Psalm 34
לְדָוִ֗ד בְּשַׁנּוֹת֣וֹ אֶת טַ֭עְמוֹ לִפְנֵ֣י אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ וַֽ֝יְגָרֲשֵׁ֗הוּ וַיֵּלַֽךְ
BSB
Taste and See That the LORD Is Good
(1 Samuel 21:8–15)
Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away.
1I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
2My soul boasts in the LORD;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
3Magnify the LORD with me;
let us exalt His name together.
4I sought the LORD, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
5Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;
their faces shall never be ashamed.
6This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him;
He saved him from all his troubles.
7The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
and he delivers them.
8Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9Fear the LORD, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10Young lions go lacking and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12Who is the man who delights in life,
who desires to see good days?
13Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.
14Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and His ears are inclined to their cry.
16But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
17The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted;
He saves the contrite in spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him from them all.
20He protects all his bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21Evil will slay the wicked,
and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.
22The LORD redeems His servants,
and none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
Introduction
Psalms 34
This psalm was penned upon a particular occasion, as appears by the title, and yet there is little in it peculiar to that occasion, but that which is general, both by way of thanksgiving to God an instruction to us. I. He praises God for the experience which he and others had had of his goodness (Psa 34:1-6). II. He encourages all good people to trust in God and to seek to him (Psa 34:7-10). III. He gives good counsel to us all, as unto children, to take heed of sin, and to make conscience of our duty both to God and man (Psa 34:11-14). IV. To enforce this good counsel he shows God's favour to the righteous and his displeasure against the wicked, in which he sets before us good and evil, the blessing and the curse (Psa 34:15-22). So that, in singing this psalm, we are both to give glory to God and to teach and admonish ourselves and one another.
A psalm of David when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
Cross-references: Ps 34:1 · Ps 34:7 · Ps 34:11 · Ps 34:15