Wisdom Books Psalms

Praising God For His Provision

Discover Jesus as: King of Glory Psalms 33-34 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 407 of 730
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INTRO

We are continuing to look for where we can see the Messiah in these psalms. About Psalm 34, Constable said, “In this combination individual thanksgiving and wisdom psalm, David glorified God for delivering His people, and he reflected on the Lord’s promise to bless the godly with long life.”1 The subtitle of this psalm is long: Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed. That tells us that Psalm 34 is about the event that is covered in 1 Samuel 21:10–15. According to 1 Samuel 21:10, David fled and ran to King Achish who was over the Philistines. Wiersbe explains the dynastic title of the Philistine kings was Abimelech, so it also refers to King Achish.2

TEACHING

Psalm 34 :1-7: David began in praise of the Lord (v. 1). Wiersbe provides four reasons we should praise the Lord, all of which are supported in Psalm 34: (1) God answers prayer (v. 4, 15); (2) God provides what we need (vv. 9–10); (3) God delivers us from trouble (v. 17); and (4) God protects us from danger (v. 7).3 These four are a basic outline of the entire psalm. Our praise is heard by the humble who will hear it (v. 2). Therefore, David asked the people to praise God with him (v. 3). Paul used the language of David: “Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). Thomas Watson said, “In prayer we act like men. In praise we act like the angels.”

David praised God for answering his prayer and delivering him from his fears (v. 4). In 1 Samuel 21:12, David became fearful when the Philistine servants told Achish all about him. Here, David praised God for taking those fears from him. David described those who trusted God as being radiant with joy (v. 5; Exodus 34:29). Through the Holy Spirit transforming our lives, we now reflect the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). David reminded the people that all were poor before the Lord, and He heard them and saved them (v. 6). David then stated that the Angel of the Lord camped around those who feared God and rescued them (v. 7). This is possibly the appearance of the preincarnate Christ or an appearance of the Lord Himself.

Psalm 34:8–10: Verse 8 provides transition, “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” Nelson’s Commentary says about verse 8, “The center of biblical mission in the Old Testament is found in the words taste and see. The task of Israel was to attract the nations to their God.”4 When the people were involved in worship of idols and other gods who were not sufficient, they saw what the Jews’ God was like and they wanted that too. Wiersbe defines the word taste as “feeding on the Lord through His Word and experiencing all He has for us. It means knowing Him better and enjoying Him more.”5 When people see what we have in Christ, they wonder if they can have it too. David said those who feared God, or revered God and held Him in awe, would lack nothing (v. 9). Those who seek the Lord will lack nothing (v. 10).

Theologian John Piper explains, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, but you may be aware of three of them.”6 Piper gives four truths about how God provides for us: (1) “God may provide differently than we expect,” (Psalm 37:25); (2) “God provides more of Himself,” (Psalm 37:4; Matthew 7:9–11); (3) “God’s ultimate provision has already been given in the gospel,” (James 1:17); and (4) “God provides finally in eternity,” (1 Peter 2:9).7

Psalm 34:11–22: David may have called the children together for verse 11 to teach them to fear the Lord. Then David outlined what they needed to do: delight in life, keep their tongues from evil and their lips from deceit, turn from evil and do good, and seek peace (vv. 12–14).

Verses 19–20 prophesies about the Messiah: “Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all. He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.” This is a prophetic psalm about Jesus, the King of Glory.

In John 19:33–36, John recorded:

“When they came to Jesus, they did not break His legs since they saw that He was already dead. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows he is telling the truth. For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of His bones will be broken.”

John quoted Psalm 34:20 in John 19:36.

CLOSING

Psalm 34 truly is about praising the Lord, regardless of what is going on in your life.

  1. Thomas Constable, Dr. Constable’s Expository Bible Study Notes: Psalms, p. 164; available at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/psalms.pdf.

  2. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2004), p. 158.

  3. Wiersbe, p. 158.

  4. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 670.

  5. Wiersbe, p. 159.

  6. John Piper, “Four Truths About God’s Provision,” www.desiringgod.org; available at https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-truths-about-gods-provision.

  7. John Piper.

Questions

  1. Psalm 33 begins with praising and worshipping God with different musical instruments. How important do you think praise and worship are to the Lord? What benefits does praise and worship have for you? What are some other ways you can praise and worship the Lord?
  2. Psalm 33:6–9 parallels what other part of the Bible (Genesis 1)? Why do you think David mentioned this? Do you believe creation itself proves God’s existence?
  3. Psalm 34:1 says, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” How do you think you can praise God continually with your mouth?
  4. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” What do you think this means? Do you believe it is possible to “taste” the Lord and not see that He is good? Just because we follow the Lord, does that mean we won’t ever experience anything bad? (Psalm 34:19)
  5. What do you think “fear the Lord” means in the context of Psalm 34? Do you think we serve an angry God? Should nonbelievers fear the Lord? (Psalm 1:4-6; 34:16; Revelation 21:8)
  6. Could Psalm 34:20 be prophetic of Jesus’ crucifixion? (Exodus 12:46; John 19:36)
  7. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Psalms 33—34 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Psalm 33:20–22

“We wait for Yahweh; He is our help and shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him because we trust in His holy name. May Your faithful love rest on us, Yahweh, for we put our hope in You.”

Do you wake up in the morning thinking about a certain situation? Do you continue to wait for the Lord to move in a specific way? Is there something that pains your heart? You can’t see the future. You don’t know the outcome. All you can do is live one day at a time. You know the truth—to not worry, to cast all your anxieties on the Lord, and to believe He is able to do the impossible. And yet all you can do is wait, hope, trust, and rejoice in the Lord. It doesn’t feel like enough, but the situation remains out of your control.

Today, remember God’s promise that He is your help and your shield. Rejoice in the Lord for strengthening you in weakness and for providing you with wisdom and protection. Even during times of suf- fering, even during the waiting, even during this trial—rejoice in His holy name. As you rejoice through your affliction, the Lord promises to produce endurance and character. Your hope will grow stronger day by day as God pours out His everlasting and consistent love. As you wait, picture God’s love covering you like a warm blanket wrapping around you. You must sit and rest long enough to feel His love pouring out over you. Yes, circumstances may remain difficult, but God’s love for you is even greater. Hang on to hope, and don’t let go.

“We wait for Yahweh; He is our help and shield. For our hearts rejoice in Him because we trust in His holy name. May Your faithful love rest on us, Yahweh, for we put our hope in You.”

— Psalm 33:20–22

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Psalm 34:1 — “I will praise the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”
  • Romans 5:3–5 — “And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 — “Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”