Taste and See That the Lord is Good | Psalms: An Exile's Prayer Book | Psalm 34 | Pastor J. M. Lee

Good morning! Welcome to Mission Church!! Our mission is to partner with God to see His Kingdom come in NW Las Vegas as it is in Heaven. And we are working towards this goal by growing in our love and our likeness of Jesus…while also intentionally sharing the gospel and leading others to Jesus.

If I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you….my name is John Lee and I have the great honor of serving Mission Church as the lead pastor.

We are continuing in our sermon series through the Psalms and this morning we are considering Psalm 34. Go ahead and grab your Bible and open it to Psalm 34. When you find it and if you are able too…please stand for the reading of God’s authoritative and infallible Word.

Psalm 34.

Let’s pray and ask for God’s help.

Life…well…life often brings us to places of deep pain, dread, and uncertainty. And…the truth is…..these realities are an inevitable part of the human experience in a broken world. Whether it's chronic pain, the heartache of a broken relationship, the uncertainty of financial difficulties, or the grief of losing a loved one….we all encounter moments that leave us feeling overwhelmed and lost.

Think about how hard it would be to live with chronic pain for years. Each day is a struggle as you navigate a life where there is no relief. Simple tasks become monumental challenges which often lead you to feeling isolated and to wonder how long you can endure. And its in your quiet moments that you begin to question where God is in your suffering.

Imagine facing the heartache of a broken relationship. Your marriage has ended in divorce, and the future you envisioned has crumbled. Each day, you grapple with feelings of failure, shame, and profound loneliness, wondering if you will ever feel whole again. You lie awake at night, questioning how to trust God amidst such heartbreak and uncertainty.

Consider the uncertainty of financial difficulties. You and your spouse have both lost your jobs within months of each other. The stress of providing for your children, paying bills, and keeping your home becomes overwhelming. Each day, you worry about how you you’re going to make it through this season of hardship, and you’re questioning how to trust God.

Reflect on the grief of losing a loved one. Your mother has passed away suddenly, and the pain of her loss is overwhelming. Each day feels like a battle just to get out of bed. Memories of her flood your mind, bringing both comfort and sorrow. Your world has been turned upside down, and the future feels uncertain. You struggle with how to trust God when your heart is so broken and life feels so fragile.

The truth is…these examples are just a portion of the brokenness we experience in this life. And…whether it’s physical suffering, emotional heartache, financial distress, or the loss of a loved one, these experiences leave us in a sense of dread and feeling vulnerable and unsure of how to move forward. And it’s in these type of moments..we are often overwhelmed and left to wonder: How can I trust God in the midst of fear, uncertainty, and the temptation to rely on my own strength?

Well…. our text this morning is helpful …and whether you are experiencing difficulty now or if difficulty is in the future…. Psalm 34 is a psalm for the brokenhearted..for the hurting… and the destitute…its a psalm for those who feel alone and uncertain about tomorrow. It’s for you when you find yourself at the absolute low point in life. And as we consider this beautiful and timely Psalm we are going to see that….

God is a God who draws near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. No matter our circumstances, we can find strength by looking to Him in our times of need.

Let’s look at our text…and consider the superscription ….which…..not only helps us know who the author is and what the context is…. but it’s actually verse 1 in the Hebrew Bible….and it says….

Psalm 34 (CSB)

Concerning David, when he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelech, who drove him out, and he departed.

This takes us back to a low point in David’s life…..which you can read about in 1 Samuel 21. David was literally running for his life from King Saul. Jealous over David’s rise in prominence… Saul had already tried to murder David and even sent assassins after him. And so….in his desperation….David fled to the city of Gath. Which is weird….because.…Gath wasn't just any city…..not only was it one of the major cities of Israel’s enemies… the Philistines … but it was also the hometown of Goliath….you know…. the giant David had famously killed.

