Taste and See That the Lord is Good

The weather is changing, autumn leaves are falling, and many of us are in a season of gratitude and reflection as Thanksgiving approaches. Are you? As my family is gathering and spending more time indoors, I am more aware of my blessings and am confronted in new ways by God’s goodness. It’s a fitting season to soak in Psalm 34. All this month on the blog, let’s “Taste and See That the Lord is Good!”

Psalm 34 Background

David penned this Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s deliverance some time after he was set free from Abimelech* (or Achish, see 1 Samuel 21:10-15). David mentions blessings, seeking God, gathering to exalt Him, God’s good provision, and His nearness to His children and the hurting and brokenhearted. This Psalm is one of deep gratitude for God’s deliverance.

As we near our Thanksgiving Holiday here in the US, we tend to reflect on our blessings. We seek our “ever-near” God and gather to exalt Him and thank Him for His great provision.

Bless the Lord

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)

I love verse one. David says that he will bless the Lord “at all times.” What motivating words! Whether our situation be dangerous, dire, or simply downright exhausting, God is worth blessing! He is good, He loves us, and He worthy of all our praise. 

And those praises? We can sing, shout, whisper, or declare them. But like David says, it should continually be in our mouths. 

When more time is spent praising God with our mouths there is less for hurtful words, bickering, complaining, and gossip.

The world might be a better place if our tongues were more occupied with praising God. He certainly would be better glorified!

Boast in the Lord

My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad. (Psalm 34:2)

We have all dealt with pride and boasting at some point in our lives. Boasting comes naturally to us. From playgrounds to executive offices, haughty boasts abound.

But we humans aren’t the ones who should be at the center of boasting! If we boast at all, it should be about our God. He is good and perfect. He alone is holy, righteous, all-wise and all-powerful. How dare we boast in ourselves, right? 

Let’s let our boasts be in Him alone. (2 Corinthians 10:17) Instead of a chest puffed up with personal pride, we can let our hearts be full of joy, awe, and gladness because we have such an awesome God!

Magnify the Lord

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together! (Psalm 34:3)

This fall, as the days grow shorter and our gatherings grow longer, cozier, and more familiar, we can come together with other Believers in order to magnify God together. 

The Hebrew word translated as “magnify” in verse 3 is gadal, which means “advance, boast, bring up, exceed, excellent.” 

As we boast in the Lord, we magnify Him. We advance His name, His cause, His glory. It reminds me of John the Baptist’s words in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

Why do we gather together? Because He is so good and so wonderful that praising Him alone just doesn’t always suffice. As Christ’s body, we are in relationship with other Believers. Corporate worship is satisfying because He created us to be in communion with one another and with Him! 

For study and reflection:

1. Read the entire Psalm looking for things David says about blessings, seeking God, gathering to exalt Him, His provision, and God’s nearness to His children and the hurting and brokenhearted.

2. Write Psalm 34:1 today, then verse two tomorrow, and then verse three the next day. At the end of the three days, choose one verse to memorize.

3. How can you “bless the Lord at all times?” How would today look if you praised Him continually?

4. Who can you exalt the Lord with today?

5. Spend time in prayer, thanking God for being so good!

* According to theologian Norman Geisler, titles and subtitles weren’t original parts of the psalms. Due to their being added after the inspired work was penned, it’s possible that an error was made in this subtitle. Another plausible possibility is that Abimelech had two names, the other being Achish. This is not a far-fetched idea at all. Throughout Scripture we occasionally see one person with two names. For more, click here, or see the book titled When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992). © 2014 Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe.

Are you looking forward to diving in deeper to Psalm 34? I am!