Magnify & Exalt God

(Psalm 34)

Mike Johnson

Our study is from Psalm 34.  The title comes from verse 3, which says, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  We are to magnify and exalt the name of God, and this psalm tells us how and why we should do this.  Other commonly used titles, which help us understand what this psalm is about, are “God is Good,” “Trust in the Lord,” “Taste and See that the Lord is Good,” and “Praise from a Cave.”  The word “Lord” (NKJV) occurs fifteen times in this psalm, allowing us to clearly understand its focus.  The writer tells us of all God — our deliverer — has done for us and how we can trust Him.

Psalm 34 is an acrostic (alphabetical) psalm, i.e., one where each verse (or section) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  (Other acrostic psalms are Psalms 25, 111, 119, and 145.)  However, it is an irregular alphabetical psalm as one letter is missing, and another is out of order.

This psalm also contains a beatitude as verse 8b says of God, “Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”  (Compare to Ps. 1:1 and 2:12.)  It forms a cluster of three psalms with a beatitude as the two preceding psalms also contains them (Note 32:1-2, 33:12).

Many may be familiar with some of Psalm 34 due to it being quoted several times in the New Testament.  1 Peter 3:10-12, for example, quotes verses 12-16.  Verse 20 of the psalm, which speaks of the bones of the righteous not being broken, is quoted in John 19:36 and applied to Christ in connection with His crucifixion.

This psalm is generally classified as a “Psalm of Thanksgiving,” although the writer does not directly address God.  Some classify it as a “Hymn of Praise,” like Psalm 145 and 146.

Although we will divide the psalm into several parts, a broader division has verses 1-10 called a hymn and verses 11-22 labeled as a sermon (Spurgeon).  Alternatively, verses 1-10 might be called Personal Testimony and verses 11-22 Personal Teaching.

In this beautiful psalm, David tells us of God’s wonderful blessings and encourages all to praise the Lord!

The Superscription 

Many of the psalms have superscriptions (titles) at the beginning.  These do not appear to be a part of the original text but are very ancient and probably dependable.  Some have no titles (e.g., 1); some list the author and the occasion of the writing (e.g., 3, 18, 51); some cite only the name of the author (e.g., 25).  In its title, Psalm 34 lists the author and the occasion.  Its title says, “A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.”  There is nothing in this psalm itself to connect it to the event mentioned in the superscription.  However, we will assume the title is correct for the purpose of this study.  If it is not, there is no loss from the standpoint of the lessons gained.

The event, described in the title, is spoken of in 1 Samuel 21:10-15.  Consider some background information leading to this.  David heroically fought Israel’s enemies, showing his bravery when he killed the Philistine giant, Goliath.  King Saul became very jealous of him and tried more than once to kill him with a spear.  David eventually fled to Gath, one of the chief Philistine cities and the home of Goliath.  (David must have been very desperate to go to this place.)

The superscription speaks of “Abimelech” as the king of Gath.  Yet, the text in 1 Samuel says the king was Achish.  Some say this is a contradiction.  As noted, the titles are not inspired, so this could be a mistake.  However, the solution lies elsewhere as Abimelech was a title there as Pharaoh was in Egypt.  Thus, Achish was the personal name of the king of Gath.

Consider David’s actions during this period of his life, which might be referred to as not David’s “finest hour.”  He engaged in a lot of deceit (1 Sam. 19:11-18; 20:5-6; 21:4-6, 12:15).  His lies to Ahimelech, the priest, resulted in Saul killing 85 innocent priests (1 Sam. 22:6-18).  David’s statements in Psalm 34 about trusting God and not speaking deceit do not seem to reflect his recent actions.  He does not attempt to justify himself, nor does he express repentance.  However, there is no need to assume he wrote this precisely during his time in Gath.

Note the following explanation.  Elsewhere, the superscription above Psalm 56 cites David as its author and connects this writing to the same time frame as Psalm 34.  It states, “ . . . A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.” This psalm starts out saying, “Be merciful to me, O God . . . .”  Then verse 4 says, “In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear.  What can flesh do to me?”  With this in mind, consider a possible sequence of events.  First, David flees Saul and may have tried to conceal his identity.  After his arrest, in a desperate state, he faked insanity.  Being deceived, the king then looked on David as not being a threat, and he eventually escaped and fled to the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1).  After arriving there, David realizes how he had acted in fearing man instead of trusting God (Ps. 56:10-11).  In Psalm 56, David confesses his sin and expresses his renewed trust in God.  Afterward, he wrote Psalm 34, having received forgiveness and praises God who delivered him.  Consider now the first section.

