Psalms 34

Psalms 34:1-22

PRAISE, PRAYER AND Psalms 34-36 AN OUTLINE. PRAISE—34. The occasions of continual praise. “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together. “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. “They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. “O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him. “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” (Psalms 34:1-10). The grounds of complacency vs. fear. “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. “What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. “The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. “Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate” (Psalms 34:11-22). PRAYER—35.An appeal for preservation against enemies. “Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. “Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. “Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. “Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them. “Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. “For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. “Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation. “All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. “They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul” (Psalms 35:1-12). A recounting that involves many contacts. “But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. “I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. “But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the objects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not. “With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. “Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. “I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise Thee among much people. “Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. “For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. “Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it. “This Thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. “Stir up Thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord. “Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. “Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. “Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me. “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. “And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long” (Psalms 35:13-28). —36.The transgressions of the wicked invite judgment. “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. “For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. “The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. “He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil” (Psalms 36:1-4). The hopes of the saint are in Divine mercy. “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast. “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. “For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light. “O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee; and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart. “Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. “There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise” (Psalms 36:5-12).

Psalms 34:6

THE POOR MAN’S CRY AND GOD’S ANSWER Psalms 34:6IT is not my purpose to discuss the sociological phase of poverty as that phase appeals to us in the present social disturbances. This text might be legitimately and encouragingly employed in that connection however. If the cause of labor, as it is now struggling with the power of capital, is a just cause, this text suggests a far nobler and surer way of securing personal rights than some of the methods now being employed by the professedly oppressed. When man seeks to get his rights by the strength of his own arm, his victories are uncertain, and, when gained, are often but the triumphs of the hour to be succeeded by yet greater defeats. But when appeal is made to God, and His arm delivers, all troubles are at an eternal end. The greatest weakness of the cause of laborers today is not so much the unreasonableness of their demands as the failure to invite God into their counsels, and with humble hearts, invoke at once the wisdom and leadership of Him whose ear gathers every cry of the poor, and whose heart throbs in sympathy with every moan of the truly oppressed. But this text was selected as suggesting a discourse that should lead our thought in another direction and lend lessons of equal importance and of more general application. The language is David’s, and in that fact the text interprets itself.It was probably uttered in memory of the time when the man who had been anointed for the throne was a refugee from Saul’s murderous hand, and in the wilderness of Engedi was enduring the lot of an outcast, suffering for bread, sleeping on the bare earth, or lying in the deeps of damp caves. Like his greater Son, David was learning the trials of persecution and poverty; and seeing no sign of human help, he lifted his eyes and prayers to the everlasting hills and the salvation came. That which he learned from experience he wrote into this text that others might learn how and where to turn for help in poverty’s hour.DAVID WAS NOT TOO PROUD TO CONFESS HIS POVERTY AND APPEAL FOR HELP We know full well that the world sees more of unrelieved suffering than it need, were it not for pride. On every hand pride seals the lips of needy sinners and suffering saints, and lets the silence give victory to sorrow and want. As a rule the world’s worthless children are beggars at both the doors of earth and the gates of Heaven, while the earth’s unfortunate and deserving children are often too proud to ask alms of man or God, and greater poverty is their lot.Why not cry for help, my friend, if you are poor in either grace or goods? Surely one’s honorable birth is no reason for that independence that refuses help even from the Lord. David was honorably born, and yet David made known his wants and humbly pled for succor and support in things both material and spiritual. Paul was honorably born.

He writes to the Hebrews insisting that no child of the race had better reason to boast his natural birth than he, and yet from the depths of a conscious poverty of soul he cried to Heaven for the true riches and got them. One of the sad sights of this world is to see some unfortunate soul struggling hard against the wolf, yet never asking help of man or God; some widowed one, frail in body, weary in mind, unstrung in nerves, worn out with work, battling to obtain bread and clothing, yet maintaining a proud silence in it all; shutting her secret sorrows from eyes that would help if only they were permitted.For such a pride, as it has to do with hiding one’s sorrow from a morbidly curious world we have only admiration, but when it drives its subject to an effort at independence of God, then our admiration is curdled into pity and we wish that the old Bible might be taken from the shelf, dusted and read, and that the widow’s eyes might linger on this text until its teaching had entered her soul and made her conscious of her riches in the God who hears and saves.

Such pride is often built upon the fact of having seen “better days”. Ah, but the best days are not those of material plenty. David was richer in the cave than on the throne, for there he cried to the Lord oftener, and saw his salvation in more signal display. So the best days of the poor are never on until the heart is humbled and the help of the Lord is invoked.Again, pride of station has led many a poor soul to starve while vainly imagining itself to be rich. We never see a man who rejects the Gospel and trusts in his social station, his political preferment, his financial power, but we pity his poverty of soul and long to kill the pride that cheats him out of his greater riches. You remember what the voice of the trumpet that John heard, said to the Laodiceans in condemning their pride of station:“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:17-18). Many a man of earthly station and honor will go to the grave, a pitiable pauper, because his pride outlasted life. You remember how it was with Abimelech,“A certain woman cast a piece of millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. “Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him” (Judges 9:53-54). William Seeker says of that circumstance, “Behold, the man dieth hard, but the pride dies not”. There is no help to be had from Heaven until pride is killed and buried in humility’s grave. In Caines College, Cambridge, there used to be three gateways in succession. The first was called “Humilitatis”, the second, “Virtutis” and the third, “Honoris”.It is so in the progress of the soul. Humility is the open gate that leads to virtue and honor everlasting. If a man is too erect and too proud to go on his knees in passing the first, he will never see the glories upon which the others open.