‌‌So…. as you might expect…the residents of Gath knew exactly who David was. And to top it all off…David was carrying Goliath’s sword…. the very sword he used to chop Goliath head off… It was kind of like walking into enemy territory with a huge sign saying, “Remember me?” Of course they did!!!

So here’s David…. jumping from the frying pan into the fire. He’s running from King Saul who wants him dead….and now he is at the mercy of his enemies…and as you can imagine…. he’s terrified. So….what does he do? Well….he pretends to be insane!.. He starts scratching on the door of the gate and he starts drooling….and as saliva run down his beard…the Philistine king falls for it and he says to his servants in 1 Samuel 21:14-15.

1 Samuel 21:14–15 (CSB)

14 “Look! You can see the man is crazy,”…“Why did you bring him to me? 15 Do I have such a shortage of crazy people that you brought this one to act crazy around me?

And so…instead of killing David…the Philistine king kicks him out of the city! It’s a wild story!!! And it was after David was set free that he wrote Psalm 34….and in this amazing Psalm ….David gives us two main invitations…David invites us to rejoice with him and he invites us to learn from Him. So with this in mind, let’s consider our text by examining it through two movements…David’s song and David’s Sermon.

1. David’s Song

In the first half of this Psalm ……David is doing his best to convince us of the goodness of God. And the way he works to persuade us is similar to what we do when we try to convince a friend to try a new food. First, we might rave to our friend about how great the food is …we might even explain specifically what we liked about the food….which ultimately leads us to say, “just try it, I promise you….you’ll like it!”

Why do we do that? Well…. I think it’s because our joy is not complete until it’s shared. In the same way….our joy in God and our joy in what he has done for us grows when we share it with others. And David….he follows this same pattern as he invites us to worship with him… as he shares his testimony....and as he pushes us to taste for ourselves how good God is.

Let’s take a look….in verse 1…..David is resolute…..he is determined …he is steadfast …and he proclaims….

Psalm 34:1 (CSB)

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

Regardless of his circumstances…..at all times….in the bad times and the good times..…in bright days of celebration and in dark nights of the soul…. David knew who it was that deserved his praise….He knew who deserved his gratitude…so…as a result… he never ceased to worship God…..for David knew that God alone is the source of every blessing and that there is nothing or no one who compares.

And so David… he calls us to worship with the same determination… no matter what you are going through today…your words and the meditations of your heart have the power to bring glory to God!…..Friend…today…you can have gratitude in your heart and praise on your lips for who God is and what He has done in your life.

David continues…

Psalm 34:2–3 (CSB)

2 I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad. 3 Proclaim the Lord’s greatness with me; let us exalt his name together.

David engages in worship out of the totality of his being …and when your heart, and your words, and your obedience all sync up…..your life of worship becomes a witness to those around you… your life becomes a walking billboard promoting how amazing and how good God is.

You see…as David lived a life of worship….. the humble…they heard ..they watched…and they were encouraged and they joined in and worshipped God too!!! And friends…..we should live our lives in the same way…..we too should overflow with gratitude…words expressing the goodness of God should never leave our mouths…..we should be intentional in telling others all about God’s amazing grace and overwhelming mercy. We should deliberately speak of the Lord's goodness so that others might be encouraged to trust in a faithful God who will never leave them and who will never forsake them.

Next…David works to convince us to worship God by sharing with us his testimony. look at verse 4

Psalm 34:4 (CSB)

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and rescued me from all my fears.

In the midst of one of the worst most terrifying moments of his life…. David prayed for help…He sought the Lord for direction….and I imagine there must have been a touch of doubt in his prayer or he wouldn’t have resorted to acting like he was crazy…yet…even when his prayer was lacking…even if he was fighting against doubt in his heart….God heard His prayer….and friend…here’s what this means for you…it means that you can seek God even when you have sinned….listen to me…if you are in Christ Jesus….your sin cannot block you from the mercy of God…..for in Christ Jesus we have an advocate who is just and faithful to hear our prayers and forgive us of our sins.