A Promise of Praise (1-3)

The psalm begins, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”  This verse involves the use of synonymous parallelism (bless/praise; all times/continually).  David had faced so much adversity.  If we are correct with the time frame of events, he is a fugitive, living in a cave.  This period may have been before the 400 joined him (1 Sam. 22:2), so he was lonely, possibly living in isolation.  The possibility of receiving help from the Philistines has fallen through.  Yet, despite his circumstances, he would continuously praise God, and He would do so at all times.  Adversity did not stop his desire to worship.  Psalm 146:2 says, “While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

David also says he would praise him with his mouth.  He did not just silently praise God in his heart — he would express his praise in such a way so others might hear him.  Psalm 92:1-2 says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.”

Today, like David, we should praise God at all times.  We should bless him when prosperous or poor, happy or sad, healthy or sick, both publicly and privately.

In verse 2, David continues, “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad.”  Verse 1 seems to stress the frequency of David’s praise, while this verse emphasizes its focus.

Today, people frequently use the word “boast” negatively.  This use is not the case with the Hebrew word (halal) found here.  The definition of this word is “to praise, celebrate, glory, sing (praise), boast” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words).  Most translations render it as “boast” in verse 2, but “praise” is the typical rendering in other passages.  The Hebrew word occurs many times in Psalms.  Psalm 113-118 are often referred to as the “Hallel Psalms.”  These psalms involve praising God for deliverance from the Egyptian bondage (Vines).  Thus, the Psalmist is simply saying he would praise the Lord!

People who receive God’s mercy and deliverance should be willing to share this news with others.  Such was the case with David.  When he “boasted” in the Lord (2b), it says certain ones (the humble) would hear his praise and be glad.  The implication is that those who lacked humility would not listen and be glad.

Jesus illustrates this concept in the “Parable of the Sower” (Mt. 13:1-33).  A sower sowed seed (the Word of God – Lk. 8:11) on four soil types.  Only on the good soil did the seed grow and yield a good crop.  The reason cited (Lk. 8:15) is that the person represented by the good ground had a “noble and good heart,” so the disposition of the hearer made the difference.

The book of Acts shows this concept as well.  In Acts 2, Peter preached the first gospel message to the people on the day of Pentecost.  He preached to the Jews about Christ and His resurrection, and he even accused His hearers of having killed the son of God.  How did they respond?  They were “cut to the heart” and asked what they needed to do to be saved.  Later, Stephen preached the same basic message to the Jewish leaders (Acts 7).  They responded by stoning him to death (Acts 7:54-60).  Why the difference?  It was the hearts of the hearers — the humble hear and are “glad!”

In verse 3, he exhorts, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  With verse 1 expressing the frequency of David’s praise and verse 2a indicating its focus, verse 3 (along with 2b) describes the fellowship of his praise. He does not only want to praise God himself, but he encourages others (the humble) to join him.

Magnifying God involves asserting His greatness and glorifying His name.  We cannot add to God’s glory to make it more significant than it is, but we can join others in praising Him.  Psalm 35:27 urges, “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’” Psalm 70:4 further says, “Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’”

God Delivers (4-7)

In verse 4, David reveals, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  We do not know which situation of deliverance David was speaking of here.  Based on the psalm’s title, as we have discussed earlier, consider it to be when David fled to Gath.  Eventually, he was discovered and brought before King Achish.  At this point, David faked being insane, and the king said to his servants (1 Sam. 21:14-15), “Look, you see the man is insane.  Why have you brought him to me?  Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?  Shall this fellow come into my house?”  It does not seem David had to flee — instead, perhaps a more apt description is he was “kicked out” of the country.  At this point, David’s faith could be called a “limping faith,” but no doubt, God’s providence was involved in delivering him.  David was able to escape to the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1-2), where his family and 400 loyalists eventually joined him.

In verse 4b, we learn that God not only delivered David, but He delivered him from his fears; God had extricated David, not only from his fears but also from the causes of his fears.  People of the world may be free from their troubles but not from their fears — David was free from both.

Consider four stages in this verse: (1) David had fears (2) He sought (3) God heard (4) God delivered (The Treasure of David).

Verse 5 describes the reaction of the humble, introduced in verse 2, to David’s deliverance.  “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”  The Hebrew word translated “radiant” describes a beaming person, i.e., one who is delighted about something.  The use in this verse is, “A verb meaning to be radiant.  It means to shine, to glow, to beam over deliverance from God . . .” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament).  The humble were comforted by what they had seen God do.

