An Overview of Psalm 34

Fear the Lord and Live Peaceably With All Men

Key Verse: “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” – Psalm 34:9

The Lord promises great blessings to His people. He has promised to:

1. free us from fear (34:4)
2. deliver us from trouble (34:6)
3. guard us (34:7)
4. show us kindness (34:8)
5. supply our needs (34:9)
6. listen when we talk with Him (34:15)
7. redeem us (34:22)

We can appropriate these blessings when we:

1. seek Him (34:4, 10)
2. cry out to Him (34:6, 17)
3. trust Him (34:8)
4. fear Him (34, 7, 9)
5. keep from lying (34:13)
6. turn from sin, do good, and seek peace (34:14)
7. have humble hearts (34:18)
8. serve him (34:22)

An Overview of the Chapter:

34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteh in him.” [compare 1 Peter 2:3]

“. . .taste and see. . .”does not mean, “Check out the Lord’s credentials.” Instead it is a warm invitation to “Try this, I know you will like it.” As we trust in the Lord daily, we experience how good and truly wonderful He is.

34:9-10 “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want in them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” [Compare Psalm 23:1; 31:23-24]

You believe that you belong to the Lord, but do you fear Him – that is, do you reverence Him? To fear the Lord means to show deep respect and honor to Him. We demonstrate true reverence by our humble attitude and our genuine worship. Abraham (See Genesis 17:2-4), Moses (See Exodus 3:5,6) and the Israelites (See Exodus 19:16-24), all showed reverence. They each had varied reactions to the presence of the Lord, but all deeply respected Him.

We may question David’s statements because at times it seems that we lack many good things. This is not a blanket promise that every Christian will have everything that he wants. Rather, this is David’s praise for the Lord’s goodness in his life. The lesson that David is teaching us here is all those who call upon the Lord in their hour of need will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways.

Always remember, the Lord knows what we need even before we even ask Him and He knows our deepest needs are spiritual. Many Christians, even though they may face unbelievable poverty and hardships, still maintain enough spiritual nourishment to live for the Lord. David was saying to have the Lord is all you really need. The Lord is enough!

If at any time you feel that you don’t have everything you need ask yourself these questions:
1. Is this really a need?
2. Is this really good for me?
3. Is this the best time for me to have what I desire, or should I wait?

Even if you answer yes to all of these questions, the Lord may allow you to go without to help you learn to be more dependent upon Him. He may be trying to teach you that you really need Him, more than your immediate desires.

34:11-14 “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” (See also James 1:26; Romans 14:18-19; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 3:10-12)

David feared the Lord and for the most part chose the way of goodness and peace. He even treated some of his worst enemies with kindness (See 1 Samuel 24:1-8, 26:5-25).

Scriptures often connect the fear of the Lord with obedience. For example: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13

“Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words: and my father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” – John 14:23

David said that a person who fears the Lord doesn’t lie, turns from sin, does well, and promotes peace. Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in Church. It includes obeying the Lord in the way we speak and the way we treat others. David encouraged others to fear and trust the Lord, and to exemplify faith, truth, obedience and goodness in their lives.

The Conclusion of the Matter:

Romans 12:9-18 puts the final period in place on the subject on how we ought to fear the Lord and live peaceably with all men.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Notes:

12:9 dissimilation – hypocrisy

12:12 continuing instant – constant

12:16 mind not on high things – do not be proud
condescend to – associate with
estate – position
conceits – estimation

12:17 recompense – repay
provide things honest – do what is right!

I do not mean to come across as being callous, cruel, or mean-spirited, but the older I get, the more discouraged and dishearten I become as I watch some of our young people - the future of our world, place themselves in a proverbial box called defeatism. Unquestionably, some of us have grown up in unfavorable conditions and in an unkind society that constantly reminds us, and in some cases has thoroughly convinced us, that our father never amounted to much, and our mother has never amounted to much, and so, as the proverbial apple never seems to fall far from the tree, we ourselves can expect to never amount to much either. The tragedy of it all is that society is not alone in painting this picture of hopelessness and despair, but that same picture hangs on the walls in our homes, as well as, in the classrooms of our schools.

I wish to send a very clear, precise, and concise message to our youth of today: the time has come for you to stop wallowing in the mud of hopelessness and slowly drowning yourselves in the sea called despair. Now is the time to break free from that proverbial box that you have found yourselves in, and from the strangling chords of the voices of naysayers who preach negativism and defeatism. Rise above your current station in life. You can if you believe that you can!

Maybe it is true that your father and mother have never done anything to make an honorable name for themselves, or have ever tried to get out of their current situations and better themselves. Maybe it is true that you were born in unfavorable and adverse conditions. Maybe it is true that all of your young life people have done nothing but knock you down and kick you while you were down. However, it does not have to stay that way. Though the night may seem dark and dreary, nighttime only last for a season and then the morning comes. And with the dawning of the morning comes a light of hope that shines bright as the noon day sun.

Now is the time for you to start realizing that you are not your father and you are not your mother. God Almighty has made each of us uniquely YOU. He has meted to you and me a measure of faith, hope, courage, talents, and abilities. It is time for you to put behind you those things that once were, and press forward to obtain those things that can, and (with faith, hope, patience, determination, and endurance) will be. Stop listening to the perpetual lies of those who do not have your best interest at heart, and start believing in yourself. You can do whatever it is you have a mind to do, and you can become whatever it is that you have a desire to become in life, but YOU have to believe that you can do it. If you cannot believe in yourselves, how can you honestly expect anyone else to?

Do not become discouraged if at first you do not succeed at doing something, but try and try again knowing that the road to success is often filled with potholes called failure. Many a success in life has been wrought through heartache and failure, so don't let that stop you. Even along the road of success will be hurdles and discouragement which you will have to get over, but don't let that stop you either. Continue to run your race with your head held high and a song of hope and gladness in your heart. You may not be the first to cross the finishing line, but then the winner of a race is not always necessarily the swiftest runner in the race, but he who runs his race well by remaining focused, staying his course, and enduring to the end.

There will be times along the way when you may become weary. Stop and rest for a little while if you must, but don't give up, give in, or quit. Remain focused on your goals and objectives. The finishing line is just in sight. You can make it. Yes you can! May God give you the hope, courage, faith, and determination to endure to the end. God bless you all!