For David…in spite of his doubt…. God rescued him from his fears…and … God not only cleared away his fear but the source of his fear…which means…friends…God not only slays our enemies but even buries their bones! Yes…David was traumatized…. but the Lord flooded his anxious heart with peace ..and changed his countenance from a drooling mad man to a man radiant with joy..… look at verse 5

Psalm 34:5–6 (CSB)

5 Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles.

David refers to himself as poor…which speaks to the reality that he was in a situation in which he had no ability to save himself…. there was nothing that he could of done ..there was nothing in and of himself that would have given him the ability to save himself from the grip of his enemy….but…. he called upon the Lord…..and it was the Lord who set him free…it was the Lord that saved him from all of his troubles.

And brothers and sisters…David’s experience was not unique to him…… NO!….God answers and He protects everyone who loves him. Look at verse 7.

Psalm 34:7 (CSB)

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and rescues them.

This verse reminds me of another great story in the Old Testament.. In 2 Kings 6….the prophet Elisha and his servant found themselves trapped in the city of Dothan. During the night…..the king of Aram sent his army to surround the city. The next morning…. Elisha’s servant went out to get some water only to see that they were surrounded by thousands of enemy soldiers. As you can imagine the servant was terrified and cried out to Elisha, “What are we going to do!?”

Elisha’s responds in 2 Kings 6:16-17

2 Kings 6:16–17 (CSB)

16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Friends…listen to me…..God surrounds his people and saves them from every danger. This was David’s experience as a prisoner in Goliath’s hometown, this was Elisha’s experience, this was Christ’s experience on the cross, and it can be your experience too. Friends…find hope in the truth that God promises to rescue everyone who loves him and obeys Him. Because…lets be honest….in this life…we will face fear…we will experience shame…we will have enemies…and we will endure hardships.

However…even in the midst of your worst day…. you can be confident that you serve a powerful God who is faithful to deliver His people….and who has already delivered us and defeated our most terrifying enemy…..He has already covered our greatest shame…and He has already delivered us from an eternal hardship…through Christ Jesus…who lived a life of perfect obedience. Friends…where we have failed and sinned…Jesus did not…. and Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty of death that you and I deserve….and on the cross …Jesus took upon himself our sin…our guilt…our shame..and he died …satisfying our most terrifying reality …God’s just wrath against our sin….. and three days later…Jesus rose from the dead …conquering our most terrifying enemy …death.

Brothers and sisters…we have been delivered from our greatest enemy …and now there is nothing that mere man can do to us….and as we discussed last week in Psalm 44 …there is nothing that we go through that is outside of God’s sovereign control. So today…reorient your heart around the good news of the gospel and trust in God who loves you and is working to use whatever it is you’re going through for His glory and your good.

Now…after Davids invitation to join him in worshipping God…and after his amazing testimony…in verse 8 he continues his persuasion by pushing us to experience the goodness of God for ourselves. Look at verse 8…

Psalm 34:8–10 (CSB)

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him! 9 You who are his holy ones, fear the Lord, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 Young lions lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.

Friends…. God is good! That’s the truth! But notice…David is not telling us to “believe that God is good.” Yes… we should believe that God is good….but David is not asking us to affirm this doctrinal truth…instead…he saying, “Look…you need to experience God’s goodness for yourself.”

Think about it like this….I can get up here and tell you how amazing Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Lactose, Milk fat, Soy, Peanuts, Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Oil, Skim Milk, Lactose, Salt, Egg Whites, and Artificial Flavor are….. or I can give you a snickers bar and say taste how good this is.

I could also stand up here all morning telling you that honey is sweet. I could break down the molecular structure and explain how it interacts with your taste buds. I could show you videos of chefs drizzling honey over their dishes, and even share a clip of a little boy's face lighting up when his mom puts honey on his toast. After all that, you might believe honey is sweet, but would you really know it? The only way you'll truly know that honey is sweet is to taste it for yourself. Anything else is just secondhand knowledge.