The last part of verse 5 also says, “their faces were not ashamed.”  Many passages in Psalms speak of God’s people not being ashamed.  This disposition contrasts with the shame the enemies of God felt due to their gods’ failures, who could not deliver them.  In Psalm 6:10, for example, David asked, “Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”  In Psalm 22:4-5, he affirmed, “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them.  They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.”  David and the humble sought God, and He delivered; their enemies would not be able to ridicule God who did not disappoint the righteous.  They were not made ashamed!

The psalm continues with verse 6, “This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.”  This verse is a repetition of verse 4, except that the earlier verse uses the first person, and this verse uses the third. It seems now that David is referring to himself as the poor man who cries out.  He speaks this way, it seems, to provide more of an impact.

At this time, David was poor in two ways.  First, he was possibly living in a cave and was destitute materially.  Even today, Christians may face financial problems, sometimes due to their stand for truth.  He was also poor in the sense of being oppressed and in an unfortunate situation.  We sometimes use the word today to refer to someone being deserving of pity or sympathy.

Consider the meaning of the Hebrew word used here.  “An adjective meaning poor, afflicted.  It refers to those who are suffering, in a state of poverty, oppression, misery from various causes: from being poor, needy . . . unfortunate, in want...”  (The Complete Word Study Dictionary)  Sometimes the word is translated as “afflicted.”

While fleeing from Saul, David could likely refer to himself as materially poor, and without a   doubt, he was afflicted.  Thus, in both ways, he was a poor man.

In verse 7, the Psalmist assures others, “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.”  David points out that assurance of God’s deliverance is not just for him but also for all who fear Him.  David, encamped in the woods, realizes there is no reason to fear man since the angel of the Lord is encamped around him (Note also Mt. 10:28).  The idea is that this angel had established a wall of protection around him, and he will also do so for those who fear God.

David was full of confidence at this time.  Consider other passages where he radiates confidence.  Psalm 27:1-3, he declares, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”  Today, with God on our side, we can have full confidence.  Hebrews 1:14, speaking of angels, says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”  Today, we also have angels as our ministering spirits!

Often, the Bible speaks of an angel of the Lord, but it also speaks of the angel of the Lord, which seems to be a reference to a particular angel.  Who is this angel of the Lord?  There are various viewpoints.  Some hold that the phrase “the angel of the Lord” refers to a select group of angels who acted in certain instances in the Lord’s interest but not necessarily the same angel each time.  Others say it involves an angel with a special commission.  A third position is that the angel of the Lord is a momentary descent of God into visibility.  Finally, some think the phrase speaks of the pre-incarnation of the second person of the trinity, i.e., Christ.

Many passages associate the angel of the Lord with deity (Gen. 22:1-18, 16:7-10, 31:10-13; Ex. 3:1-6).  There are also passages where a distinction occurs between the angel of the Lord and God (2 Sam. 24:15-16; Zech. 1:12-13).  It is possible that “the angel of the Lord” is Christ.

Further, note that the angel of the Lord’s encampment is around those who fear God and not around those who lack the fear of God.  As will be mentioned later, fearing God involves action on our part.  Ecclesiastes 12:13b informs us we must, “. . .  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.”

Exhortations for the Godly (8-10)

This section teaches the importance of fearing and seeking God.  Verse 8 reads, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”  As in verse 3, the writer, having received the benefits of trusting in God, encourages others to do the same, comparing the experience to a tasty morsel of food.  David, speaking on his experiences, is better qualified to make this recommendation.  In a state of panic, David tried escaping from Saul, but now he realizes the value of trusting God.

The Scriptures speak of the concept of tasting (eating and drinking) in other places.  For example, when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, he spoke of living water, which if someone drinks of, they would never thirst (Jn. 4:10, 13-14).  Further, various passages compare God’s Word to milk and meat (1 Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:12-13, 1 Pet. 2:2-3).  Consider Psalm 119:103, which says, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  How does God’s Word “taste” to you?  Sadly, many like the “taste” of sin, even preferring it.  Such people are misguided. Wickedness can involve pleasure (Heb. 11:25), but it also leads to eternal ruin (Rom. 6:23).

