Tag: Psalm 34

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Psalm 34 IV

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken . . . The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.  (Psalm 34:17-20, 22,NASB)

We’re praying for our great friends, John and Jane Davis.  John is to have open-heart surgery on Monday, 1 August. 

My last essay on David’s Psalm 34, “The LORD, a Provider and Deliverer.”

“The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  To be righteous, or made right with God, one must put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  God will then hear, and deliver them from “all their troubles.”  Deliverance may not occur in this lifetime, but oh, what a time we’ll have in heaven!  For most people to be saved, they must come to a point of brokenness.  God promises to save them. 

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.”  We all have troubles in this world.  Some trials are worse than others.  But God promises delivery from them, which again, may or may not happen in this life. 

“He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.”  This is seen by Bible scholars as a prophecy of Jesus Christ.  As He hung on the cross, sunset was approaching, and with it, the Sabbath.  It was bad to leave criminals hanging once the Sabbath began, so to hasten death, the executioners would break their legs (the cause of death during crucifixion was usually suffocation, which happened very slowly; to breathe, the criminal would push himself up on the nail in his feet; breaking his legs would not allow him to support himself any longer, and he would die quicker).  As the Sabbath drew near, the executioners broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus.  But having determined that Jesus was already dead, they did not break His legs. 

Psalms 34:22 WEB - Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of - Bible Verse Picture
Psalm 34:22 image.  Found at Scripture Images, https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/web/psalms-34-22-web.php

” The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”  God has redeemed those who believe in Jesus.  For those who’ve called upon the name of the Lord and are saved, they will not “be condemned” to an eternity of agony, separated from God. 

Psalm 34 is rich in the promises of God.  Like in the title, He is “Provider and Deliverer.”  He does these things for His children, those who have been saved by His grace through the blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus.   

Worship:  “You are My Hiding Place,” by Selah
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Psalm 34 III

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 

Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.  (Psalm 34:11-15,NASB)

Still more from Psalm 34 (for previous essays on Psalm 34, please see the 15 July and 18 July installments).  More from David: 

“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  This reminds me that the father of the home is responsible to teach the children to live by faith.  The “fear of the Lord” is a healthy respect, such that we want to do His will. 

“Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?”  This seems to me to be a rhetorical question.  I think most people desire a long life, and to “see good.”  I do! 

“Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”  This is great advise for living from David.  The Bible is consistent about bridling the tongue.  Here, keeping “from evil,” and “speaking deceit.”  Next, actively fleeing “from evil and [doing] good.  Note the active verb “depart.”  We have to work to stay away from the evil, and to do the good works.  More active verbs:  “Seek peace and pursue it.”  The Bible is all about peace, and especially Jesus’ teachings. 

Psalm 34 14
Psalm 34:14 image.  Found at The Consecrated Woman, https://theconsecratedwoman.com/2020/06/30/seek-peace-3/

Last, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.”  David didn’t know of Christ Jesus, but he did know that one of his descendants would be seated on the throne of David forever.  The only way for a person to meet God’s criteria for being “righteous,” or to be made right with God, is to ask Jesus to be the Lord of their life.  Then, God’s “ears [will be] open to their cry”  God hears from His children, according to His will. 

To summarize, God wants us to control our tongues.  He wants us to actively turn from evil, and do good (love God and love people).  He desires (though it’s not His decree) that we acknowledge His Son, and put our faith, trust, and hope in Jesus.  By Him we obtain righteousness, and gain God’s attention.  My hope is in Jesus. 

Worship:  “The One I’ve Been Waiting For,” by Out of the Grey
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Psalm 34

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.  (Psalm 34:1-4, NASB)

Psalm 34 was written by David before he became King of Israel.  He had been anointed King by Samuel the judge, and was evading capture and execution at the hands of King Saul.  David fled to Abimelech, king of an enemy of Israel, and feigned insanity to get away from him.  The title of this psalm is “The LORD, a Provider and Deliverer.”  I’ve highlighted several passages from this psalm, so I’ll cover it more than once. 

What strikes me is David’s steadfastness:  “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  This is what followers of Jesus are called to do, and with God’s help, we should strive to do.  God inhabits the praises of His people, and we should praise Him as often as possible. 

“Magnify the Lord.”  Found at https://blog.josephprince.com/magnify-the-lord/

David continues:  “My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice.”  The Apostle Paul writes often of boasting in Lord .  Salvation cannot be earned.  It’s a gift from God, and therefore no one can brag about it, except in the Lord!  If one boasts in the Lord, the proud and haughty will ignore it, or deride.  Only the humble will rejoice. 

Further, “O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”  Praise God for Who He is, and praise His holy Name! 

And finally, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.”  David prayed, and God answered him.  David feared for his life, for the King of Israel was seeking his head.  But God answered his prayers, and by faith, his fears were relieved.

What a psalm!  David, in the midst of pursuit by King Saul and thousands of soldiers, takes time to praise God!  He praises God CONTINUOUSLY; he boasts ONLY in God, not in himself; he asks others to praise the Lord with him; and his steadfast faith eliminated all his fears.  David is a model for Jesus followers to emulate.  By being continually in an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving, may our fears be erased! 

Worship: “O Magnify the Lord” by Sandi Patti