would be delivered from it? David was in that kind of trouble more than once. The Lord always rescued Him. Because David was a man after God’s own heart, when he was in one of those harrowing predicaments he was able to listen to The Lord and trust Him. Such was the case in 1 Samuel chapter 21 when David was brought to Achish the king of Gath. The king’s servants exclaimed what a great warrior David was. The Lord impressed on David the danger of the circumstances as the king would likely kill him in his vulnerable state and gave him a plan. David began acting as if he had lost his mind. The king saw that David was no threat and let him go. This psalm was written in celebration of The Lord’s deliverance of David. Verses 1-7 read,
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.”
David praised the Lord, not only sometimes, not only when things were good but in every circumstance. He intended his words to always bless The Lord. That means that David never wanted his speech to bring displeasure or disagreement to God but to please Him and show others how great God was.
Notice that when David was in trouble he didn’t lean on his own strength or wit, but he sought God. God delivered him every time. Even if The Lord chose to let Him continue in his dilemma, he still gave David peace and took his fears away. God does that for us too. He may choose to allow us to go through trials, tribulations, and tests, but we do not have to fear because He is with us, surrounding us, protecting us, and delivering us from sin and death. Even in the worst of times we can smile, we can shine as we faithfully radiate the peace and love of The Lord.
It is that radiance which testifies to God’s greatness. The world can’t fathom how or why we don’t freak out. They can’t grasp how we can have such calm through the calamities we face. Philippians 4:4-7 describes it like this,
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Our lives are testimonies to God. Our lives call out to people. “Hey you oughta give this a try!” People not only wonder at our peace and joy, but at our contentment and provision. Verses 8-10 read,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
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 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
Your life is a testimony to God and it should make people curious to know Him. You have the opportunity and the obligation to share Jesus with them. Verses 11-14 put it this way,
“Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.”
To seek a relationship with God, to call Jesus Lord, and to repent from sin is all anyone needs to do to be saved. Yes, God delivers us from many bad situations. But the worst situation He rescues us from is that of slavery to sin and eternal death in Hell. Once that is done, there is nothing to fear in this world. God’s got us in His strong hands. He keeps in His loving heart. He leads us with His awesome Spirit. Verses 15-18 read,
“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.”
He wants to do this for us, but we have to call out. We have to realize we need Him. We have to recognize our desperate situation and let it break our hearts. We can call out to friends, the government, and the bank, but the help we might get from them is temporary and still leaves us bereft and in slavery to sin. But calling out to Jesus means He will set us free, He will save us.
We will suffer, but we will go through those tribulations with the assurance and peace of The Lord God Almighty. We go through it with the hope of eternal life. We go through it knowing we will see Jesus face to face one day. The lost on the other hand will suffer eternal death and while we celebrate in New Jerusalem we will not even remember them, it will be as if they never existed. We know The Spirit, God Himself is not only with us surrounding us but inside us as we are in Him. Jesus died on the cross to give us that gift. He rose from the dead to claim victory and freedom for us. He ascended to Heaven to give us the guarantee of salvation through The Holy Spirit. Verses 19-22 say,
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”
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