The later part of verse 8 says the man who trusts in the Lord is blessed.  Having “tasted” God, this person sees the benefits of trusting Him.  Consider Psalm 84:12, which says, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”  (Note also Ps. 2:12, Pb. 16:20, Isa. 30:18, and Jer. 17:7.)  New Christians, after obeying the gospel, and erring Christians, who return to God, often express a great sense of relief, knowing they are in a right relationship with God.  Faithful Christians benefit from knowing they have a God who answers their prayers; they are confident life on earth is not all there is, and they have heaven waiting for them.

Verses 9-10 instruct us, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”  Fearing God (9a) is parallel to seeking God (10b).  If we fear the Lord, we will seek Him.  The promise is, if we do this, we will have “no want” or “lack any good thing.”  This verse does not mean that righteous people will never have hardships, problems, or experience poverty of any kind — the Psalmist is not guaranteeing wealth.  The question is, “How is ‘not wanting” or a ‘good thing?’ defined?’”  Typically, people do not define these things in the same way God does.  God will take care of us and give us everything we need.  David expresses a similar sentiment in Psalm 37:25, where he reminisced, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”  (Also, note Matthew 6:33.)

Consider the contrast stated in verse 10.  The young lion lacks and suffers hunger, but those who fear God will not lack.  This passage may refer to a cub that has not developed hunting skills, or perhaps the younger lion is being contrasted with an older, weaker one.  These animals are respected for their strength and hunting skills, but even they sometimes experience hunger.  Regardless, those who fear God have more assurance than this fierce predator.

Children, Gather Around Me (11-14)

In verse 11, David now turns to others, saying, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  There is a change of style here as he turns from encouraging people to instructing them.  (The next few verses bear similarities to the book of Proverbs.)  Previously, he pointed out how he had experienced many good things from God, and now he explains that it is necessary to fear God to receive them.

He says, “Come you, children.”  The term “children” can be used in the sense of students, regardless of their age (Pb. 1:8, Jn. 13:33).  However, perhaps the term is used here in its usual sense.  He addresses young people with whom he is currently associated or even those who may later read his instructions.  As noted earlier, David may have written this psalm in the cave of Adullam.  While there, the discontented and distressed joined him and his family (1 Sam. 22:1-2).

The verses that follow tell us that fearing God is not just an academic matter, but we must carry it out — we show that we fear God by our actions.  It is not merely learned but lived, manifesting itself in practical ways.  What follows is not an all-inclusive definition of what it means to fear God, but it is a representative sample.  Thus, “Gather round me, children, and I will show you what it takes to fear God.”  David is asking for their attention, and now he will instruct them.

He writes, “I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  By “fear,” he means reverence, awe, and respect toward God.  This phrase shows us that we must teach the concept of fearing God — it is learned and does not just come naturally.  Today, a new Christian most likely will have some understanding of this concept, but teaching on it must be continued (Mt. 28:18-20).

He tells them of a blessing, which follows those who fear God.  He asks in verse 12, “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?”  The answer to this question is “practically everyone.”  The question is almost rhetorical as most everyone wants to live a long and productive life.  This desire is not wrong — in fact, it is practically innate.  If you want this, you must fear God and what follows tells us what fearing God involves.  (Note also Ephesians 6:1-3.)

Consider now the course of action one must follow, listed in verses 13-14, where the Psalmist instructs, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”  So, David tells the children gathered around him to:

1. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceit (14a). In a broad sense, people should keep their tongues from evil.  A specific example of not doing this would be speaking deceit, i.e., lying.  This statement might seem strange coming from David while he was fleeing Saul, as he was a classic deceiver.  Again, there were events connected with Michal, David’s wife (1 Sam. 19:12-18).  He asked Jonathan to lie concerning his absence at Saul’s table (1 Sam. 20:1-6).  David lied to Ahimelech about the reason for his visit, which resulted in the death of many innocent people, and he lied to the king of Gath regarding his identity and mental state (1 Sam. 21:10-15).  With this in mind, how could David make the above statement about not being deceitful?  As noted earlier, Psalm 56, written at about the same time, must be considered.  Before this writing, it seems he feared Saul and king Achish more than he feared God.  Hence, David’s statement in verse 13 came from what he learned.  (See earlier discussion.)
2. Depart from evil (14a). Since David says we should depart from evil, this indicates there are times when we might find ourselves near it, which will happen since we live in a wicked world (1 Cor. 5:10, 15:33).  We must depart from all evil company, deeds, and speech.  The Bible clearly teaches we are to hate and avoid evil.  Elsewhere, Proverbs 8:13 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”  1 Thessalonians 5:22 teaches that we are to “abstain from every form of evil.”
3. Do good (14b). It is not enough to depart from evil, but we must pursue good.  Departing from evil is defensive — it is a retreat.  Doing right is offensive — it is a charge.  If we depart from iniquity, it is easier to do good.  How do we define good?  The Scriptures teach us what good is (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  It tells us that Jesus (Acts 10:38) “went about doing good,” and we are to follow His example (1 Peter 2:21).  Dorcus, a woman who lived in the days of the early church, was “full of good works” (Acts 9:36).  In Galatians 6:10, Paul admonished the Galatians, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”  (Note also 1 Tim. 6:18 and 2 Thess. 3:13.)
4. Seek peace and pursue it (14c). We must seek peace with God, but here he seems to be talking about peace with other people.  He tells us we cannot wait for peace to come — we must seek it, and, even further, we must pursue  The word translated “pursue” means to “run after;” we must vigorously pursue it.  The New Testament emphasizes the importance of seeking peace. If we want to see the Lord, we must pursue it.  Hebrews 12:14 tells us we must “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”   Paul told the young evangelist Timothy (2 Tim. 2:22) to “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (Note also Rom. 14:19 and Mt. 5:23-24.)  Sometimes peace is not possible, as Romans 12:18 lets us know when it says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.  However, the whole context (9-21) tells us how to live at peace and act toward our enemies.

