Psalm 34
Psalm 34, 1 Samuel 21:10-15
Our boy David does it again. There is a lot of context behind the Psalm we read today. This Psalm was written by David after he pretends to be insane in order to escape from King Achish. David’s experience in Gath caused him to rely heavily on the Lord and trust Him to be his deliverer and his protector.
God’s goodness is near to us always, even in seasons of hardship. When we are invited to “taste and see” that God is good, we aren’t being given a chance to check in and see if God is worth following.
I love to cook. A few years ago I started getting into the habit of doing one “restful” thing a day, and for me that means doing something with my hands. Over the years that bit of rest has come to me in the form of making dinner. I can spend thirty minutes making something for my family that we can all sit down and enjoy together. It was great, until I had a toddler who throws anything I put in front of him on the floor. No matter how hard I plead or how many airplane tricks I try, he will not eat what I offer him, even if it’s something I know he really loves.
In this Psalm, David has just come out of a harrowing trial. His life was being threatened by the Philistines, and although the threat of death was near, His response was “I will praise the Lord at all times” (v.1). The example here is that David isn’t just praising God in the good times when he is happy and feels like all is well with his life. David is pointing us toward a greater truth, that “even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4).
In this Psalm we are being invited to taste and see the goodness of God. And if we are honest with ourselves, the “taste and see” part can sometimes feel more like the toddler sitting with his mouth locked shut instead of enjoying the wonderful meal set before us. By “tasting and seeing” the goodness of God, we aren’t being given a pass to check out God’s credentials and see if He really is all He says. But we are trusting that what’s been set before us really is good and if we could, in faith, open our mouths, we would be delighted at the wonderful things He’s set before us.
Hardship and suffering will come, but in the valleys would we be a people who can praise the Lord just as loud, if not louder than when we are on mountain tops.