And…the truth is…. many of you have this same secondhand knowledge of God’s goodness…. I stand before you week after week…inviting you to drink from the deep gospel wells of God’s goodness…and the truth is….many of you have heard sermon after sermon inviting you to trust in Jesus as your savior…..for some of you… your parents told you about the goodness of God…and you know what… you genuinely believe that God is good….but the question is not …..do you believe that God is good….but have you tasted and seen for yourself that God is good? You see… if Jesus seems distant and impersonal to you…perhaps you know about Jesus but don’t really know him… you have heard about him your whole life but if you’re honest you have never really experienced him.

Because if you have …you would trust God completely…you would not only trust him with your mind but with your entire life. You would know firsthand what David knew…that God cares for His people and delivers them from the depths of despair and darkness.

Friend…if you are here this morning and you have yet to let loose of the reigns of your life….if you have yet to completely surrender to Jesus as your Lord… this morning I invite you to stop splashing in the shallows…it’s time to get out of the kiddie pool…. and…it’s tome to dive into the deep oceans of Gods goodness. You see… it’s in our moments of uncertainty…its in those moments of fear and dread and anxiety…where we choose to act on our knowledge of God’s goodness…it’s when let go of control…and when we trust in God as our refuge…it’s in those moments when we truly taste for ourselves just how good God is.

Only then will we join David in is song…and praise God in every situation of our lives……. only then will we be compelled to witness to others about the goodness of our God…only then will we rest in the truth that God is in control …and it doesn’t matter what our circumstances are…for we have tasted and seen the goodness of God …therefore..we will seek the Lord knowing that we will lack nothing.

Now… after inviting us to join him in praising God…David invites us to learn from him…which leads us to the second half of the psalm.

2. David’s Sermon

Psalm 34:11 (CSB)

11 Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

What does it really mean to fear God? Well, it means seeing Him for who He truly is—Holy and Just. It’s about honoring Him, respecting Him, and having a deep reverence for Him. Think about a good father and the way his child fears him…and you get the idea.

Charles Spurgeon said it like this:

Pay to [God] humble childlike reverence, walk in his laws, have respect to his will, tremble to offend him, hasten to serve him. Fear not the wrath of men, neither be tempted to sin through the [hostility] of their threats; fear God and fear nothing else. Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David

Oswald Chambers said it like this

The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord.”

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

But the question is begging to be asked…what does it look like to fear God? And David is helpful …for he answers this question practically and points to the truth that “fearing the Lord” is not simply a posture of the heart or an emotion but he defines it as obedience. In other words…..the fear of God is not just an attitude but an action… You see….having the fear of the Lord means that you love God so deeply that you want to follow His ways and keep His commands. look at verse 12

Psalm 34:12 (CSB)

12 Who is someone who desires life, loving a long life to enjoy what is good?

In other words….do you desire to have a good life? Do want to live a long time? Do you want to enjoy your life? And I think most of us would say… “Yes!! of course we do!!”……to which David replies….then follow my instructions….

Psalm 34:13 (CSB)

13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

If you want to live a good and long life…if you want to be able to taste and see the goodness of God….the first thing you need to learn how to do is to control your tongue and to stop lying. Which speaks to the truth that …if we fear the Lord……we will not fear man. When people are big in your life and God is small…we will lie to get out of things…..we will lie to make ourselves look better….we will lie to manage peoples emotions… and we will talk bad about other people .…but when God is big and people are small…we aren’t worried about what others think …..because we are secure in the Lord…we don’t care about someone else’s opinions of us because all we care about is God’s opinion…..and because we don’t fear man and only fear God…. we tell the truth.

Another aspect of this is the truth that when we have a proper fear of the Lord we will hate our sin and we will do everything we can to avoid the presence of sin in our lives….we will do everything we can to separate ourselves from anything and everything that would harm our relationship with God.