It has been truly remarked that bigotry of station lifted up the hearts of those that forgot God and conceived themselves rich without Him, until it cast Nebuchadnezzar out of men’s society, Saul out of his kingdom, Haman from the palace, Adam from Paradise, and Lucifer from Heaven. Let us beware of the pride of station that shuts our eyes to poverty of soul.Then there is the natural pride of the heart that makes the poor soul unwilling to confess its want and ask for help.

It is the pride of which Solomon wrote when he penned the proverb, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 16:5).It is the pride that sees no ill in self; and if it should see, would be slow to make confession. Mark Guy Pearse tells the following story of a man who got drunk. The preacher went to talk with him about his intemperance and he confessed to him great sorrow. He said he had sought to be restored to the Saviour’s favor but his prayers had brought no peace and he feared the Lord had utterly cast him off. “Well,” said the minister, “let us pray together. You lead and confess your fault.” The fellow began, “Oh, God, Thou knowest Thy servant, in a moment of unwatchfulness, was overtaken by sin.” “Nonsense,” said the preacher, “tell the Lord you got drunk.” The fellow hesitated a moment and then started afresh into his confession. “Oh, Lord, Thou knowest Thy servant, in his weakness and frailty, was overtaken by a besetment.” “Nonsense,” repeated the preacher, “tell the Lord you got drunk.” The fellow now forgot self and proceeded with agonizing cry, “Oh, God, have mercy upon me. I got drunk!” and in a moment peace came and the poor fellow knew he was accepted again.

Christ knew what an effectual cure for pride was confession of sin and that is why He made his forgiveness conditioned upon that. It is not so bad to be poor unless in our poverty we are too proud to humbly seek the help of the Lord.LEARN AGAIN FROM THIS TEXT THAT THE GOD IS MOVED AT THE SIGHT OF . “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him”. The fact that he was poor did not effect the care. God is no respecter of persons in the hour of human need. The lowliest soul that walks the deep valleys of earth can get the ear of God as soon as the loftiest king that ever sat on a throne. I was reading sometime since a part of a sermon preached in India by a native convert. He had belonged to the low caste people but he was now addressing the Brahmins who had gathered about him. Seldom have I read a clearer defense of the Fatherhood of God than he made.

He argued that the God who would save him, exalt him to the station of a son, honor him with a call to the Gospel ministry, him who had been reckoned so low by his fellows that when he was a heathen they were defiled by his touch—that such a God was worthy of love. Yes, it is a truth that we can never emphasize as we ought, God hears the cry of the poor and His answers are as sure to them as to the richest of the rich.Then His expression of sympathy with needy men is invariable.

The great trouble with many of the earth’s good men is discovered in changeable tempers: one day they are gracious to friends and considerate of enemies even; another day they are as unapproachable as mountain peeks, and as inhospitable as a hail-storm. But God is ever the same. One of the great definitions which the Bible gives of our Lord is that found in Hebrews where He is called “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and for ever”.According to history, one of Lincoln’s greater virtues existed in the universal kindness which he showed the needy. In the day of hottest battle, when the President’s mind was much engaged with momentous questions, a woman had occasion to approach him in behalf of her condemned husband. She afterward told with what fears and tremblings she undertook the journey into his presence. He was a stranger; he was in the loftiest station possible to America; he was pressed by a thousand cares.

Would he deign to receive her and consider her plea? These questions struggled about in her heart and she knew not what answer to expect as she hurried on, but at the first sight of his tender face she forgot her fears and poured out her trouble to the great soul as freely as she might have done to her own son.

In speaking of it afterward she said, “Amid all his cares he had time to hear me, show interest in my case, and save my loved one.” Ah, it is an infinitely more gracious heart and powerful hand to which he appeals when the poor man cries unto the Lord. He has time to listen and power to save.We may also believe that His loving heart is swift to hear. So far as indicated by this text David didn’t have to wait through weary days and months before there came an answer to his prayer. The answer was instant. Therein God proves His Fatherhood again. I saw a great company of people standing before a country church engaged in social converse. A little child was playing on the green hard by. Suddenly he stumbled and fell with his face against the walk.

One man heard the cry before others seemed to catch the sound, and while they cast about with inquiring looks, he sprang to its side and lifted it tenderly to his bosom. I asked not whose child it was, the fatherhood was plain. So God, like Hawthorne’s mother in the Snow Image, listens with His heart, not with ears, and though others fail to hear the appeal of distress, He flies to the relief of His own ere the first piteous appeal has died on the air.