The Psalmist tells us he will teach us to fear God.  Then, verses 13-14 contain his instruction on how to do this.  As we have noted, those who genuinely fear God will act in a certain way.  Note the connection Peter makes between fearing God and obedience.  He said, speaking to the Gentiles, in Acts 10:34-35, “. . . In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”

Advantages to Serving God (15-22)

Verse 15 restates the concept of verse 6.  The writer assures us as he points out how “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”  Here God is personified, having “eyes” and “ears” — human qualities.  This verse, also quoted in 1 Peter 3:12, shows God’s concern and His involvement in the lives of the righteous.  Note also the prayer of Solomon when dedicating the newly built temple in 2 Chronicles 6:40 as he stated, “. . . let Your eyes be open and let Your ears be attentive to the prayer made in this place.”

Personification continues in verse 16, where the opposite is said.  “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”  God is attentive to the righteous, but not so with those who do evil.

In 16b, he speaks of cutting off the memories of the evil from the earth.  People desire to be remembered favorably.  For example, parents name a child after a beloved relative; monuments are constructed, and places are named for people who have accomplished great things.  However, if people have done something particularly revolting, good people will want to forget them, even after their death.  Such people have done nothing good to be remembered for — they are infamous.  As Proverbs 10:7 says, “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot.”

In verse 17, he declares, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.”  There is a significant advantage of being righteous. (This blessing only applies to them.)  They cry out; God hears and delivers them.  In the New Testament, James 5:16 points out, “. . .The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  1 John 3:22 presents the same concept.  It says, “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

The is great assurance to be found in verse 17.  Notice, however, some people this would not apply to

1. Atheists – These do not even believe in God.
2. Agnostics – These do not even know whether there is a God or not.
3. Religious people who are not Christians – It takes more than just being religious to be righteous.
4. Unfaithful Christians – These have fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4, 1 Cor. 10:12) and need to start being righteous again for God to hear their cry.

We should all appreciate the privilege of prayer.  Imagine yourself not being able to approach God in prayer — to “cry out” to the Lord.  Consider not being able to receive deliverance from the Lord and to receive the other blessings listed.  But, this situation is changeable if we are willing to obey God.  Consider 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  Today, a person can become a Christian (Heb.11:6, Rom. 10:10, Mk. 16:16, Acts 2:38) and then turn away from God.  Even though they can fall from grace (Gal. 5:4), it is possible to return (Acts 8:22, 1 Jn. 1:8-10).

Verse 18 states, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”  The benefits continue!  The first and second part of this verse is saying about the same thing.  In both cases, he is speaking of a burden.   This situation could refer to the burden of sin or a person discouraged due to tribulations.

Consider the concept of God being “near” (18a).  Since God is omnipresent, isn’t He always near, and isn’t He near to everyone?  The answer is, “yes.”  Proverbs 15:3 explains, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”   Verse 18, however, seems to be employing figurative language and is expressing the concept that God is attentive and watchful, and He is always ready to help the righteous.  If a person is near, they can more likely help us; if the individual is far away, it is less likely.  In Psalm 22:11, David makes this request of God, “Be not far from Me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.”

