Reflections from Psalm 34

1. Reflections from Psalm 34 When the Lordis the Focusof Our Life

2. Psalm 34 invites us to worship the Lord and to learn wisdom Charles Spurgeon describes this psalm as a hymn and a sermon.

3. An Outline of Psalm 34 A. Hymn: Praising the Lord for His Saving Goodness( vss 1-10) • David’s Invitation: to praise and exult the name of the Lord together (vss 1-3) • David’s Testimony: God hears prayer, delivers, gives joy & rescues those who fear Him (4-7) • David’s Exhortation: Fear the Lord &Find Him good (vss 8-10) • Tastethe Lord (8) – • Take REFUGEin the Lord (8) – • Fearthe Lord (9) – • Seekthe Lord (10) –

4. An Outline of Psalm 34, continued B. Sermon: Practicing the fear of the Lord (who hears, delivers, and redeems His own – vss 11-22) • How to live in the “fear of the Lord,” or how we should honor Him(vss 11-14) • Invitation: to fear the Lord by living a “good (holy, upright, righteous) life” (11) • Interrogation: How to you want your life to turn out (or produce)? (12) • Instruction: behaviors, attitudes and aimthat demonstrate one’s fear of God (13-14) 2. God’s differential response to faithful and evil people (vss 15-22): • His concern for the righteous and attentive reception of their prayers (15) • Hisopposition to the wicked and intent to blot out their memory (16) • His faithful deliverance of the righteous/His proximity to the discouraged (17-20) • His ultimate treatment of the wicked, versus the righteous (21-22) • He condemns those who hate the righteous (His servants) to (eternal) death (21) • He redeems the life of His servants and pronounces their final acquittal (22)

5. We will consider the first ten verses, which resemble a hymn of praise. A. Hymn: Praising the Lord for His Saving Goodness( vss 1-10) • David’s Invitation: to praise and exult the name of the Lord together (vss 1-3) • David’s Testimony: God hears prayer, delivers, gives joy & rescues those who fear Him (4-7) • David’s Exhortation: Fear the Lord & Find Him good (vss 8-10) • Taste the Lord (8) – • Take REFUGE in the Lord (8) – • Fear the Lord (9) – • Seek the Lord (10) –

6. “Christ made his own the prayer of the Psalms. He made his own the cries, the suffering, and the despair of the Psalms. He (then) purified, transfigured, and fulfilledthe cry of his people and the prayer of the poor.” - Joseph A. Fiorenza, in his preface to The Psalms(NCV), p. 11

7. Psalm 34:1-5, NIV |Of David: when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left 1I 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.

8. Psalm 34:6-10, NIV 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.

9. 1I will extol the Lord at all times;    his praise will always be on my lips. Meaning of the word “extol.” The literal sense is “to lift up,” but in modern parlance, it means, “to praise lavishly.”

10. David includes himselfamong the poor. • David’s early life was anything but “a bed of roses.” • David had every reason to feel less secure than most of us • Yet he had a “plus” . . . He had the Lord. • David entrusted his present and future circumstances, to the capable hands of God.

11. 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. • Christians, going through difficult times, may secretly wonder whether David’s claim is exaggerated. • How is it possible, that we are not lacking something

12. In other countries where most Christians are very poor, lack adequate health care, and live under a government that either does not care about the welfare of its people or persecutes the Church – the believers have a perennial joy in the Lord that wemight well envy.

13. Verses 6 and 8 of Psalm 34 may help to answer this question: 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;    he saved him out of all his troubles. David was not always the wealthy, powerful king of his later years. He knew poverty and loneliness.

14. David was not alwaysa wealthy, powerful king • He had to beg for some day-old bread • Not until David had retreated to the Cave of Adullam did he gain a real following. [They included his family and 400 men, comprised of a motley crew of ne’er-do-wells and discontents(1 Sam 22:2).] David was at least as needy we are. • Yet with all his troubles, he also experienced God’s deliverance.

15. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him . . . There are spiritual advantages to being poor –if we can embracethem. There are different kinds of poverty. • The well-off may yearn for spiritualtreasure that they lack. • When we lose a beloved parent, a spouse, a friend – or mentor,we feel impoverished.

16. Consider Elisha’s reaction when Elijah was taken up into heaven: “He kept crying out, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ Then he never saw Elijah again. He took hold of his own clothes and tore them into pieces.” 1 Kings 2:11-12

17. Every human being – in him/herself – is poor in that he/she always needs the Lord. When we are: • financially stuck, • emotionally drained, • or physically ill, We find ourselves NeedingGod, and turning to His promises that are “Yes! And Amen, in Christ.” (2 Cor 1:20).

18. Therefore, let us approach the throne of gracewith boldness, so that we may receive mercyand find grace to help usat the proper time (or, in our time of need)._Hebrews4:16, HCSB Yet two things may keep us from coming to God when we have a pressing need.

19. Two things may keep us from coming to God when we have a pressing need. • First off, we may not really know the Lord. • Second, it takes humility to admit that we are needy.

20. 1. we may not really know the Lord. If God is a stranger to us, how can we freely come to Him?

