“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” – Psalm 34:8-9
For those of you who attended the evening worship service at Heritage this past Lord’s Day, or have listened to the recording, you know that I preached on the first 10 verses in Psalm 34. Week after week, I have the privilege of reading, studying, preparing, and preaching the Word to your ears, praying that the Spirit would work His truth mightily in your hearts. As Psalm 34 is but one glorious psalm in the Psalter, and as I’ve been so comforted and enriched by God’s Word therein, I thought I would share more of it riches with you in this devotion.
Verses 8-9 are really an awesome climax in the middle of this psalm. If you’re unfamiliar with the background and context of David’s writing and song here, in 1 Samuel 21 we’re told that he fled from the hand of Saul to Gath (one of the chief cities of the Philistines), taking with him the sword he used to killed Goliath. David ran from one enemy to another for solace. He was brought straight to King Achish, who is referred to by his royal title of “Abimelech” in the the introduction to Psalm 34. While in the presence of Achish, the king’s servants remembered what they had heard about David and his conquests. Their words scared David! Thinking they may turn Achish against him and seek to kill him, David decided to act as if he was insane, scratching walls and drooling on himself. In verses 14-15, you find Achish believed his act and cast him from his presence. David then escaped and found refuge in a cave.
It’s clear that the Lord’s work of delivering David yet again from Saul and Achish was what fueled David’s joy and occasion for praise. As you read through and survey God’s work in first 7 verses, you find David’s five-fold praise as he blessed, praised, made his boast, magnified, and exalted his Lord (vv. 1-3). He was also mindful of God not only being the rock of his salvation, but His great deliverer from all of his fears. God saved him from all of his troubles. The “angel of the Lord”, who I believe is Christ Himself, protects and saves “poor men” (v. 6) like David who fear, cry out, and seek the Lord. He protects and saves His people as He encamps all around us, and delivers us. Beloved, these truths in and of themselves, really the riches of the Gospel, are so wonderful to know and praise God for, aren’t they?
It’s these truths, it’s this reality, that moved David to exclaim and command saints everywhere- “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” David had tasted and seen, he had come to take notice of and comfort in divine goodness by the Word, faith, and experience as he walked, even ran through the valley of the shadow. David learned that when he walked with the Lord down the road of humility, especially when it included suffering for righteousness’ sake, he could be sure the Lord was with him. Indeed, the sanctuaries of the world, even of your own heart promise much, but deliver little as they only give what is shallow and fleeting. They always disappoint, whereas God provides in ways that are far beyond what we can ask or think. It’s also true that David had tasted and seen such divine goodness in the days of peace and prosperity. He had experiential knowledge of God’s goodness that informed and counseled his heart in every season of life! David knew what it was to be a blessed man as he trusted Him. David knew what it was to be a God-fearer who was fully satisfied by His Lord. See how David calls you, along with men and women everywhere to do the same. Therefore:
- Taste and see that God is good- Notice and take comfort that goodness is a description of His character. God is pure and beautiful in His being. We delight in His infinite perfection. He isn’t evil, hates sin, and can’t be tempted by evil (Jam. 1:13).
- Taste and see divine goodness in God’s justice- God not only abhors evil, but also punishes it (Ex. 34:6-7).
- Taste and see God’s goodness in His benevolence to His creation, as well as His good providence- Everything He created was good (Gen. 1-2). God is perfect goodness in Himself, and we were created as reflected goodness. Further, the earth is full of His goodness (Psa. 33:5). He gives food to all flesh (Psa. 136:25). “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.” (Psa. 145:9) He gives rain to the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). This being true…
- Taste and see His goodness when you go through hard providence, and what your going through doesn’t feel good- This is really the rubber meeting the road faith, knowledge, and experience. This is rubber meeting the road trust as well. Sometimes, we are tempted to think that God’s goodness is only present, at work, or on display when we see it and concur that it’s good. Yet, our opinion can be clouded, fickle, and really doesn’t matter. We must train ourselves to know, stand, and grow in the truth of the Word. Therefore, be refreshed and comforted by the sure promise that God is working all things for our good (Rom. 8:28). Yes, bad things can happen, especially in the midst of persecution and suffering. However, remember what man meant for evil, God meant for good (Gen. 50:20). Yes, you may endure painful trials and chastening. Yet, see His goodness in the promise that chastening will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness when you have been trained by it (Heb. 12:11). Be so convinced of His goodness that you’re encouraged in the worst of times to trust Him!
- Taste and see His goodness in His love for us in the Gospel- His goodness is gloriously on display in the Gospel as Jesus came, fulfilled all righteousness, suffered and died for us, receiving the punishment for our sins. and rose again from the grave. Out of His great, abundant love, He is the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:23-26).
- Taste and see that He is good as you worship Him together- Think about it afresh today. We taste and see God’s goodness from the beginning to the end of Worship, from His welcoming us into His presence to His sending us forth in His service, and all the elements in between. Briefly, we see His goodness as He blesses us and we praise Him. His goodness is clear as we hear from Him in His law. We confess our sins, and have peace and joy in our forgiveness in Christ. He hears our prayers and feeds us through Word and Sacrament. In fact, the Gospel is preached and then seen in the Sacrament. God designed the elements of the Lord’s Supper to teach us about His goodness in our salvation, as we partake of the bread and wine and remember His body being broken and blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. As we consume the bread and the wine, we taste and see Christ’s goodness and love as His Spirit nourishes and strengthens us in faith by His grace.
- Taste and see that He is good as you serve Him- God’s goodness is on display as it’s reflected in the good works that He has prepared for you, and works in you to will and do for His pleasure as you serve Him (Eph. 2:10, Phil. 2:13).
Though this isn’t an exhaustive list, I pray that it stimulates your study and adoration. Beloved, David calls you to not take his word, to not take his experience of God’s goodness, or that of anyone else, and be at ease at walking forward on that alone. No, he calls you to hear the lessons God taught him, see his example, and then, come to Christ, taking notice of and comfort in His goodness for yourself so that you too can know Him more, trust Him more, praise Him more, and testify of His great worth and works, especially that of redemption and deliverance in your life, all to the glory of His holy name.