I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34 A devout hymn Homilist. I. AN EXEMPLIFICATION OF TRUE PRAISE. 1. It is thorough. (1) There is no praise without concentration of soul. (2) Distracting forces are rife. 2. It is constant. (1) In every department of action — intellectual, artistic, commercial, political. (2) In every circumstance of life — sorrow, joy, adversity, prosperity, bereavement, friendship. 3. It is exultant. God is the sum total of all excellence, the primal fount of all joy; therefore let us boast in Him. 4. It is social. The true worshipper becomes magnetic; he draws others to the shrine before which he falls. II. A REASON FOR TRUE PRAISE. 1. Past deliverance (ver. 4). (1) He had been "delivered out of all his troubles." His troubles were great in their variety, number, but he was delivered. (2) He had been delivered out of all his troubles by prayer. "I sought the Lord," etc. 2. Constant protection (ver. 7). ( Homilist. ) Blessing the Lord J. Bate. I. A RESOLUTION TO BLESS THE LORD, or to thank the Lord. 1. The things for which we ought to bless or thank the Lord: temporal; spiritual; personal; family; national; and Christian. 2. Whom we are to bless: "the Lord," the Giver of all; no mercy, except from Him; gives freely; bounteously, always. 3. When we are to bless the Lord: — "at all times." II. A RESOLUTION TO PRAISE THE LORD. 1. This is a resolution which Nature even approves. "All Thy works praise Thee, O Lord." 2. A resolution which reason sustains. 3. A resolution which Scripture examples encourage. 4. A resolution which is in analogy with the customs of social life. 5. A resolution which accords with our obligation. 6. A resolution which harmonizes with the employment of the heavenly inhabitants. 7. A resolution which, if carried out, will contribute much to life's happiness, and promote the glory of God in our spheres of action. ( J. Bate. ) My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Psalm 34:2 Rightful boasting W. Jay. We all are prone to boast, and often on very slender grounds. The worst are they who boast of their own goodness. We are to glory only in the Lord. Now such rightful boasting includes the elevation of joyous feeling, and the breaking forth of gratitude and praise. And the humble shall hear thereof. Others would tell them, or, if not, the psalmist himself would. Spiritual sadness seeks seclusion, but not so spiritual freedom and joy. Like the return of health and of day, it says to the prisoners, "Go forth"; to them that are in darkness, "Show yourselves." And the effect of this knowledge would be to make them glad. The Lord's followers are supposed to be mopish and melancholy; but they have a thousand sources of joy which others know not of. ( W. Jay. ) On glorying in God alone R. Lucas, D. D. What can better become us, who are the creatures of God, than to bless Him, and depend on Him? What can better become us, as Christians, than to be always praising add magnifying that God, to whose grace we owe our salvation and happiness? I. THE EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENT PERSONS ( Jeremiah 9:23, 24 ; 1 Corinthians 1:29-31 ). St. Paul himself was an eminent example of his own doctrine; for when, to vindicate himself, he found himself obliged to recount what he had done and suffered in the cause of Christianity, together with his endowments, graces and privileges, he begs pardon for it, calls it the foolishness of boasting, and as nothing less could excuse it, he pleads necessity for it ( 2 Corinthians 11:20 ). But this apostle, who was thus shy of glorying in his excellencies and advantages, lest he should seem too tender of his own honour, how forward he is to record his infirmities, that he might advance God's ( 2 Corinthians 12:9 ). We cannot be Christians unless God be all in all to us; unless we look upon Him as the source and spring of all good, the object of our joy and glory, and the ultimate end of our desires and hopes. II. WE HAVE RECEIVED ALL FROM HIM. Whether natural endowments, or worldly possessions, all that we are born to, and all that we acquire, judgment, courage, wit, eloquence, wealth, power, favour, and the like, we certainly owe to God. And if we derive all from God, acknowledgment and praise is the least sacrifice we can make Him. III. We depend so entirely upon God, that WE CAN REAP LITTLE BENEFIT, NAY, WE MAY SUFFER MUCH PREJUDICE BY THE MOST EXCELLENT ENDOWMENTS AND POSSESSIONS, UNLESS THEY BE SANCTIFIED BY HIS GRACE, AND BEFRIENDED BY HIS PROVIDENCE ( Ecclesiastes 9:11 ). How naturally do riches breed luxury! power tyranny! honour insolence! favour and applause vanity! IV. To BOAST IN ANYTHING BUT GOD IS A SYMPTOM OF EXTREME PROFANENESS AND IRRELIGION; for whence can this proceed, but from an understanding darkened by ignorance or infidelity, or from a heart alienated from God, and possessed by some vile idol? V. The heathen thought that there was an envious daemon, whose peculiar province it was to cast down the vainglorious and insolent; but we Christians are taught that TO HUMBLE "THE PROUD IS A WORK THAT GOD DELIGHTS IN ( Isaiah 2:12 ; James 4:6 ). And why does God take pleasure in this? To assert His sovereignty and dominion, to imprint an awe of His power upon the minds of mankind, and to extort from the proudest and vainest of mortals a confession of their meanness and His majesty. VI. MARKS BY WHICH WE MAY EXAMINE OURSELVES IN REFERENCE TO THIS MATTER. 1. If we have grateful hearts towards God, we shall let slip no occasion which invites us to praise and honour Him. Not only those things that are new and surprising, that are unusual or extraordinary, but also the common and ordinary works of God, and His constant and daily benefits, will affect our hearts with a devout and thankful remembrance of Him. 2. If we truly glory in the Lord, and in nothing else, our admiration and reverence, our love and gratitude will discover themselves, not only in our words, but in our actions. The principle which causes us to be humble and thankful towards God, will keep us from being disrespectful and insolent towards man; and, in general, we shall think it our duty, not only to glorify God by praise and thanksgiving, but also and especially by a right use and employment of His benefits and mercies. 3. The practice of this duty does by degrees advance us to a settled state of pleasure. What can be more delightful than the exercise of love, when the object of it is most perfect? ( Psalm 63:4, 5, 6 ). ( R. Lucas, D. D. ) O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3-7 A testimony meeting J. H. Jowett, M. A. "God's praises sound best in concert." The praise that lifts its voice in solitude is beautiful, but it is far more beautiful when heard in communion with the praise of one's fellows. Each instrument in the orchestra is enriched by the co-operation of the others. Each member in a chorus has his discernment sharpened, and his zeal intensified by the remaining members. So in the orchestra of praise. My own thanksgiving is quickened and enriched when I join it to the praises of others. The text appears to suggest that a number of thankful souls gathered together, and, each contributing his own testimony of the exceeding graciousness of God, they joined in an outburst of united and jubilant praise. Here is one of the testimonies: "I sought the Lord," etc. And here is the gladsome confession of quite a numerous company. "They looked unto Him and were lightened," etc. And here, again, is the witness of an inspired and grateful soul: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him," etc. 1. He was burdened with "fears." What did he make his resource? "I sought the Lord." The seeking was a real business. Into the inquisition he put his whole soul. And what was the issue of the search? "He heard me." The term implies heeding and responding. Man's "seeking" was responded to by a sympathetic movement on the part of God. "And delivered me," etc. That is a full-coloured word, abounding in strength and vitality. It suggests the act of rescuing something out of a beast's mouth. It is from spiritual havoc of this kind that our Lord delivers us. The rescue is not partial. The relief is by no means incomplete. The freedom is absolute. "He delivered me from all my fears." "God sweeps the field, slays the enemies, and even buries their bones." 