21. Second, it takes humility to admit that we are needy. This may be why some of us don’t ask other people to pray for us. It may be hard for us to share our weakness or a secret fear. I am fundamentally destitute. How fortunate are those who recognize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs! – (paraphrase of Matt 5:3)

22. 2I will glory in the Lord;    let the afflicted hear and rejoice. – Psalm 32:2, NIV “God resists/opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; Prov 3:34, LXX Let us humble ourselves and “pour out our hearts before Him, and God (will be) our refuge.” – Psm 62:8b, HCSB

23. 6This poor man called, andthe Lordheard him;    he savedhim out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6) • It is certain that the Lord answers any poor believer who asks His help. • We have a personal God, never “far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.” – Acts 17:27b, 28a, HCSB

24. God does not listen to sinners, but to anyone who is God-fearing and does His will.(John 9:31, HCSB; Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; Acts 10:31, 35) It is foolish to expect His help while nurturing our sins in disregard of His holiness. The tax collector in Jesus’ story shows how we should approach God. Hewascryingout, God, turn your wrathfrom me, a sinner! (Lk 18:10-14)

25. When we confess those sins that mar our fellowship with the Lord (1 John 1:9), • He justifies us. • He removes our poverty and • bestows His riches in Christ Jesus on us! (Rom 8:30; Prov 10:22; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 4:19) – And He hears.

26. He saved him out of all his troubles. – Psalm 34:6b Where is the God of Elijah (2 Kings 2:14), who saves His own from all their adversities? – Psm 34:6, 19

27. In every trying time, the Lord may be working out a greatersalvation for us:_Rom 8:28-29; Job 23:10b; Psm 119:65-72; Heb 12:10; Jas 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6-9 A salvation that changes us from a self-centered, proud, controlling, impatient person into the likeness of Jesus. That is salvation indeed!

28. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.Psalm 37:4 Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings – yea, so gently sustaineth. Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’re have been granted in what He ordaineth? – Joachim Neander

29. 8Taste and see that the Lord is good;    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. People derive pleasure from all sorts of things: • attending a ball game or playing video games, • going to a concert or jamming & singing with friends, • seeing a movieor reading a book by a favorite author, • taking a cruise or seeing Disney World. Everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by the Word of God and by prayer. – 1 Tim 4:4-5

30. Jesus thou joy of loving hearts, thou fount of life, thou light of men;From the best bliss that earth imparts, we turn unfilled to Thee again.Often attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux The goodness that we find in God is better, richer, more lasting than what we get from this world – but we have to taste Him to discover it for ourselves. We often crave those things that will give us pleasure, while missing out on the goodness of the Lord Himself. How may weexperienceHis goodness?

31. David suggests threeways(to taste the Lord) • We make Him our refuge • We Fear Him as our Master • Weseek His righteousness

32. 1. We make Him our refuge What does it mean to take refuge in the Lord? That we depend on Him to help, guideanddefendus. In another place David wrote: My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Psalm 62:7-8, HCSB

33. 2. We Fear Him as our God and follow him as our Shepherd In the Old Testament, the fear of the Lord combinesthe NewTestament concepts of faith& love(or devotionto the Lord). ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ a. Biblicalfear demands faith(belief in & dependence) in God. Thus, the author of Hebrews wrote: Without faith it is impossible topleaseGod, for the one who draws near to Him mustbelieve that He exists and rewards those who seekHim. (Heb 11:6, HCSB)

34. Biblical faithbelieves that God is real and blesses anyone who desires God for Himself. Even so, the Lord said to Abraham, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield and your great reward.” (or your reward will be great) – Gen 15:1b In Paul’s writingswe find a similar aspiration: My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.(Phil 3:10) • Paul’s faith involved knowing the powerand sharing in the sufferings of Christ. • Therefore, those who fear the Lord will suffer, but they can also draw on His power.

35. A healthyfear of Godrelies on His prior love for us – otherwise, we fear everythingbut God. The Apostle John declared: And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us . . There is no fear (that is terror) in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear . . We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:16, 18a, 19, HCSB)

36. If we want to experience the goodness of the Lord, we must: • Seek His righteousness • turnfrom evil and embrace the good, • by what we are thinking, or • by the words we speak, or • by the choices we make and actions we take. “What partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14, HCSB)

37. When any sin dominates us, the righteousness of God seems unappealing. What we want seems more important than what will benefit others. (Phil 2:4) The Lord always seems sweeter when we can enjoy people just as they are, help them (as we are able) – andencourage them to • share with, • serve, and • instructus.

38. Yet a healthychurch body needs more than our service. We must also worshiptogether, _to experience fully the Spirit of Christ. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Recall what David said in Vss 2 & 3

39. 2 I will glory in the Lord;    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.3 Glorify the Lordwith me;    let us exalt his name together. We exaltHis nametogether, realizing that God encourages & teaches us through others. Then we all sharein the joy of the Lord. God delights in our unified worship, And He is glorified!

40. Having clarified what fearing the Lord means, now we consider how He meets all the needs (Phil 4:19) of those who continue to fear Him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,    for those who fear him lack nothing. _10The lions may grow weak and hungry,    but those who seek the Lordlack no good thing. The apostle Paul &his colleagues surely knew the 34th Psalm

41. When he recalled verse 10, which states that the lions may grow weak and hungry, Paul may have thought of his own situation We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! Up to the present hour, we are both hungryandthirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughlytreated and homeless . . .” – 1 Cor 4:10-11, HCSB

42. Doesn’t it seem that Paul lacked what we would call necessities? So I take pleasurein weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Cor 12:10, HCSB

43. While Paul often lackedfood & shelter, hisneedinessbrought him plenitude:namely, the power of Christ. Since for Paul living was Christ(Php 1:21), he trusted and feared the Lord implicitly (2 Cor 5:7-11) and accepted whatever Christ willed for him. – Acts 20:22; 26:19; Rom 15:32

44. If we take Paul’s example to heart, we will never lack what we need most: Jesus Christ. • His purity, • His provision, • His power • His protection Theseall are ours– inHim.