Continuing in verse 18, we see that the Lord is near those “who have a broken heart.”  The Hebrew word used here means “. . . to break, to burst, to break in pieces, to break down, to break up, to smash, to shatter, to bring to birth.” The word is most often used to express bursting or breaking . . .”  (from The Complete Word Study Dictionary). In this verse, a “broken heart” refers to a person whose whole heart is “crushed” by sorrow or sin.  So, God is near to such people.  Elsewhere, we learn in Isaiah 61:1 that God sent Isaiah to “. . . preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted . . . .” (See also Ps. 147:3.)

In 18b, we see how the Lord “saves such as have a contrite spirit.”  The Hebrew word translated “contrite” is defined as, “An adjective meaning destruction, a crumbled substance, an object crushed into a powder, or pulverized dust.”  (from The Complete Word Study Dictionary)  This phrase refers to one who is broken and in pain; it involves humility.  God would save such a one.  To be forgiven, we must have the attitude portrayed in this verse.  Elsewhere, David points out what God desires, as he says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart —  these, O God, You will not despise.” (Note also Isa. 57:15, 66:2.)

In his commentary, John Gill points out how this section refers to those:

Who are pressed and bore down with afflictions, by the sorrow of heart under which their spirits are broken . . . or with a sense of sin, and sorrow for it, for which their hearts smite them, and they are wounded by it, and broken with it: to these the Lord is nigh; not in a general way only, as he is to all men, being God omnipresent, but in a special manner; he comes and manifests himself to them in a gracious way, pours in the oil and wine of his love, and binds up their broken hearts; yea, comes and dwells with them: he does not pass by them and neglect them, much less make the breach worse; he does not break the bruised reeds, but he heals their breaches” (from John Gill’s Exposition of the Old and New Testaments)

In verse 19, the Psalmist further explains, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  When people become Christians, it does not mean they will never face hardships and afflictions.  In fact, in some cases, persecutions might be worse.  Previously, Satan had them under his control, so he did not need to try to cause discouragement.  However, when people are not in the devil’s fold, he will do all he can to gather them back in.  In 1 Peter 4:1-5, 12-14, Peter told the early Christians they should not think it strange when they face “fiery trials.”  In John 15:18-20, Jesus told His disciples that if they hated Him, they would also hate them. The early church did experience trials.  Paul praised the church at Thessalonica for the way they handled these things when he said (2 Thess. 1:4), “so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.”

God can deliver us from all of our afflictions — from the tribulations of life and sin. “The lawyer can deliver his client but from strife, the physician can deliver his patient but from sickness, the master can deliver his servant but from bondage, but the Lord delivereth us from all.”  Henry Smith (from The Treasury of David.)

Verse 20 assures us, “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.”  God had been with David.  Despite all he had faced, David came out unscathed, even without a broken bone, and he attributed this to God.  Here, the word “bones” is possibly a figure of speech called a synecdoche where a part stands for the whole.  The bones refer to the entire frame or body.   Consider two other passages, which have a similar use of the word.  In Psalm 6:2, David pleaded to God, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”  In Psalm 32:3, he stated, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.”

No doubt David had escaped without broken bones, but the general idea is that God had physically preserved him during his trials.  If we are righteous, God will care for us, and all will turn out good in the end.

There is a further application.  According to Moses’s Law, the Passover lamb’s bones were not allowed to be broken (Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12).  This concept has Messianic implications due to its quotation in connection with Jesus’ death.  Consider John 19:31-36.

Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.  For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

The Psalm ends with verses 21-22.  “(21) Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. (22) The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”

Verse 21 is a personification of evil.  The corruption of the wicked, designed for others, will come back on them, and it will “slay” them.  They may treat the righteous with contempt, but they will be judged (1 Pet. 4:4-5).

God’s approach is different toward the righteous.  Instead of being condemned, they will be redeemed.  Today, righteous people are sometimes hated and mistreated by the wicked.  Yet, God redeems His people (Col. 1:14, Rom. 8:1), and He will save them.

Psalm 34 is a beautiful psalm in which the writer not only praises God, but he calls upon others to do so (1-3).  To the righteous people, who trust God in everything, God offers deliverance and protection.  Also, from the psalm, we are reminded that fearing God involves action.  We must: not commit evil with our tongues, depart from evil, do good, and seek and pursue peace (13-14).  It is also essential to remember that God’s eyes are over us if we are righteous, and He opens His ears to our prayers (15).  Further, God will deliver us from trouble, and He is near us and will save us if we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit (18).  It is necessary to rely on God, and we must remember that He is always there for us!