Now…. David is not just giving us a list of things not to do…..he also instructs us to do good. look at verse 14

Psalm 34:14 (CSB)

14 Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

Underline the word… “good” ….. if we are to do what is good ..…we have to understand what David means by the word “Good.”…this is especially true considering the fact that we live in a word where the concept of good is relative….in our culture …good is defined by the individual…what’s good for me is good for me and what’s good for you is good for you… ..but this relativistic goo is unhelpful and incorrect and is based out of a fear of man …not a fear of God. So what does it mean for us to “do what is good?”

Well…. what is “Good" is defined by God's law. It's about living morally…not just knowing God’s law or thinking about it God’s law….. but actually doing it.

I am reminded if John 14:15 where Jesus said…

John 14:15 (CSB)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commands.

In today's world…. where moral standards are often blurred….we need God’s Word to guide us and to keep our consciences sharp. Society often sugarcoats sin…for example…..adultery and promiscuity are called “sexual freedom,” the murder of children is labeled “pro-choice,” and selfishness is disguised as “self-affirmation” or “self-realization.” And so …as we live in this world full of relativistic thought….God needs to define for us what is evil so we can avoid it…and what is good so we can do it.

And so…..learning to fear God……means avoiding what God calls evil ….. it means obeying his moral commands………it means guarding our tongues and our actions from evil.…and….it means doing good works in the world…..but it’s not just that….you see….doing good isn't just about moral living… it's also about living with eternity in mind. It’s about doing the works of Jesus….it’s about being a peacemaker…and it’s about bringing His kingdom to earth as it is in heaven…..and it’s also about restoring God’s order in a broken world.

But let’s be honest…. “avoiding evil” … “doing good”… “seeking peace and pursuing it” …well…it’s hard!! It’s extremely hard…but…if we fear God…..we know that God sees us….and we know that He hears our cry for help.

Psalm 34:15 (CSB)

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry for help.

Dearly beloved…..God looks at you with approval and tender consideration….in fact….you are so dear to the Lord that He can’t keep His eyes off of you…He watches over you carefully and intently as if you were the only person in the entire universe. And not only does He see you…but He hears you.

Psalm 34:17 (CSB)

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.

Friend…..God’s hears your cry…just as a mom is sure to hear her crying infant…friend…your cry may be broken…it might be unhappy…your cry may be feeble and full of doubt…but God is quick to hear you and His ear catches each note of your lament…for ..our God is not slow to answer his children’s voice.

But…the unrighteous…well..their experience is completely different.

Psalm 34:16 (CSB)

16 The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to remove all memory of them from the earth.

God hates sin and His face is set against every form of wickedness..and he will cut off even the memory of those who do evil. I remember growing up in Oklahoma…I remember the combines harvesting the wheat fields and how the air would be full these tiny bits of wheat husks called chaff…which blew across the prairie. Even if the farmers wanted to ..there would have been no way for them to gather the chaff back together again.

And so it will be with those who continue to sin…it does not matter how revered or respected they are in this life…in the next one …the very memory of them will be swept away…their honor will be turned to shame…their names will be forgotten….and utter destruction will be their eternal reality.

But this will not be the case for the righteous…in fact…verse 18 is perhaps one of the most beautiful and comforting verses in the Bible.

Psalm 34:18 (CSB)

18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit.

Friends……God is not interested in the strong…..God is not interested in the self confident…He is not moved by what moves the world….he is not impressed by your success…or how smart you are….No! The Lord is near to the broken hearted….he is near to the humble…He is close to those who mourn their sin.…He is close to the ones whose pride and stubbornness of heart is being subdued…He is near to the repentant….and…He saves the crushed in spirit….just when a sinner begins to condemn themselves the Lord frees us of our guilt.

Friends…God will never break the rod of judgement on the backs of those who are already sore with the rod of conviction ….for those who have run to the fountain filled with Christ’s blood….for those who have recognized their sin and have trusted in a wonderful savior….they can be confident God is near and will save them.

Perhaps you are sitting here this morning brokenhearted and crushed in spirit…friend … I invite you to run to Jesus and find your refuge in the One who is not only near and ready to save you but He will never turn away from you..He will never despise a broken and humble heart…. God will never withdraw from the weak…. He always leans in to be our help…..He always draws near to save us.