2. Let us listen to the second of these grateful testimonies. "They looked unto Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed." The gracious answer of God brought a benediction of light. They "were lightened." Then before they must have been darkened. They were cheerless and depressed. They were "losing heart." "Thy looked unto Him." They gazed intently upon God. No snatch look, no hurried glances, no passing nod of recognition. A fixed and eager gaze. And what was the outcome of their gaze? They "were lightened." They were brightened up, lit up, made cheerful. "Now are ye light in the Lord." Depression gave way to buoyancy. Melancholy yielded to cheerfulness. 3. Let us now turn to the third of these witnesses, and hear his thankful confession. "This poor man cried," etc. What had been this man's peculiar burden? "Troubles." He had been in a "tight corner," a "tight place." In his straits he "cried unto the Lord." It was a short, sharp, urgent prayer. "Fervour is a heavenly ingredient in prayer; an arrow drawn with full strength hath a speedier issue; therefore the prayers of saints are expressed by crying in Scripture." Again we have the confession made by an earlier witness. "The Lord heard him," paid heed to him, and began the ministry of gracious response. "He saved him out of all his troubles." He opened a way out of the tight place. He led him out of straits into freedom. He gave him a sense of space. "Thou hast brought my feet into a large place." ( J. H. Jowett, M. A. ) A thanksgiving sermon B. Jenks. I. WHAT IT IS TO MAGNIFY THE LORD, AND EXALT HIS NAME. Let us not mistake in arrogating to ourselves that which is quite out of our reach, as if we, diminutive bits of God's creation, could enrich the exchequer of heaven. No, 'tis not at all in Himself, but only in our own minds, and others' esteem, that we are capable of greatening and advancing the most glorious and ever-blessed God. When we conceive in ourselves any worthy sentiments, becoming the Divine majesty and goodness; are filled with an admiring sense of His transcendent excellencies, and a grateful sense of His loving-kindness" and endeavour, all we can, to propagate the same magnificent and fair idea to others: this is the utmost whereof we are capable, to glorify God in such aggrandizing representations, as show Him somewhat like Himself. And thus we do magnify the God infinitely good, when we stand in admiration of such benignity, that we should have any comfort with our lives, when we have done so much to spoil all with our sins! Yea, that not a minute should pass but brings us a new favour from above; and gives us more assurance still that He desires our felicity, and cannot design our ruin. Thinking thus well of God, we do magnify the Lord, and exalt His name. II. THE PROPERTIES OF THIS EUCHARISTICAL SACRIFICE, AND HOW WE ARE TO OFFER IT. 1. It must be with the soul, from the altar of a sensible heart. To glory in Him is one way of giving glory to Him. 2. Though it must not be only a lip-service, we must not refrain our lips either. When our bodies are His temple, and our tongues the living bells articulately to sound His praise; how can we better employ the speaking faculty, than in celebrating His goodness that gave it? What we are transported with, we can hardly forbear to speak of, if we are full of it, 'tis apt to float on our tongues: and if the mercies of God affect our hearts, 'tis fit we should express the same, both to discharge a due debt ourselves, and also to kindle the like flame in others. 3. We must bless the Lord at all times (ver. 1); not only by fits, as it pleases us, or when extorted from us upon some occasions extraordinary, but with such a heart whose pulse may be His praise. Our holy living is the most effectual thanksgiving. When we justify the Divine laws by our obedience, and thus stand up to attest their high reasonableness and goodness, instead of repining at them as hard sayings and heavy burdens; showing that really we do admire and applaud them for the blessed products of an infinite wisdom and love, to contrive and effect our everlasting happiness: then do we give them the best commendation, to make all enamoured with those sacred institutions, which they not only hear set off in hollow encomiums, but see produce such happy effects ( John 15:8 ; Philippians 1:11 ). III. THE REASON WE HAVE THUS TO MAGNIFY THE LORD, AND EXALT HIS NAME. 1. It is the very end of our being. Man, as the priest of this inferior creation, is to offer up a general sacrifice in the name and behalf of all the rest; who in their several ways give a tacit consent, and (as it were) say Amen to the oblation: and when dumb and negligent to praise the Lord, we not only wrong ourselves, but rob multitudes that would do it, had they but our faculties and abilities to reason and express it. We not only stand for cyphers, but carry as an exorbitant rout, breaking our ranks and disordering the world, if we celebrate not His praise who has so set us up. 2. We have not only capacity, but all manner of obligations to it; even common justice hinds us to render to all their dues. Well may we extol Him, when He has done so for us ( Psalm 30:1 ). How many great luminaries else soever there be, all disappear at the rising sun; and all other benefactors must be even nullified to omnify the Supreme. 3. As we are obliged, so by the goodness of it encouraged to it ( Psalm 147:1 ). "It is pleasant, and praise is comely." It gives the pious soul a sweet satisfaction, like the pleasure which an honest man takes in paying his debts. The most delicious viands are not more grateful to a healthy body, than the praises of God are to a well-affected soul. This raises us even into heaven a forehand, to anticipate the anthems of the celestial choir. And how great is that honour, to be taken up in the work of angels! How much for our own praise to praise Him, that has given us both matter and hearts for it! ( B. Jenks. ) I sought the Lord, and He heard me. Psalm 34:4 The reasonableness of prayer R. Tuck, B. A. I. WHAT THE HEAD, LEFT TO ITSELF, THINKS ABOUT PRAYER. The head, discerning only the externality of it, sees man, the creature, venturing to go into the presence of Jehovah the Creator, and ask to have just what he may wish for. That is "prayer" as many seem to apprehend it. And the apprehension is so limited, and so imperfect, we cannot wonder it should occasion difficulty. Half the trouble is gone when we have worthily stated what prayer is. It is the act of acknowledged dependence. To connect every thought with the thought of God. To look on everything as His work and appointment. To submit every wish, thought, and resolve, to Him. That is prayer. And if that be the essence and life of prayer, and we can lay firm hold of it, then we are lifted into a serene region of calm, above the tempest that rages over such things as the possibilities of answer, and the relation of prayer to law. What does the head say about prayer? It says — 1. Prayer is not unreasonable. Admit that there is a God on whom we are all dependent, and every one will be found willing to acknowledge that no act is more proper and reasonable than that in which we seek Divine favour and blessing. The Theist, who prides himself on the guidance of reason, speaks eloquently of prayer. 2. The head is fully willing to recognize the fact that, in all ages, and in all climes, men have been moved by the impulse to prayer. Everywhere man has felt the presence of One higher than himself, and has turned yearning eyes toward Him. 3. The head finds no serious objection to urge against the abstract statement that God can hear and answer prayer. If He be God indeed, and if He did create us, reason can find no ground for denying that, in His Divine arrangements, God may consider the feelings and wishes of His creatures, as well as their positive needs. The matter of prayer may be presented so that our minds cannot but find serious objections and difficulties. Sometimes it seems to be expected that by prayer we may change the order of the outward universe. We have even seen statements which assume that prayer is the means by which "our wish determines God's will." Against either of these representations the head properly stumbles. II. WHAT THE HEAD, GUIDED BY THE HEART, THINKS ABOUT PRAYER. The text is a heart-inspired utterance. The heart-guided head says — 1. If God be a Father He must be a prayer-hearer. If He does not, He cannot be true to His name. Fatherhood pledges fatherly interest. If is the most simple and necessary thing that we, as children, should pray. It is the essential of His relation to us that God our Father should hear. 2. If God has promised, He surely knows how to perform. 