The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18
The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God
A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. This psalm shares lessons David learned when he became discouraged and fled to Philistia. When he was recognized, he pretended to be insane and was driven out of his enemy’s hand. God delivered David despite his lapse of faith, teaching him that God keeps continual watch on his own.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
34:4-7 He heard me is a classic statement of praise in his psalms. God is praised for the deliverance He provides in response to the prayers of His people. Were radiant: Those who came to God in prayer as David did found themselves transformed; it was as if they also experienced what Moses had on Mt. Sinai. Poor man refers to the needy as well as the humble, whom the Lord delights to deliver. The phrase the angel of the Lord and the name of God are often interchanged. With the sense of God surrounding or hovering over the believer in this manner, three is no need to fear – even in the most desperate times.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.
34:8, 9 The center of biblical mission in the OT is found in the words taste and see. The task of Israel was to attract the nations to their God. For their faithfulness to Him, God had promised to bless them abundantly, and when the nations saw this blessing they would see that the living God was with them. In the midst of a world of gods who were not good at all, there was one living God, and He was altogether good. Taste is an important figure of speech in the Bible. Everywhere it’s used figuratively, taste suggests full participation in and/or experience of the thing enjoyed. Here, the invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good” is a call to rely fully on Him and to experience the benefits of a personal relationship with God. The blessed man. The psalm says that man who “takes refuge in” the Lord is blessed. Summary of the blessed person found in the psalms: one who “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,” whose “sins are covered,” and who “takes refuge in him.” The blessed one “makes the Lord his trust,” has regard for the weak, and possesses the strength of the Lord. The blessed have learned to acclaim the Lord, are disciplined by Him, maintain justice, and fear the Lord. The ways of the blessed are blameless for they keep the Lord’s statutes. The blessed are those whose help and whose hope is in the Lord. These are the qualities that bring us the blessings God is so eager to pour out on His own.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
34:10 People who live by their wits may eat as infrequently as young lions. Shall not lack: As is true of 23:1, this is not a categorical statement*. Time after time, however, the believer is able to attest to the ways God ahs met needs.
These are statements that indicate how two sets of things, like people or animals, relate to each other. An example of a categorical statement is ‘all golden retrievers are dogs. ‘ In general, the categorical statement splits things into two groups: what it is and what it is not. A categorical statement is either about all of the subject class, or it is about part of the subject class. If it is about all of that class, then it is universal in. quantity. If it is about part of the subject class, then it is particular in quantity.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
34:11-16 The fear of the Lord. Fear is a call to awe, wonder, worship, and reference. To fear God is to respond to Him in piety and obedience. Here the phrase means “to show respect for” God. How does David suggest we do this? The next verses, quoted in 1 Peter 3:10-12, affirms that God actively observes our actions and so orders the consequences of our moral choices that good is rewarded and evil is punished. Learning to “fear the Lord” means in part to respect God enough that we choose to do what is right and leave the results to Him.
What a contrast this is to “situation ethics.” In that system, the person looks at supposed results and chooses what he or she hopes will be “good” for the persons affected. But biblical ethics says to do the right thing and respect God enough to believe that He will see to the consequences of our choices.
11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man 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 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
34:20 guards all his bones: This verse, which speaks of the Lord’s preservation of the righteous, notes that not a bone is broken. John 19:33-
36 shows that the words of this verse were fulfilled in detail in the death of Jesus. Despite the terrible suffering the Savior endured, none of His bones were broken. When the Roman soldiers came to break Jesus’ legs to hasten His death, they found that He had already died.
20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Psalm34:20
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” . John 19:33-36
⇒ God is living God. He communicates and interacts with us. Let us experience Him. Let us have a personal relationship with Him.
Praise for Deliverance from Troubles
34 1 A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. 10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man 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 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
