Psalm 34:1-5 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed." (NASB)
The context of this Psalm is very interesting. David had turned himself in to his mortal enemy King Abimilech, probably in shock at being betrayed by King Saul of Israel who had tried to murder him. At the last moment, David pretended to be insane and was released instead of executed. This Psalm is the praise that he gave God after that. The last verse (v. 5) says that "they looked to Him and were RADIANT!" Trust in the Lord sets one apart and people will notice it.
It also says, "And their faces will never be ashamed." God will always come through in some way to help you bear the circumstance you are in, even if no "rescue" is forthcoming. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew this, and when they were confronted with worshiping Nebuchadnezzar or being thrown into the fiery furnace, they still would not bow the knee to those who would take the place of God Most High. They said it this way: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king." (Daniel 3:16,17) Then they said something fascinating to me: "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:18)
Their actions, like all our actions, have real consequences. It is NOT always easy to stand for God. Sometimes it costs us dearly, just like it did to the people mentioned in Hebrews 11:36-38: "and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill- treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground." Those who would preach a prosperity gospel have trouble with this verse, as do those who tell us that things "go better with Jesus," like the old "things go better with Coke" commercial. Not everyone will have a struggle-free life just because they are a child of God. What it DOES say simply mind-boggling - it says that the world is not worthy of those people. (It makes me ask myself if the world is worthy of me. I hope not.)
The direct implication to the Psalm of David is that we need to know and trust our God the way David did, the way Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (their Hebrew names) did, the way the unnamed believers in Hebrews did. When we see how much God loves us and how much he has done by restoring our souls and our sanity to us by the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, it can only inspire the worship and praise that David expressed in Psalm 34.
Let us be those that are getting to know our God as we continue steadfastly in the apostles' teaching, in fellowshipping with one another, in breaking bread (worshipping) together, and in prayer for a dying world. As we do this, we do the work of God's kingdom. (Interestingly, a direct translation of the Aramaic of that equates to "repairing the world." We repair the world from its current insanity when we follow Christ. Interesting, but another topic.)
May God richly bless you as you follow Him.
Gerry @ GSM ~ TCD
---
"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)
The context of this Psalm is very interesting. David had turned himself in to his mortal enemy King Abimilech, probably in shock at being betrayed by King Saul of Israel who had tried to murder him. At the last moment, David pretended to be insane and was released instead of executed. This Psalm is the praise that he gave God after that. The last verse (v. 5) says that "they looked to Him and were RADIANT!" Trust in the Lord sets one apart and people will notice it.
It also says, "And their faces will never be ashamed." God will always come through in some way to help you bear the circumstance you are in, even if no "rescue" is forthcoming. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew this, and when they were confronted with worshiping Nebuchadnezzar or being thrown into the fiery furnace, they still would not bow the knee to those who would take the place of God Most High. They said it this way: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king." (Daniel 3:16,17) Then they said something fascinating to me: "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:18)
Their actions, like all our actions, have real consequences. It is NOT always easy to stand for God. Sometimes it costs us dearly, just like it did to the people mentioned in Hebrews 11:36-38: "and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill- treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground." Those who would preach a prosperity gospel have trouble with this verse, as do those who tell us that things "go better with Jesus," like the old "things go better with Coke" commercial. Not everyone will have a struggle-free life just because they are a child of God. What it DOES say simply mind-boggling - it says that the world is not worthy of those people. (It makes me ask myself if the world is worthy of me. I hope not.)
The direct implication to the Psalm of David is that we need to know and trust our God the way David did, the way Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (their Hebrew names) did, the way the unnamed believers in Hebrews did. When we see how much God loves us and how much he has done by restoring our souls and our sanity to us by the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, it can only inspire the worship and praise that David expressed in Psalm 34.
Let us be those that are getting to know our God as we continue steadfastly in the apostles' teaching, in fellowshipping with one another, in breaking bread (worshipping) together, and in prayer for a dying world. As we do this, we do the work of God's kingdom. (Interestingly, a direct translation of the Aramaic of that equates to "repairing the world." We repair the world from its current insanity when we follow Christ. Interesting, but another topic.)
May God richly bless you as you follow Him.
Gerry @ GSM ~ TCD
---
"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)
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