3. The heart — guided head learns to set prayer in its proper limitations. 4. And, listening to all the objections urged against prayer, it quietly but firmly replies, "You cannot argue me out of the facts and experiences of my life. This I know, 'I sought the Lord, and He heard me'; and I shall go on praying, for I have proved the power of prayer." It is enough. We believe in the power of prayer. We see the glory of a praying life. ( R. Tuck, B. A. ) They looked unto Him and were lightened; and their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:5 Good authority for a good hope James Wells. How low, oftentimes, has been the condition of the people of God! See the lamentations of Jeremiah. But he and all God's saints have looked unto God and were lightened. Consider — I. THEIR EXPECTATION. "They looked unto Him." They did so under — 1. The deluge of sin. This universal; none ever escaped it. "We are all under sin." 2. The deluge of death. 3. Jehovah's eternal wrath. None, by and of themselves, can escape either. But Jesus said, "Lo, I come," and He hath rolled back the waters of each, for all them that look to Him. 4. Bondage. Israel was in bondage, and so are God's people now. But the Lord has promised to deliver them. "The sighing of the prisoners "comes before Him, and He preserves those that "are appointed to die." The sins of our nature are hard task-masters. II. CONFIRMATION. They "were lightened" in mind and in soul. Let us then rejoice in our religion, and we shall never be ashamed. ( James Wells. ) Looking unto Jesus From the connection we are to understand the pronoun "Him" as referring to the word "Lord" in the preceding verse. "They looked unto the Lord Jehovah, and were lightened." But no man ever yet looked to Jehovah God, as He is in Himself, and found any comfort in Him, for "our God is a consuming fire." The only way in which we can see God is through the Mediator Jesus Christ. I. First, LOOK TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN .HIS LIFE. Here the troubled saint will find the most to enlighten him. In the example, in the patience, in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, there are stars of glory to cheer the midnight darkness of the sky of your tribulation. One glimpse at Him may well suffice for all our toils while on the road. Cheered by His voice, nerved by His strength, we are prepared to do and suffer, even as He did, to the death. We trust that those of you who are weary Christians will not forget to "look unto Him, and be lightened." II. Come, then, poor, doubting, trembling sinners and saints — COME YE NOW TO CALVARY'S CROSS. Certain I am, that if we lived more with Jesus, were more like Jesus, and trusted more to Jesus, doubts and fears would be very scarce. "They looked unto Him, and were lightened." III. And now I invite you to a glorious scene — CHRIST'S RESURRECTION. You have lost, some of you, the dearest of your earthly relatives. There are others under the constant fear of death. Come, come, behold Jesus Christ risen! For remember, this is a great truth — "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept." IV. LOOK AT JESUS CHRIST ASCENDING INTO HEAVEN. You are wrestling with spiritual enemies; you are at war to-day, and mayhap the enemy has thrust sore at you, and you have been ready to fall; it is a marvel to you that you have not turned like a coward from the field. But tremble not, your Master was more than conqueror, and so shall you be. V. "LOOK UNTO HIM, AND BE LIGHTENED." See there He sits in heaven, He has led captivity captive, and now sits at the right hand of God for ever making intercession for us. Like a great high priest of old, He stands with outstretched arms: there is majesty in His mien, for He is no mean, cringing suppliant. If thou dost not succeed, He will; if thy intercession be unnoticed, His cannot be passed away. Oh! be of good cheer, continue still thy supplication. "Look unto Him, and be lightened." ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. Psalm 34:6, 7 Supernatural factor in prayer A. T. Pierson, D. D. The most dangerous doctrine concerning prayer is that current philosophy of the matter which presents a half-truth only; allowing the subjective value, but denying all objective efficacy to prayer — i.e. admitting a benefit, as attached to a devout habit, but limiting the benefit to the working of natural results entirely within the suppliant. The text affirms a positive advantage in prayer. Jehovah is represented as hearing prayer and interposing to save the suppliant. And the idea is further expanded by a reference to the deliverances wrought by the "Lord's angel." To a Jew, the angel of the Lord was a historic reality, working supernatural signs and wonders all through that wonderful career of the chosen people of God. When such events as these can be explained by natural Causes, by self-scrutiny, self-conquest and self-culture, then prayer may be brought down to the level of natural philosophy and moral philosophy. But, until then, there must remain in this mystery a supernatural factor. The Waldenses are the Israel of the Alps, who, in their mountain fastnesses, for centuries guarded the ark of primitive faith and worship, while the terrors of the Vatican confronted them — that summit of terror which was "an Olympus for its false gods, a Sinai for its thunders, and a Calvary for its blood." Read the story of the siege of La Balsille, their mountain fortress. Hemmed in by the French and Sardinian army through the summer, gaunt famine stared them in the face; the foe guarded every outlet of the valley, and their ungathered crops lay in the fields. In midwinter, driven by gnawings of hunger to visit the abandoned harvest fields, beneath the deep snows they found God had kept the grain unhurt, and part of it was gathered in good condition, a year and a half after it was sown! In the following spring a merciless cannonade broke down the breastworks behind which they hid, and the helpless band cried to the Lord. At once He who holds the winds in His fist, and rides in the clouds as a chariot, rolled over them a cloak of fog so dense that in the midst of their foes they escaped unseen! The power of prayer is the perpetual sign of the supernatural. Jonathan Edwards may be taken as an example of thousands. From the age of ten years, his prayers were astonishing both for the faith they exhibited and the results they secured. With the intellect of a cherub and the heart of a seraph, we can neither distrust his self-knowledge nor his absolute candour. His communion with God was so rapturous, that the extraordinary view of the glory of the Son of God, His pure, sweet love and grace, would overcome him so that for an hour he would be flooded with tears, weeping aloud. Prayer brought him such power as Peter at Pentecost scarcely illustrates more wonderfully. For instance, his sermon at Enfield, on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which, delivered without a gesture, nevertheless produced such effect that the audience leaped to their feet and clasped the pillars of the meeting-house lest they should slide into perdition. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Put Him to the test of experimental prayer and you shall need no testimony from another to establish your faith in the supernatural answers to prayer. His providence will guide your doubting steps like that glorious pillar of cloud and fire, and in that last great crisis when heart and flesh fail, and the valley and shadow of death is before you, the everlasting Arms shall be beneath you, and your refuge the Eternal God! ( A. T. Pierson, D. D. ) The poor man's poverty, prayer, and preservation J. S. Exell, M. A. I. THE POOR MAN'S POVERTY. "This poor man." 1. It was not the poverty of social dependence. David, the writer of this Psalm, was a king; governed a great nation; ruled a people of noble history; had vast resources; had numerous friends — therefore the designation of the text cannot refer to his temporal position. The fact is that our social position is no index to our real wealth or poverty. A man financially rich, may be morally poor. A man morally rich, may be financially poor. 2. It was not the poverty of intellectual weakness. David was not poor in mind. Not merely was he a king in position, but also in the empire of thought. His mind contained great ideas of God, of the soul, of life as a probation, of the future as a destiny. The lack of mental thought and energy is no aid to prayer. Converse with God requires great ideas. The language of want is simple; but it is full of meaning. Hence David was not poor in this respect. 