Psalms 34:1

The Bible says in Psalms 34:1, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Notice the phrase “at all times.” If we believe in the power of God, and the presence of God, and the love of Christ, and the providence of God in all things; then it should be easy to bless the LORD at all times. To bless the Lord means that you are thankful to the Lord for what He has done and for what He is going to do. You know that God is good, and that Romans 8:28 is true, and so you know there will be a good outcome to everything that you are experiencing. To bless the Lord at “all times” means that you bless Him in good times and in bad. Bad times do not make you lose faith in the Lord. Notice also the last phrase in this verse: “in my mouth.” You can say words of faith or you can say words of doubt. You can say the words that a believer in Jesus should say, or you can say the words that a human being says when they look at things from a human perspective only. David said that he would praise the Lord “continually.”

The Bible says in Psalms 34:2, “My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.” Some people will not want to hear you mention the Lord, let alone praise Him. What kind of people do want to hear you praise the Lord: those that are humble. Humble people are rightly related to the Lord because they recognize their own sinfulness, and just like you, they like to hear the name of the Lord Jesus magnified and glorified.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:3, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” The key word in this verse is “together.” God wants Christians to gather together. The gathering together of Christians for Bible teaching, singing, prayer, and Christian fellowship is God’s will. How else will Christians grow in the Lord? How else will Christians exercise their spiritual gifts for the benefit of other believers? Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” It says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:[25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

The Bible says in Psalms 34:4-10, “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.[5] They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.[7] The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.[8] O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.[9] O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.[10] The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” Look at what believers are encouraged to do in these verses: seek the Lord in verses four and ten, Look to the Lord in verse five, cry out to the Lord in verse six, fear the Lord in verse seven, and trust in the Lord in verses eight and nine. If you do these things, the results are very clear: verse four says you will be delivered from all your fears, verse five says you will be enlightened and not be ashamed, verse six says you will be saved out of all your troubles, verse seven says you will be delivered by the angel of the Lord, verse eight says you will be blessed, verses nine and ten say that you will not lack “any good thing.” And that is just a few of the benefits of seeking the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:11-16, “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.[12] What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?[13] Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.[14] Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.[15] The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.[16] The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” These verses tell us why we should fear the Lord who is holy and who is Judge of everyone on the earth. The first reason is to live longer, and to have an enjoyable life while we live. Sin brings misery and death. Goodness brings happiness and long life. It is a lie of the world to say that sin makes things more enjoyable. The opposite is true. The second reason to fear the Lord is because He sees everything and knows everything. No one gets away with anything. We reap what we sow. The reason that we reap what we sow is that God decides what happens to everyone, and it says in verse 16, “The face of the LORD is against them that do evil.” Notice that verse thirteen emphasizes that goodness or evil is decided by what we say: “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” Much evil is done when the wrong words are spoken. Say good things with good words, and your life will accomplish much good.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:17, “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” One of the benefits of being a Christian is that the Lord hears our prayers and answers them. One of the reasons that we pray to the Lord Jesus is to get help in our trouble. There will be troubles. Just make sure that you take your troubles to the Lord, He will take it from there.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:18, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” There is more than one reason that the Lord is near to them that have a broken heart. The first reason is that God is love. Jesus loves you. He cares about you. If you have a broken heart, He wants to help you. Also, those who have a broken heart are more likely to turn to the Lord for help. People who do not have a broken heart think that everything is fine, and so they have less reason to turn to the Lord. To have a “contrite spirit” refers to sorrow for sin in its spiritual application. You are blessed if you are sorry for the sins that you have committed. Turn to Jesus and find forgiveness for your sins. He will save you.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” When someone accepts Jesus as Savior and starts following Jesus, things are not going to always work out well for them. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus also said that the servant is not greater than his Lord, and Jesus is called a man of sorrows and well-acquainted with grief. Never forget that not only does Psalm 34:19 tell us that believers will have many afflictions, but it also says that “the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” The believer must stay positive in the midst of trouble. Help is on the way. God will turn the tables. He will fix every affliction. There is no such thing as a trouble that comes your way with no solution. God has promised. Remember the Lord might come back to day to rapture the church. That will fix everything for sure.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:20, “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” This is a Messianic prophecy. In spite of all the things that Jesus suffered on the cross, not one of His bones was broken. This verse is quoted in the Gospel of John. It says in John 19:33-36, “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:[34] But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.[35] And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.[36] For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.”

The Bible says in Psalms 34:21, “Evil shall slay the wicked; and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.” This verse makes it very clear what the final destiny of unbelievers will be. It is one of the reasons to turn to Jesus for salvation: in order to fix your eternal destiny. Do not condemn yourself to hell. Two of the problems that unbelievers have are listed here: evil and hate. Both of these problems are eliminated along with all other sins whenever anyone turns to Christ.

The Bible says in Psalms 34:22, “The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” The most important question about you is this: what will happen to your soul? Will you enjoy heaven forever, or will you be in hell forever? If you have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus, then He has paid for you and purchased you. You belong to Jesus once you put your faith in Him. Trust in Jesus and you will be one of the redeemed, and your soul will be saved forever.

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