Experience God’s Goodness for Yourself
In Psalm 34, David has experienced the goodness of God in his life and exhorts others to experience that goodness for themselves (34:8). David says the key to experience God’s goodness is to live a life fearing the Lord (34:9). David knows that not everyone understands how to fear the Lord, and gives five lessons.
The first lesson: Do Not Follow Evil But Pursue Goodness & Peace (34:13-14). Guard your tongue so that it will not be hurtful & deceitful to others. Pursue peace and seek to obey God’s word.
The second lesson: God Honours Those Who Live Righteously (34:15-16). The Lord is attentive to those that live rightly. He “Sees” and he “hears” their cries as He watches over them. The wicked will face the judgement that they deserve.
The third lesson: Pray To The Lord In Times Of Trouble (34:17-18). God is compassionate towards His people and delivers them out of trouble. The LORD is near those that have been crushed in their spirit by their circumstances.
The fourth lesson: Remain Faithful To The Lord (34:19-20). He delivers the righteous from the trials and afflictions of this life. This does not mean that believers will not go through trials; but rather that God sets a time that the trial will end. He enables the faithful to endure that which He has allowed.
The fifth lesson: Take Refuge In God And You Will Not Be Disappointed (34:21-22). There is a distinct difference in the destinies of the righteous and the wicked. The wicked will be judged by God and will stand condemned by their own guilt. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (34:22; Rom 8:1).