3. It was not the poverty of spiritual indolence. David was not a moral pauper. He had not only a great soul, but it was well peopled with all that was noble and true. Faith in God was the governing influence of his soul. He loved the house of God. He delighted in the works of God. He was attached to the people of God. His religious experience was rich. His devotion was poetic. His soul was ever occupied with eternal realities. He was not poor in this respect. 4. It was the poverty of deep and true humility. He says, "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord" (ver. 2). The humble soul is always poor in faith, in spiritual aspiration, in moral service, in benevolent dispositions, in its own estimation. Herein consists His benediction — "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of God." The poverty of humility is not assumed, it is not canting, it is not self-depreciative; but it is silent, it is reverent. II. THE POOR MAN'S PRAYER. "This poor man cried." Humiliation is a good preparation for prayer. It most feels the need of devotion. It is the most easily taught the meaning of worship. It is the most persevering in its exercise. 1. The poor man's prayer was emphatic. It was a cry. David knew what he wanted. He was decided and vigorous in the articulation of his soul-wants. God allows in prayer the required emphasis of a needy but penitent spirit. It is not presumption. 2. The poor man's prayer was earnest. It was a cry. Not a cold request. Not a calm inquiry. The more a man feels his need, the more deeply does He express it. 3. The poor man's prayer was continuous. It was the habit of his soul rather than a transient act. Prayer should not be a momentary effort of the Christian life, but the natural communion of the soul with God, as speech is the easy and constant medium of communication with men. 4. The poor man's prayer was thoughtful and reasonable. It was presented to the rightful object of devotion, in a thoughtful spirit. David did not doubt the fitness of prayer to save from trouble — (1) Personal. (2) Domestic. (3) Commercial. (4) National. Are the sceptics of our day wiser, better, happier than he? 5. The poor man's prayer was successful. III. THE POOR MAN'S PRESERVATION. "And the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his trouble." 1. His preservation was associated with prayer. "And the Lord heard him." 2. His preservation was secured by Divine agency. 3. His preservation was comprehensive and effectual. "And saved him out of all his trouble."Learn: 1. Humility is the best qualification for prayer, and the most likely guarantee of favourable response. 2. That God is the helper of troubled souls. 3. That men in the highest stations of life need prayer. ( J. S. Exell, M. A. ) A poor man's cry, and what came of it I. THE NATURE AND THE EXCELLENCE OF PRAYER. 1. It is a dealing with the Lord. The best prayer is that which comes to closest grips with the God of mercy. 2. Prayer takes various shapes. (1) Seeking is prayer (ver. 4). (2) Looking unto God is prayer (ver. 5). If you cannot find words, it is often a very blessed thing to sit still, and look towards the hills whence cometh our help. (3) Tasting is a high kind of prayer (ver. 8), for it ventures to take what it asks for. (4) Frequently, according to our text, prayer is best described as a cry. 3. Prayer is heard in heaven. 4. It wins answers from God. More than forty years I have tried my Master's promise at the mercy-seat, and I have never yet met with a repulse from Him. In the name of Jesus I have asked and received; save only when I have asked amiss. It is true I have had to wait, because my time was ill-judged, and God's time was far better; but delays are not denials. Never has the Lord said to me, or to any of the seed of Jacob, "Seek ye My face" in vain. II. THE RICHNESS AND FREENESS OF DIVINE GRACE. 1. You will see the richness and the freeness of grace, when you consider the character of the man who prayed: "this poor man cried." Who was he?(1) He was a poor man; how terribly poor I cannot tell you. There are plenty of poor men about. If you advertised for a poor man in London, you might soon find more than you could count in twelve months: the supply is unlimited, although the distinction is by no means highly coveted. No man chooses to be poor.(2) He was also a troubled man, for the text speaks of "all his troubles" — a great "all" I warrant you.(3) He was a mournful man; altogether broken down.(4) He was a changed man.(5) He was a hopeful man. Despair is dumb; where there is a cry of prayer, there is a crumb of comfort. 2. If you desire further to see the richness and freeness of grace, I beg you to remember the character of the God to whom this poor man cried. He who prayed was poor, and his prayer was poor; but he did not pray to a poor God. This poor man was powerless; but he did not cry to a feeble God. This poor man was empty; but he went to God's fulness. He was unworthy; but he appealed to God's mercy. Our God delighteth in mercy; He waiteth to be gracious; He takes pleasure in blessing the weary sons of men. 3. While we are thinking of the freeness and richness of this grace in the text, I would have you notice the character of the blessing. "The Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." His sins were his great troubles; the Lord saved him out of them all through the atoning sacrifice. The effects of sin were another set of grievous troubles to him; the Lord saved him out of them all by the renewal of the Holy Ghost. He had troubles without and within, troubles in the family and in the world, and he felt ready to perish because of them; but the Lord delivered him out of them all. III. THE NEED AND THE USEFULNESS OF PERSONAL TESTIMONY. Testimony is a weighty thing for the persuasion and winning of men; but it must be of the right kind. It should be personal, concerning things which you yourself know: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Never mind if you should be charged with being egotistical. That is a blessed egoism which dares to stand out and bear bold witness for God in its own person. "This poor man cried"; not somebody over the water — "and the Lord heard him," not a man down the next street. The more definite and specific your testimony, the better and the more convincing. I do not say that we can all tell the date of our conversion: many of us cannot. But if we can throw in such details, let us do so; for they help to make our testimony striking. Our witness should be an assured one. We must believe, and therefore speak. Do not say, "I hope that I prayed; and I — I — trust that the Lord heard me." Say, "I prayed, and the Lord heard me." Give your testimony cheerfully. "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Do not say it as if it were a line from "the agony column"; but write it as a verse of a psalm. Your testimony must have for its sol

Benson Commentary Psalm 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1-2 . I will bless the Lord at all times — I will never forget to bless God for this miraculous deliverance. My soul shall make her boast, &c. — Shall glory in this, that I have so powerful and gracious a Lord and Master. The humble shall hear — Or the meek, that is, the righteous; and be glad — Both from their love to me, and the public good, which they know that I design and seek above all things; and for the comfort and benefit of my example to them, in similar straits and difficulties. Psalm 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof , and be glad. Psalm 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3 . O magnify the Lord with me — Join your praises with mine, O ye humble ones. And let us exalt his name together — If not in one place, yet in affection and work: let our souls meet, and let our praises meet in the ears of the all-hearing God. Or the word ???? , jachdav, may be rendered, alike; that is, with equal zeal and fervency; let none be willing to be outstripped by another. To magnify, or exalt, and the like expressions, “do not mean that we can add any thing to the glory of the name or nature of God; but that we should show forth, and publicly celebrate his majesty and greatness, when we experience the interpositions of his providence in our deliverance from any threatening evil. We should then, with the psalmist, ascribe our safety, not to our own contrivance, subtlety, or power, but to the care of God, who watches over us.” Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4-6 . I sought the Lord, and he heard me — David now proceeds to give reasons why God should be praised and glorified; he himself and others had found by experience, that he was a God hearing and answering prayer. He first mentions his own case. God had heard and answered him, and delivered him from all his fears — Not only from the death he feared, but from the disquietude he was put into by the fear of it. “This,” says Chandler, “exactly answers to the history, which informs us, that when David heard what the servants of Achish said concerning him, he laid up these words in his heart, and was greatly afraid, 1 Samuel 21:13 . Undoubtedly he thought himself in extreme danger, but instead of removing their suspicions, and his own fears, by offering to join with the Philistines against his country, he rather chose to counterfeit madness, and trust Providence with the success of it, than secure his safety by base and dishonourable compliances.” But it may be said, David was a great and eminent man; and we cannot expect to be favoured as he was: Have any others ever experienced the like benefit by prayer? Yes, many besides him. For, They looked unto him — Namely, the humble, or they that feared him; they sought and expected help from the Lord, and were lightened — Comforted and encouraged. The meaning of the passage, Chandler thinks, is, that the humble looked to God for the psalmist’s protection and received that light, that is, that comfort and joy, from him upon David’s return to safety, which diffused itself through their whole hearts; so that their faces were not ashamed, or, as ????? , jechparu, signifies, “were not put to the blush for shame,” by being disappointed as to their hope on his account. But we may, with the ancient interpreters, read these and the foregoing words imperatively, as an exhortation to others; thus, Look unto him — That is, with an eye of faith and prayer, and be ye enlightened — Take comfort in the expectation of mercy from him. If it be said, “Perhaps these also were persons of great eminence, like David himself, and upon that account were highly favoured, or their numbers made them considerable;” the psalmist replies, This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him — A single person, mean and inconsiderable, whom no man looked upon with any respect, or looked after with any concern; yet he was as welcome to the throne of grace as David, or any of his worthies: the Lord heard him, took cognizance of his case, and of his prayers, and saved him out of all his troubles, for God will regard the prayer of the destitute, Psalm 102:17 ; Isaiah 57:15 . Psalm 34:5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him , and saved him out of all his troubles. Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Psalm 34:7 . The angel of the Lord, &c. — This is another reason why men should praise and glorify God. The singular number is here put for the plural; for the psalmist does not speak of one single angel, but of a guard of angels, as unanimous, however, in their service as if they were but one; Encampeth round about them that fear him — As a lifeguard about a prince; and delivereth them — Guardeth them from dangers on every side, or rescueth them from them, and from trials and troubles when they are suffered to fall into them: to which work they are appointed by God, Hebrews 1:14 . God makes use of the attendance of good spirits, for the protection of his people from the malice and power of evil spirits, and more good offices the holy angels do us daily than we are aware of. Though in dignity and endowments of nature they are very superior to us; though they retain their primitive rectitude, which we have lost; though they have constant employment in the upper world to praise God, and are entitled to constant rest and bliss there; yet, in obedience to their Maker, and in love to those that bear his image, they condescend to minister to the saints, and stand up for them against the powers of darkness. They not only visit them, but encamp round about them, acting for their good as really, though not as sensibly, as for Jacob’s, Genesis 32:1 , and Elisha’s, 2 Kings 6:17 . All the glory be to the God of the angels! Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8 . O taste and see that the Lord is good — That is, kind, merciful, and gracious, namely, to all his people. The goodness of God, here spoken of, includes both the amiableness and benevolence of his nature, and the bounty and beneficence of his providence and grace; and, in calling us to taste and see this, the psalmist means that we should seriously, thoroughly, and affectionately consider it, and make trial of it by our own experience; which is opposed to those slight and vanishing thoughts that men usually have of the divine goodness. It is not sufficient that we find him to be a bountiful benefactor to us, but we must relish and take delight in his goodness manifested in and by his gifts, and in the contemplation of his infinite perfections and boundless love; and must be so convinced and persuaded of his goodness, as thereby to be encouraged, in the worst of times, to trust in him, and cast our care upon him. Psalm 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. Psalm 34:9-10 . O fear the Lord, ye his saints — Reverence, serve, and trust in him: for fear is commonly put for all the parts of God’s worship and service. For there is no want to them that fear him — They shall so far have all good things, as to have no reason to complain of the want of any. As to the things of the other world, they shall have grace sufficient for the support of the spiritual life. and as to this life they shall have what is necessary for the support of it. For godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, and they that seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shall have other things, that are needful, added to them, Matthew 6:33 ; 1 Timothy 4:8 . The young lions do lack, &c. — “All the ancient versions,” says Dr. Dodd, “except the Chaldee, read, great, powerful men, instead of young lions: and Houbigant renders the place, rich men are become poor and hungry; but they who seek the Lord, &c. This sense is undoubtedly good: but I see nothing to object against our own reading: for the meaning is, that if God takes care of the beasts of the field, much more will he take care of them who fear him, and much sooner suffer those to die for want of their prey, than these to perish through want of necessaries, or the failure of his protection.” Shall not want any good thing — Any thing necessary and truly good for them, all circumstances considered; of which God alone is a competent judge. And, therefore, although he doth usually take special care to supply the wants of good men, and hath often done it by extraordinary ways, when ordinary have failed; yet he knows that wants and crosses are sometimes more necessary for, and will be more useful to them, than those things which they may think needful, and in such cases he manifests greater mercy to them in denying them supplies than in granting them. Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing . Psalm 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Psalm 34:11 . Come, ye children, &c. — Come hither, then, all ye, who, by considering the advantages described above, which attend true religion, are become desirous of obtaining it, and, therefore, are willing to be instructed; hearken unto me — In simplicity and humility of mind, seriously resolved to comply with the divine will as far as it is made known to you; and I will teach you the fear of the Lord — The true and acceptable way of worshipping and serving him, so that you may please and glorify him here, and be admitted into his kingdom hereafter. Psalm 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Psalm 34:12 . What man is he that desireth life — A long and happy life, begun in this world and continued for ever in the next: namely, who is he that seriously and in good earnest desires it, so as to be willing to use any endeavours which shall be prescribed to him? for otherwise the question would be needless, there being no man but desires it, at least, coldly and faintly. And loveth many days — Hebrew, loveth days to see, that is, in which he may see, or enjoy, good, namely, prosperity and happiness. Psalm 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalm 34:13-14 . Keep thy tongue from evil — From all manner of evil speaking, from all injurious, false, and deceitful speeches; and thy lips from speaking guile — Or, guileful words, contrary to truth and sincerity, and the real thoughts and intentions of thy heart, and used with a purpose of deceiving others by them. Depart from evil — From all sin, and especially from all wicked, and injurious acts and practices against thy neighbour. And do good — Be ready to perform all good and friendly offices to all men, as thou hast opportunity. Seek peace — Study, by all possible means, to live peaceably and quietly with all men, avoiding grudges, debates, dissensions, strifes, and enmities; and pursue it — Do not only embrace it gladly, when it is offered, but follow hard after it, when it seems to flee away from thee, and use all possible endeavours by fair and kind words, by condescensions, and by the mediation or assistance of others to recover it, and to compose all differences, which may arise between thee and others. Psalm 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. Psalm 34:15-16 . The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous — This is added to show that the practice of these duties ( Psalm 34:13-14 ) is the true and best, and, indeed, the only way to see that good proposed and promised; both because such righteous persons, howsoever they may meet with affronts and injuries from men, are under the special care of God, signified in this verse, and those who do the evils there forbidden shall find, to their cost, that God is their enemy, Psalm 34:16 . The face of the Lord — That is, his anger, often called his face, because anger discovers itself in a person’s face; is against them that do evil — That commit known sin in any instances, especially in those above mentioned. To cut off the remembrance of them, &c. — Utterly to root them out and destroy them, and so to deprive both them and their children of that worldly happiness, which is the only thing that they desire, and seek by their wicked courses. Psalm 34:16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18 . The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart — Ready to hear and succour them; though, by the course of his providence toward them, he may sometimes seem to themselves and others to stand afar off. “God is near to all men; for in him they live: but he is near to the broken in heart, in a peculiar sense, as he is ever ready and able to help them; as men are much more capable of assisting those they value, when present with them than when absent from them; from which this form of speech, as applied to God, is taken.” — Chandler. And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit — Those whose spirits are truly humbled under the hand of God, and the sense of their sins, whose hearts are subdued, and made obedient to God’s will, and submissive to his providence. Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. Psalm 34:19-20 . Many are the afflictions of the righteous — In the world they may have tribulation, and their afflictions and troubles may be many, (for they must not promise themselves such prosperity as will exempt them from the trial of their faith and patience;) but the Lord delivereth him out of them all — That is, in due time, when it will be best for them to be so delivered. And in this they ought to think themselves happy, that God will both support them under their trials, and will also put an end to them when he hath sufficiently proved them thereby. He keepeth all his bones — Not only his soul, but his body, and all the parts and members thereof; not one of them is broken — God will not suffer any real mischief to befall him; though he may be often afflicted, yet he shall not be destroyed. But these words, though they may be understood of righteous men in general, of whom they are true in a metaphorical sense; yet have a further meaning in them, being designed by the Spirit of God to signify a great mystery, namely, that none of Christ’s bones should be broken when he was put to death, contrary to the usual custom of treating those who were crucified, whose legs were wont to be broken, in order to put them sooner out of their pain. See John 19:32 ; John 19:36 . Dr. Kennicott’s translation of this and the preceding verse renders the application of them to Christ perfectly natural and easy, and is well worth the reader’s attention. It is thus, Many are the afflictions of the Just One; but from them all Jehovah delivereth him: Jehovah keepeth all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. This translation the Hebrew will well bear. Psalm 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Psalm 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. Psalm 34:21 . Evil shall slay the wicked — Either, 1st, The evil of sin: his own wickedness, though designed against others, shall destroy himself. Or, 2d, The evil of misery. While the afflictions of good men shall have a happy issue, theirs shall end in their total and final destruction. They that hate the righteous shall be desolate — That persecute them and plot their ruin, which is an evidence they hate them, whatsoever they may pretend to the contrary. Dr. Kennicott translates this latter clause, The haters of the Just One, Jehovah shall make desolate; a prediction awfully fulfilled in the punishment of the persecutors of the Messiah, one of whose proper titles this was, Acts 3:14 . Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate. Psalm 34:22 . The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants — That is, their lives, or their persons, from the malicious designs of all their enemies, from the power of the grave, and from the sting of every affliction. He keeps them from sinning in their troubles, which is the only thing that could do them a real injury, and keeps them from despair, and from being put out of possession of their own souls. None that trust in him shall be desolate — Or, comfortless; for they shall not be cut off from communion with God. And no man is desolate, but he whom God has forsaken, nor is any man undone till he is in hell. Instead of, shall be desolate, in this and the preceding verse, the margin reads, shall be guilty; as the word ?????? , jeshemu, here used, is frequently and properly rendered. Indeed, it includes in it both the idea of guilt and the punishment incurred thereby. Now, they that in the way of true repentance, living faith, and new obedience, trust in the Lord, are both rescued from guilt and the punishment to which it had exposed them. It may not be improper to observe here that, as this is another of the alphabetical Psalms, every verse beginning with a distinct letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except the fifth, which includes two letters; so this verse is a kind of detached sentence, added, as in Psalms 25., beyond the alphabet, perhaps in order that the Psalm might end with a promise rather than a threatening. For a similar reason the Jews repeat a verse at the end of some books of the Old Testament. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary Psalm 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1-22 THE occasion of this psalm, according to the superscription, was that humiliating and questionable episode, when David pretended insanity to save his life from the ruler of Goliath’s city of Gath. The set of critical opinion sweeps away this tradition as unworthy of serious refutation. The psalm is acrostic, therefore of late date; there are no references to the supposed occasion; the careless scribe has blundered "blindly" (Hupfeld) in the king’s name, mixing up the stories about Abraham and Isaac in Genesis with the legend about David at Gath; the didactic, gnomical cast of the psalm speaks of a late age. But the assumption that acrostic structure is necessarily a mark of late date is not by any means self-evident, and needs more proof than is forthcoming; the absence of plain allusions to the singer’s circumstances cuts both ways, and suggests the question, how the attribution to the period stated arose, since there is nothing in the psalm to suggest it; the blunder of the king’s name is perhaps not a blunder after all, but, as the Genesis passages seem to imply, "Abimelech" (the father of the King) may be a title, like Pharaoh, common to Philistine "kings," and Achish may have been the name of the reigning Abimelech; the proverbial style and somewhat slight connection and progress of thought are necessary results of acrostic fetters. If the psalm be David’s, the contrast between the degrading expedient which saved him and the exalted sentiments here is remarkable, but not incredible. The seeming idiot scrabbling on the gate is now saint, poet, and preacher; and, looking back on the deliverance won by a trick, he thinks of it as an instance of Jehovah’s answer to prayer! It is a strange psychological study; and yet, keeping in view the then existing standard of morality as to stratagems in warfare, and the wonderful power that even good men have of ignoring flaws in their faith and faults in their conduct, we may venture to suppose that the event which evoked this song of thanksgiving and is transfigured in Psalm 34:4 is the escape by craft from Achish. To David his feigning madness did not seem inconsistent with trust and prayer. Whatever be the occasion of the psalm, its course of thought is obvious. There is first a vow of praise in which others are summoned to unite ( Psalm 34:13 ); then follows a section in which personal experience and invocation to others are similarly blended ( Psalm 34:4-10 ); and finally a purely didactic section, analysing the practical manifestations of "the fear of the Lord" and enforcing it by the familiar contrast of the blessedness of the righteous and the miserable fate of the ungodly. Throughout we find familiar turns of thought and expression, such as are usual in acrostic psalms. The glad vow of unbroken praise and undivided trust, which begins the psalm, sounds like the welling over of a heart for recent mercy. It seems easy and natural while the glow of fresh blessings is felt, to "rejoice in the Lord always, and again to say Rejoice." Thankfulness which looks forward to its own cessation, and takes into account the distractions of circumstance and changes of mood which will surely come, is too foreseeing. Whether the vow be kept or no, it is well that it should be made; still better is it that it should be kept, as it may be, even amid distracting circumstances and changing moods: The incense on the altar did not flame throughout the day, but, being fanned into a glow at morning and evening sacrifice it smouldered with a thread of fragrant smoke continually. It is not only the exigencies of the acrostic which determine the order in Psalm 34:2 : "In Jehovah shall my soul boast,"-in Him, and not in self or worldly ground, of trust and glorying. The ideal of the devout life, which in moments of exaltation seems capable of realisation, as in clear weather Alpine summits look near enough to be reached in an hour, is unbroken praise and undivided reliance on and joy in Jehovah. But alas-how far above us the peaks are! Still to see them ennobles, and to strive to reach them secures an upward course. The solitary heart hungers for sympathy in its joy, as in its sorrow; but knows full well that such can only be given by those who have known like bitterness and have learned submission in the same way. We must be purged of self in order to be glad in another’s deliverance, and must be pupils in the same school in order to be entitled to take his experience as our encouragement, and to make a chorus to his solo of thanksgiving. The invocation is so natural an expression of the instinctive desire for companionship in praise that one needs not to look for any particular group to whom it is addressed; but if the psalm be David’s, the call is not inappropriate in the mouth of the leader of his band of devoted followers. The second section of the psalm ( Psalm 34:4-10 ) is at first biographical, and then generalises personal experience into broad universal truth. But even in recounting what befel himself, the singer will not eat his morsel alone, but is glad to be able at every turn to feel that he has companions in his happy experience. Psalm 34:4-5 are a pair, as are Psalm 34:6-7 , and in each the same fact is narrated first in reference to the single soul and then in regard to all the servants of Jehovah. "This poor man" is by most of the older expositors taken to be the psalmist, but by the majority of moderns supposed to be an individualising way of saying, "poor men." The former explanation seems to me the more natural, as preserving the parallelism between the two groups of verses. If so, the close correspondence of expression in Psalm 34:4 and Psalm 34:6 is explained, since the same event is subject of both. In both is the psalmist’s appeal to Jehovah presented; in the one as "seeking" with anxious eagerness, and in the other as "crying" with the loud call of one in urgent need of immediate rescue. In both, Divine acceptance follows close on the cry, and in both immediately, ensues succor. "He delivered me from all my fears," and "saved him out of all his troubles," correspond entirely, though not verbally. In like manner Psalm 34:5 and Psalm 34:7 are alike in extending the blessing of the unit so as to embrace the class. The absence of any expressed subject of the verb in Psalm 34:5 makes the statement more comprehensive, like the French " on ," or English "they." To "look unto Him" is the same thing as is expressed in the individualising verses by the two phrases, "sought," and "cried unto," only the metaphor is changed into that of silent, wistful directing of beseeching and sad eyes to God. And its issue is beautifully told, in pursuance of the metaphor. Whoever turns his face to Jehovah will receive reflected brightness on his face; as when a mirror is directed sunwards, the dark surface will flash into sudden glory. Weary eyes will gleam. Faces turned to the sun are sure to be radiant. The hypothesis of the Davidic authorship gives special force to the great assurance of Psalm 34:7 . The fugitive, in his rude shelter in the cave of Adullam, thinks of Jacob, who, in his hour of defenceless need, was heartened by the vision of the angel encampment surrounding his own little band, and named the place "Mahanaim," the two camps. That fleeting vision was a temporary manifestation of abiding reality. Wherever there is a camp of them that fear God, there is another, of which the helmed and sworded angel that appeared to Joshua is Captain, and the name of every such place is Two Camps. That is the sight which brightens the eyes that look to God. That mysterious personality, "the Angel of the Lord," is only mentioned in the Psalter here and in Psalm 35:1-28 . In other places, He appears as the agent of Divine communications, and especially as the guide and champion of Israel. He is "the angel of God’s face," the personal revealer of His presence and nature. His functions correspond to those of the Word in John’s Gospel, and these, conjoined with the supremacy indicated in his name, suggest that "the Angel of the Lord" is, in fact, the everlasting Son of the Father, through whom the Christology of the New Testament teaches that all Revelation has been mediated. The psalmist did not know the full force of the name, but he believed that there was a Person. in an eminent and singular sense God’s messenger, who would cast his protection round the devout, and bid inferior heavenly beings draw their impregnable ranks about them. Christians can tell more than he could of the Bearer of the name. It becomes them to be all the surer of His protection. Just as the vow of Psalm 34:1 passed into invocation, so does the personal experience of Psalm 34:4-7 glide into exhortation. If such be the experience of poor men, trusting in Jehovah. how should the sharers in it be able to withhold themselves from calling on others to take their part in the joy? The depth of a man’s religion may be roughly, but on the whole fairly, tested by his irrepressible impulse to bring other men to the fountain from which he has drunk. Very significantly does the psalm call on men to "taste and see," for in religion experience must precede knowledge. The way to "taste" is to "trust" or to "take refuge in" Jehovah. " Crede et manducasti, " says Augustine. The psalm said it before him. Just as the act of appealing to Jehovah was described in a threefold way in Psalm 34:4-6 , so a threefold designation of devout men occurs in Psalm 34:8-10 . They "trust," are "saints," they "seek." Faith, consecration and aspiration are their marks. These are the essentials of the religious life, whatever be the degree of revelation. These were its essentials in the psalmist’s time, and they are so today. As abiding as they, are the blessings consequent. These may all be summed up in one-the satisfaction of every, need and desire. There are two ways of seeking for satisfaction: that of effort, violence and reliance on one’s own teeth and claws to get one’s meat; the other that of patient, submissive trust. Were there lions prowling round the camp at Adullam, and did the psalmist take their growls as typical of all vain attempts to satisfy the soul? Struggle and force and self-reliant efforts leave men gaunt and hungry. He who takes the path of trust and has his supreme desires set on God, and who looks to Him to give what he himself cannot wring out of life, will get first his deepest desires answered in possessing God, and will then find that the One great Good is an encyclopedia of separate goods. They that "seek Jehovah" shall assuredly find Him, and in Him everything. He is multiform, and His goodness takes many shapes, according to the curves of the vessels which it fills. