Psalms 34

Psalms 34THEME: A song of praise for deliveranceThis psalm has an explanation, which is part of the inspired text: “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.” This provides me with a fine opportunity to illustrate something that the critic has used to discredit the Word of God, which has led many uninstructed folks away from believing in the integrity and the inerrancy of Scripture. The occasion for this psalm goes back to an incident that is recorded in the life of David. You will recall that King Saul was after David. This young man was fleeing for his life and hiding in one cave after another. He was in that region of wilderness down toward the Dead Sea, and not many people can survive in that area. I have been driven through it, but I would not want to drive through it alone.

David was able to survive in that wilderness, but he did grow weary; and his faith got very weak. He thought he was going to be destroyed, so he went west to the land of the Philistines. The king of the Philistines received David at that time, but some of his men distrusted him. “And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath” (1Sa_21:11-12). David realized that he was in real danger there in enemy territory, so he acted like an insane man. The king was disgusted at having an insane man in his presence, and he sent him away.

So David’s life was spared at this time. When David escaped and returned to the wilderness of Israel to hide, I think he was lying there in the safety of a cave, thinking, I should have trusted God. Now if you turn back to 1 Samuel 21 and read the record, you will note that the king of Gath is called Achish, and in Psalms 34 he is called Abimelech. The critic sees this and says that it is quite obvious this is not an inspired psalm of David, and that this is an error in the Bible. The problem with the critic is that he looks only where he wants to look. Abimelech is a general title of royalty, just as Pharaoh was a general title in Egypt. When I was teaching in a Bible institute a young fellow brought this problem of Achish and Abimelech to me. He said he believed in the inspiration of the Scriptures, but this was obviously an error, and he was greatly distressed by it. Of course, it was simply a lack of knowledge on his part. Remember, when you think you find an error in the Bible, the problem is not with the Bible but with you. That is the problem the critics have today. As we consider this psalm, think of it in the light of David’s experience.

Psalms 34:1

When you are in trouble, do you feel discouraged and defeated? David did. He kept running, running, running, and it looked like it would never come to an end. He lost heart and was discouraged. He thought, One of these days I will be killed. Yet he says, “I will bless the LORD at all times.” My friend, I do pretty well in praising the Lord on a good sunshiny day and when things go right, but it is not so easy when things become difficult. Yet David could say, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Psalms 34:2

David’s attitude was a testimony for the Lord.

Psalms 34:3

I have thought about putting this verse on the letterhead we use at our Thru the Bible Radio headquarters. I want you to join with me in magnifying the Lord. We are going to find out in one of the psalms that the Word of God and the name of God are just about the same. Both are important. We want to get out the Word of God because it will magnify the name of the Lord. I would like to say with the psalmist, O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together, in getting out the Word of God today. The first three verses are sheer praise to God; they are the Hallelujah Chorus. Now he gives us the reason for his praise.

Psalms 34:4

How wonderful!

Psalms 34:5

How thankful David was for God’s deliverance. And, friend, I thank God for the way He has led me. I am sure you do, too.

Psalms 34:7

The Angel of the Lord is mentioned only three times in the Psalms. He is mentioned in Psa_34:7 and in Psa_35:5-6 and that is all. I am not going to go into any detail about this subject, but I believe the Angel of the Lord is the preincarnate Christ. You do not find the Angel of the Lord in the New Testament because the Lord is no longer an angel, but a Man. When He appeared in the Old Testament as an angel, He was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse the psalmist tells us that the “angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” In Heb_13:5 the Lord Jesus says, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” In Mat_28:20 the Lord says, “…lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Now David extends an invitation:

Psalms 34:8

David says, “If you don’t believe what I have said is true, taste for yourself and see that the Lord is good.” Blessed or happy is the man who trusts in the Lord. There is nothing like it. David had been hunted by Saul for a long time. He had hidden in caves and had become a rugged outdoorsman. He had seen the sight mentioned in the following verse.

Psalms 34:10

David had seen hungry little lion cubs whining for something to eat. He also had seen that those who had sought the Lord had not lacked any good thing. If a lioness can take care of her little cubs, God can take care of you and me. David learned that by experience. This is putting Christianity into shoe leather, and we need it in shoe leather. I am tired of Sunday morning Christianity.

People come to church, sing a few hymns, listen to the sermon, and sing the Doxology. That just about ends it for many folks. I love what a broker in San Francisco wroteit was one of the nicest things anyone had said: “You do not sound like you are speaking behind a stained glass window.” I thank God for that. There is nothing wrong with speaking behind stained glass windowsI did that for forty yearsbut I would rather it sounded as if it came from the market place, the schoolroom, the office, and the workshop. David had experienced God’s care. He knew it was real.

Psalms 34:13

This is something that I need to learn. Perhaps you also need to learn it.

Psalms 34:15

God hears and answers prayer. It may not be the answer we were expecting, because sometimes He says no.

Psalms 34:16

There is a lot of sentimental rot today in dramatic productions of some old low-down sinner who deserts his wife and baby so he can live a life of sin. Maybe he becomes a thief or a murderer, but one day he comes home and finds his little child sick. He gets down by the side of the bed and prays. This kind of story brings boo-hoos all over the audience. I don’t know about you, but it turns my tummy. Do you know why?

God says, “I don’t hear the prayer of a man like that.” Such a person has no right to go to God and ask Him for anything except salvation. You don’t even have to ask for forgiveness. He’s got forgiveness for you. All you have to do is confess yourself a sinner and trust Christ as your Savior. He will automatically forgive you. “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved …” (Act_16:31).

Psalms 34:18

If a person is willing to take the place of humility, come to the Lord as a sinner and trust Him, the Lord will be near to him. Now if that old reprobate who got down by the bed and prayed for his sick child will acknowledge his sin and accept Jesus Christ as his Savior, then God will hear his prayer for his child. The Lord is near those who have a broken heart.

Psalms 34:19

No one is free from troubleregardless of who he is. But when we are God’s children we can expect God’s deliverance. Oh, how good He is. Let’s bless Him at all times, even as David did.