Psalm 34
A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
1 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.
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.
I've posted this Psalm before, but it is a good one and I'm thankful the Lord led me here again today.
Verse 4 stood out to me because we are to seek the Lord, then He will deliver us. When we earnestly seek Him, we will know what His will is for us and His plan for how we are to live our lives. If we live according to His statutes, then we will be delivered from many things. The Lord will save the humble (poor in verse 6) who cries out to Him. When we put our own pride to the side and humble ourselves to the Almighty God, then He is able to work mighty wonders in our lives.
The Lord surrounds us with His love and will take care of us (verse 7).
Verse 8 tells us to share our blessings and what the Lord has done for us. We are to tell others to "taste and see that the Lord is good." We want them to experience the Lord's faithfulness for themselves. In order to entice them to want to experience it themselves, we need to be sharing what He has done for us.
When we try to rely on ourselves and our own abilities, we will not be living life to the fullest possible; however, with the Lord, we will "not lack any good thing" (10). We are not capable to even 1/100th of what God is capable of doing. When we seek Him and His will, we will never suffer for need!
Again, the psalm reminds us that when we seek the Lord, He will deliver us out of our troubles in verses 17-18. Don't you think that if it something is repeated, then it bears significance? I know it says the same thing in other places in the Bible, but just having it repeated three times (also in verse 19) in one Psalm shows major significance.
The fact that the Lord has led me to this Psalm more than one time in the last few months, tells me that maybe I need to make an effort to memorize it. God's Word "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. "(2 Timothy 3:16). Let me know if you want to join me in this quest and we can encourage one another!
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