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you." The mention of the "fear of the Lord" prepares the way for the transition to the third part of the psalm. It is purely didactic, and, in its simple moral teaching and familiar contrast of the fates of righteous and ungodly, has affinities with the Book of Proverbs: but these are not so special as to require the supposition of contemporaneousness. It is unfashionable now to incline to the Davidic authorship; but would not the supposition that the "children," who are to be taught the elements of religion, are the band of outlaws who have gathered round the fugitive, give appropriateness to the transition from the thanksgiving of the first part to the didactic tone of the second? We can see them sitting round the singer in the half-darkness of the cave, a wild group, needing much control and yet with faithful hearts, and loyal to their leader, who now tells them the laws of his camp, at the same time as he sets forth the broad principles of that morality, which is the garment and manifestation among men of the "fear of the Lord." The relations of religion and morals were never more clearly and strikingly expressed than in the simple language of this psalm, which puts the substance of many profound treatises in a nutshell, when it expounds the "fear of Jehovah" as consisting in speaking truth, doing good, abhorring evil and seeking peace even when it seems to flee from us. The primal virtues are the same for all ages and stages of revelation. The definition of good and evil may vary and become more spiritual and inward, but the dictum that it is good to love and do good shines unalterable. The psalmist’s belief that doing good was the sure way to enjoy good was a commonplace of Old Testament teaching, and under a Theocracy was more distinctly verified by outward facts than now; but even then, as many psalms show, had exceptions so stark as to stir many doubts. Unquestionably good in the sense of blessedness is inseparable from good in the sense of righteousness, as evil which is suffering is from evil which is sin, but the conception of what constitutes blessedness and sorrow must be modified so as to throw most weight on inward experiences, if such necessary coincidence is to be maintained in the face of patent facts. The psalmist closes his song with a bold statement of the general principle that goodness is blessedness and wickedness is wretchedness; but he finds his proof mainly in the contrasted relation to Jehovah involved in the two opposite moral conditions. He has no vulgar conception of blessedness as resulting from circumstances. The lovingkindness of Jehovah is, in his view, prosperity, whatever be the aspect of externals. So with bold symbols, the very grossness of the letter of which shields them from misinterpretation, he declares this as the secret of all blessedness, that Jehovah’s eyes are towards the righteous and His ears open to their cry. The individual experiences of Psalm 34:5 and Psalm 34:6 are generalised. The eye of God- i.e . His loving observance-rests upon and blesses, those whose faces are turned to Him, and His ear hears the poor man’s cry. The grim antithesis, which contains in itself the seeds of all unrest, is that the "face of Jehovah"- i.e. His manifested presence, the same face in the reflected light of which the faces of the righteous are lit up with gladness and dawning glory-is against evil doers. The moral condition of the beholder determines the operation of the light of God’s countenance upon him. The same presence is light and darkness, life and death. Evil and its doers shrivel and perish in its beams, as the sunshine kills creatures whose haunt is the dark, or as Apollo’s keen light arrows slew the monsters of the slime. All else follows from this double relationship. The remainder of the psalm runs out into a detailed description of the joyful fate of the lovers of good. broken only by one tragic verse ( Psalm 34:21 ), like a black rock in the midst of a sunny stream, telling how evil and evil-doers end. In Psalm 34:17 , as in Psalm 34:5 , the verb has no subject expressed, but the supplement of A.V. and R.V., "the righteous," is naturally drawn from the context and is found in the LXX, whether as part of the original text, or as supplement thereto, is unknown. The construction may, as in Psalm 34:6 , indicate that whoever cries to Jehovah is heard. Hitzig and others propose to transpose Psalm 34:15 and Psalm 34:16 , so as to get a nearer subject for the verb in the "righteous" of Psalm 34:15 , and defend the inversion by referring to the alphabetic order in Lamentations 2:1-22 ; Lamentations 3:1-66 ; Lamentations 4:1-22 where similarly Pe precedes Ayin; but the present order of verses is better as putting the principal theme of this part of the psalm-the blessedness of the righteous-in the foreground, and the opposite thought as its foil. The main thought of Psalm 34:17-20 is nothing more than the experience of Psalm 34:4-7 thrown into the form of general maxims. They are the commonplaces of religion, but come with strange freshness to a man, when they have been verified in his life. Happy they who can cast their personal experience into such proverbial sayings, and, having by faith individualised the general promises, can regeneralise the individual experience! The psalmist does not promise untroubled outward good. His anticipation is of troubled lives. delivered because of crying to Jehovah. "Many are the afflictions," but more are the deliverances. Many are the blows and painful is the pressure, but they break no bones, though they rack and wrench the frame. Significant, too, is the sequence of synonyms-righteous, broken-hearted, crushed in spirit, servants, them that take refuge in Jehovah. The first of these refers mainly to conduct, the second to that submission of will and spirit which sorrow rightly borne brings about, substantially equivalent to "the humble" or "afflicted" of Psalm 34:2 and Psalm 34:6 , the third again deals mostly with practice, and the last touches the foundation of all service, submission, and righteousness, as laid in the act of faith in Jehovah. The last group of Psalm 34:21-22 , puts the teaching of the psalm in one terrible contrast, "Evil shall slay the wicked." It were a mere platitude if by "evil" were meant misfortune. The same thought of the inseparable connection of the two senses of that word, which runs through the context, is here expressed in the most terse fashion. To do evil is to suffer evil, and all sin is suicide. Its wages is death. Every sin is a strand in the hangman’s rope, which the sinner nooses and puts round his own neck. That is so because every sin brings guilt, and guilt brings retribution. Much more than "desolate" is meant in Psalm 34:21 and Psalm 34:22 . The word means to be condemned or held guilty. Jehovah is the Judge; before His bar all actions and characters are set: His unerring estimate of each brings with it, here and now, consequences of reward and punishment which prophesy a future, more perfect judgment. The redemption of the soul of God’s servants is the antithesis to that awful experience; and they only, who take refuge in Him, escape it. The full Christian significance of this final contrast is in the Apostle’s Words, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.