Radiant – Psalm 34

“A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.”

In 1 Samuel 21, after David left the priestly village of Nob, King Saul massacred the entire village of people because Ahimelech the priest had helped David. After leaving Nob, David fled to the city of Gath. While there, David heard the servants of the Philistine king talking about how he killed 10,000 of their people. Fear overtook David. He pretended to be crazy. He scratched on the doors of the gate with his hands. He let his saliva run down his beard. His performance convince the Philistine king that David was no threat to him and he let David escape.

“I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble shall hear of it and be glad. O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” Psalm 34:1-3

In Job 2:9-10, after Job and his wife lost all their children and their wealth, Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job responded to her, saying, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

God’s Spirit helped David and Job to magnify and bless the Lord at all times. One thing David always had in his mouth was a praise for God. His soul was influenced by the Spirit of God. Humble people heard their king boasting about the Lord, and it made their hearts glad.

In 1 Samuel 22:1, after David fled from a Philistine king, he took up residence in a cave. While there, all the people of his father’s house came to live with him. They were probably in danger of being killed by King Saul. As if his family moving in with him in his cave was not enough, 1 Samuel 22:2 says that “everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about 400 men with him.”

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4

The only way David could cope with all the fearful circumstances that were thrown at him was to keep his eyes fixed on the Lord. As he sought first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, the Lord provided for all his needs.

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” Psalm 34:5

With our eyes on the Lord, our faces reflect His glory. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul wrote, “We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory.”

“This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Psalm 34:6

Merchants of this world want to make huge profits from their sales. The Lord says to the poor in Isaiah 55:1. “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” In John 7:37, “Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.’” In Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” The Lord freely serves and give to those who have nothing.

“The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them.” Psalm 34:7

When you have nothing to offer people, they tend to shy away from you, but when you simply love the Lord, He commands His angels to set up a perimeter around your resting place and ensure that nothing bad happens to you.

“O, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8

What did the Lord provide for David when he lived in the cave of Adullam? Enough provisions for him, for his parents and brothers and for 400 men who were in debt and discontented. Think of it! David was wanted dead or alive by his king. He was living in a cave, yet the Lord supplied all his needs and for the needs of all who were with him. His cup overflowed.

“O, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 34:9-10

To fear the Lord is to adoringly love and be in awe of Him... which is what saints do. When our hearts are filled with love for God, we endure hardships and genuinely feel that we lack nothing. With an attitude of gratitude, we always have enough. While imprisoned for the Lord, Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” In Philippians 4:18, he added, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full.”

Ravenous predators, like young lions, shall lack, but saints lack no good thing. Those who lack concern for God and others, as young lions do, are never satisfied. Those who know and serve the Lord are satisfied and make it their aim to help others become satisfied as well.

“Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many 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.” Psalm 34:11-14

David took time to teach the children of his people to fear the Lord. He was a famous soldier, musician, and political figure but rather than teach children swordsmanship, music lessons or diplomacy, he taught them a healthy respect for God. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Our Creator knows more than the cumulative knowledge of all people. Not only does the Lord know more than all people He also knows how to decipher and make simple that which is impossible for finite minds to grasp.

In Psalm 119:99, David wrote, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.” The testimonies of the Lord are encouraging. In the Bible, human impossibilities are God’s possibilities. With God I can bring a blank slate to the problem solving session and receive revelations from God that resolve the problems perfectly.

In Psalm 119:130, David wrote, “The entrance of Your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.” By a prayerful study of the Scriptures, people prevail against the lies propagated by powerful potentates. Such rulers execute those who dare to question their decrees. They forbid talk about Jesus Christ. But unfortunately for them, God enlightens simple minds with His Word. Then, He empowers them to shine His light into darkness, and darkness disappears.

David advises those who are pursuing life, love and goodness to keep their tongue from evil, and their lips from speaking lies. We must bridle our tongues and lips. In Matthew 12:37, Jesus said, “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In Romans 10:9, Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

David urges us to “depart from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.” In John 8:10-11, after Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery, He asked her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Depart from evil! Focus on doing good and being a peacemaker rather than a home wrecker.

In Romans 6:19, Paul urged the Christians in Rome, saying, “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” Let the Lord transform your appetite so that what is evil becomes distasteful to you and what is good and peaceful becomes like the best of all desserts to you.

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.” Psalm 34:15

God sees everyone but His eyes of grace are upon those who have embraced His Son Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for their sins and have been made righteous before God by His blood. We pray in the Name of Jesus, and the Father answers our prayers.

“The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalm 34:16-17

In contrast to His eyes being upon the righteous, the Lord’s face is against those who do evil. Evil behavior torments, hurts and sometimes kills people. The devil especially directs those under his influence to humiliate and hurt people who love the Lord and who testify for Him. Thus, it is reassuring to know that the Lord’s face is against evildoers, and we can remind Him of this promise when evildoers are making our lives miserable and trying to destroy us. The Lord will deliver us from troublers. Praise the Lord!

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones. Not one of them is broken.” Psalm 34:18-20

The evil that is perpetrated on the earth against little children, vulnerable teenagers and the elderly is atrocious. The enemy wants to break the hearts of those who are already challenged on every side. As he did to Job, he wants to send many afflictions our way to keep us down and unable to witness for Christ.

James 5:11 says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” Job continuously thought about his relationship with the Lord throughout the season of his afflictions. He questioned. He speculated. But God was always on his mind. Finally, like the dawn of day, the Lord arose upon Job’s dark night of the soul with healing in His wings. The Lord gave Job a double blessing.

In Proverbs 4:23, the Lord warns us, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” How do we keep our heart from bitterness and hatred? We give it to God daily. We pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

We trust God to come through for us. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Psalm 34:20 says, “He guards all his bones. Not one of them is broken.” In John 19:36, John quotes this passage in reference to Christ. Normally, the Romans would break the legs of the crucified to bring about their death quickly. Without the ability to push themselves upward, they would be unable to breathe and thus die. When the Romans saw that Jesus was already dead, they did not break His legs. John wrote, “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, ‘Not one of His bones shall be broken.’”

“Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” Psalm 34:21-22

Goliath despised and hated David. King Saul hated David because his heart was wicked and David’s heart was righteous. David’s own son tried to kill him. All of these who rose up against David perished and that by God. The Lord did not allow men to condemn the one He approved.

So, why did God allow wicked men to slay His Son? Peter answered this question in Acts 2:22-24, saying, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”

Then, in Acts 2:36, 38, Peter called the people to respond to the news of Christ’s resurrection saying, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

God preordained that His Son would be the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. God also preordained that Jesus would resurrect, and that He alone would be the One in whose Name the sins of humanity would be forgiven. Not only forgiven but given the gift of the Holy Spirit by which we can live a new life.

God assures us by His witnesses in the Bible... prophets, apostles and His own Son, plus by the Holy Spirit, and plus by His answers to our prayers that He is indeed the one true God, and that by believing in His Name we have eternal life. Praise the Lord!