FRAMEWORKS:
Psalm 34: Praise to the Deliverer
Of
David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove
him away, and he left.
[Preliminary
Comments: A psalm of David rooted in history – see 1
Sam 21:10-15. Achish was the Philistine king who sent David away
when he feigned madness. Abimelek means ‘father of the king' and
may have been the Philistine behind the scenes. Otherwise this
is unclear. There appears no reference in the psalm to the historical
context. David's attitude towards God is one of praise [v.1-3]
because the Lord came to his aid in a crisis [v.4-6]. All that
follows is then teaching based on this knowledge:
•
The Lord protects those who fear Him
[v.7-9]
•
Those who seek the Lord are wise [v.10,11]
•
Those who seek righteousness are wise
[v.12-14]
•
The Lord protects the needy righteous
[v.15-17]
•
The Lord protects the brokenhearted
[v.18-20]
•
The Lord protects His people [v.21,22]
Each
of these descriptions is what David feels in this historical context.]
Part
1: v.1-6 Praise & Testimony
v.1-3
David's determination to extol, praise, and glorify the Lord
v.1
I
will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise
will always be on my lips.
v.2 I
will glory in the Lord;
let the
afflicted hear and rejoice.
v.3
Glorify
the Lord with me;
let us exalt
his name together.
v.4-6
His reasons? The Lord delivers those who turn to Him
v.4
I
sought the Lord , and he answered me;
he delivered
me from all my fears.
v.5
Those
who look to him are radiant;
their faces
are never covered with shame.
v.6
This
poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved
him out of all his troubles.
Part
2: v.7-22: Teaching that follows
v.7-9
The Lord protects, delivers, blesses & provides for those
who honour Him
v.7
The
angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers
them
v.8
Taste
and see that the Lord is good;
blessed
is the one who takes refuge in him.
v.9 Fear
the Lord , you his holy people,
for those
who fear him lack nothing.
v.10,11
Wisdom is found in seeking the Lord
v.10
The
lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those
who seek the Lord lack no
good thing.
v.11
Come,
my children, listen to me;
I will teach
you the fear of the Lord.
v.12-14
Wisdom is found in seeking to be righteous
v.12
Whoever
of you loves life
and desires
to see many good days,
v.13
keep
your tongue from evil
and your
lips from telling lies.
v.14
Turn
from evil and do good;
seek peace
and pursue it.
v.15-17
The Lord may reject the unrighteous but he watches & guards
the righteous
v.15
The
eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his
ears are attentive to their cry;
v.16
but
the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot
out their name from the earth.
v.17
The
righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers
them from all their troubles.
v.18-20
The Lord is there to protect those who are down
v.18
The
Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves
those who are crushed in spirit.
v.19
The
righteous person may have many troubles,
but the
Lord delivers him from them
all;
v.20
he
protects all his bones,
not one
of them will be broken.
v.21.22
The wicked will fall to evil but God will rescue His people
v.21
Evil
will slay the wicked;
the foes
of the righteous will be condemned.
v.22
The
Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who
takes refuge in him will be condemned.
[Additional
Thoughts: The deliverance, provision, and protection
of the Lord for His people is at the heart of this psalm. It comes
as an expression of David's praise for the Lord having saved and
delivered him. This may be expressing the sense of relief he must
have felt when he first escaped from Saul and then from the Philistines
who he had turned to.]
Continue
to Psa 35