Now….David finishes his sermon in verses 19-22 with a bang.

Psalm 34:19 (CSB)

19 One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all.

Notice that David uses the singular word… “him” ….. “the Lord rescues him” from all of his adversities.. David is speaking in third person…but in the previous two verses…in verses 17 and 18…. David write that the Lord rescues “them” from all of their troubles.

Why is this important?…well…remember…although David was running for his life from King Saul…he still had a group of men who followed him and who were committed to him….. so…. we have the individual righteous man…David ….and …..we have all of those who…despite King Saul rejecting David and trying to kill David…….they have chosen to align themselves with David…which means…they are on the outs with Saul too…their decision to side with David has put them into a dangerous situation as well…..BUT….when the Lord saved David…when the Lord saved Him through all of his tribulation..and later made David King…everybody who was aligned with David…was also saved….they were also delivered with him. This is amazing….and …..stick with me…especially if you are not seeing the gospel connection yet……David continues as He points us back to the book of Exodus and the passover lamb.

Psalm 34:20 (CSB)

20 He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.

In other words…David is pointing to the past and saying, “Do you remember the Exodus? “Do you remember how when God instructed us to prepare the passover lamb we were to ensure that not one it’s bones were broken? Do you remember how that passover lamb was the redemption for all the people of God?”

And David is pointing to the present…..he’s pointing to his situation……and he is placing himself in the place of the passover lamb and saying, “As God brings me through this situation with unbroken bones…like the unbroken bones of the passover lamb…all the people of God are going to be delivered!”

He continues…verse 21

Psalm 34:21 (CSB)

21 Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

In other words…just as the Egyptians were killed….just as the Egyptians suffered the plague of the firstborn and were swallowed up by the Red Sea… David says, “Just like the Egyptians……all of the wicked…..all of those who hate the righteous….. well…God is going to hold the wicked guilty and he is going condemn them and punish them for all eternity!”

But David doesn’t stop here….no…..and this is so amazing!! You see… David is also pointing to the future…you see.. he was writing prophetically about His future Son….the root of Jesse….the long promised Messiah who would come near to and die for the brokenhearted….…the one who would live a perfectly righteous life and gift His righteousness to the crushed in Spirit…Jesus Christ who went to the cross…and as he hung there broken and bloodied…like the passover lamb…God brought Jesus through and not one of his bones were broken! Why?

John 19:36 (CSB)

36 For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken.

Brothers and sisters….do not lose sight of the truth that…..

Psalm 34:22 (CSB)

22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants, and all who take refuge in him will not be punished.

God redeemed his people through the passover lamb at the Exodus…. God preserved David and kept his people safe from their enemies….and all of this was pointing to the ultimate redemption…all of this was a shadow of what was to come…and what has already happened… our deliverance from our ultimate enemies …sin and death…through Jesus…the God man who came near to us…lived for us…and died for us.…and rose from the dead for us…. and now…all who take refuge in Him will not be condemned.

Brothers and sisters…… this morning…. rest in the truth that God is near to the brokenhearted…he saves those who spirit’s are crushed….and in just a moment ..when we take communion…joyfully eat and drink of Him and taste and see that He is good.

If you have not tasted for yourself the goodness of God… there is no day like today to recognize that you are a sinner deserving of the just wrath of God…and just as David writes….if you do not mourn your sin and turn to him with a humble heart you will be punished…but ….the good news is….God is extending you grace….right now… you can turn from your sin….and trust in Jesus…and find your refuge in Him and experience the loving faithfulness of a God who is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Lets Pray

1. David’s Hymn vs. 1-10

a. Call to Worship vs. 1-3

b. Testimony vs. 4-7

c. Invitation vs. 8-10

2. David’s Sermon vs. 11-22

a. Wisdom vs. 11-14

b. Deliverance vs. 15-22