CHAPTER 34

A PSALM OF DAVID: THANKS FOR DELIVERANCE

¹I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth (while these words are those of David, they are more so of the Greater Son of David; according to this Verse, we should praise the Lord continually).

²My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. (The word humble is the key word that unlocks the mystery of this Psalm. That the Holy Spirit should give this to David immediately after his degrading conduct in Gath is incomprehensible to the self-righteous and to strangers of the Spiritual Life. Verse 18 will explain it when we arrive at that Passage.)

³O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His Name together (the purpose of the schooling is to so humble the Saint that he will trust the Lord, praising and magnifying Jehovah).

⁴I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears (when the Believer is mortified, ashamed, broken, contrite in spirit, and amazed that such a wretch should find pardon and deliverance, then the soul is restored and fresh revelation is given respecting the Divine David, Who found deliverance, not by deceiving man, but in trusting God).

⁵They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed (such will always be the case).

⁶This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. (Here the Messiah portrays Himself as a poor man, because all mankind falls into the same category. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot deliver ourselves. In fact, self cannot improve self, irrespective of the efforts made.

To look at self clothes the face with misery; to look at man clothes it with distraction; to look at God makes it shine. So it was with Moses [II Cor., Chpt. 3].)

⁷The Angel of the LORD encamps round about them who fear Him, and delivers them (the Hebrew word for encamp is related to the name Mahanaim, meaning two camps [Gen. 32:12]; one was Jacobs feeble camp; the other, the encompassing camp of Gods mighty Angels [II Ki. 6:17]).

⁸O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him (here the eternal invitation is given to all that if they will only taste, then they will see that the LORD is good; regrettably, most will not taste).

⁹O fear the LORD, you His Saints: for there is no want to them who fear Him (this means that we understand that the Lord says what He means, and means what He says).

¹⁰The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they who seek the LORD shall not want any good thing (what a promise!).

¹¹Come, you children, hearken unto Me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD (we are told that the fear of the LORD is the secret of receiving good things; now we are told that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to fear the Lord).

¹²What man is he who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? (The next two Verses tell us how.)

¹³Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile (this can only be done as the Believer places his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, which then gives him the help of the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can tame the tongue [I Cor. 1:18; James, Chpt. 3]).

¹⁴Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry (His eyes are watching us, and His ears are listening to us; He is waiting for us to call on Him).

¹⁶The Face of the LORD is against them who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the Earth (which will ultimately be done!).

¹⁷The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles (take the problem to the Lord).

¹⁸The LORD is near unto them who are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit (man is naturally proud and, with pride being the foundational sin of all sin, man is not easily brought to the place of the broken heart and contrite spirit; the word contrite means broken and crushed; the Lord would bring David to this state despite his failure of faith).

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all (the Lord doesnt promise us a trouble-free existence, but He does promise to deliver us).

²⁰He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken (Satan may do some damage, but it will not be lethal!).

²¹Evil shall kill the wicked: and they who hate the righteous shall be desolate (because the Lord is with the righteous).

²²The LORD redeems the soul of His servants: and none of them who trust in Him shall be desolate (the latter phrase actually says shall be held guilty or shall be condemned; those whom God has redeemed He justifies and saves from all condemnation [Rom. 8:12]).