“THE LORD IS NEAR”- Psalm 34:15–22

The events over the past few weeks in the lives of many of our church members have weighed heavy on us all. Several members’ fathers are on the edge of eternity. Others’ parents are digressing or experience rough battles with sickness and age. And one mourns the loss of her sister. Some have recently finished chemotherapy or radiation. Still others have siblings who are experiencing their own physical battles.

Not only did I find myself given to prayer much more the past few weeks, but I have a desire to help, to point people to the only One who can help, the Lord Jesus.

I spent time praying yesterday and early this morning, and contrary to my normal routine, I am preaching a sermon that I hope will be an encouragement to those experiencing these heartbreaking pains and exhortation to those around them, lessons and ways we can help one another during this period in our lives.

To that end, I have been meditating on Psalm 34, and have seen portions of the psalm through text messages in an effort to be encouraging.

With that goal, let us pray for the Lord’s divine and almighty help this morning.

Now, to situate our psalm this morning, we see that this is a Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.”

These events take place from 1 Samuel chapter 20 through chapter 29. In those chapters, David is running for his life, leading a rag-tag group of guys through the wilderness, attempting to protect his and his followers lives over and over again.

They are fugitives under the hot pursuit of a mad man. And for sometime they enjoy a little (if we could call it that) stability in the borders of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel and, surprisingly, of David as well.

There is more to the story, of course, but for the sake of time we note that David’s life was anything but easy. He was running for his life, stressed to the max.

Which makes the opening words of this psalm all the more spectacular, “I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

How could David make such a bold declaration, in the midst of trials and difficulties?

David was a believer, saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. David was God’s chosen man, God’s King, God’s servant, God’s son.

And it is through God’s work in David’s life that David was able to persevere despite the challenges of life in a fallen world. And we can draw much encouragement and counsel from the sweet psalmist of Israel’s divinely-inspired words.

I. GOD TAKES PARTICULAR CARE OF HIS PEOPLE- 34:15, 17–19

There are many remarkable, almost unbelievably good passages of Scripture that depict the genuine and particular care God has for His people, and this is one such passage. Another one is Matthew 6:24–33. There Jesus notes that, if the Father takes care of plants and animals, most of which will remain unseen by the human eye, how much greater care will He provide for those who bear His image?

Although David does not mention plants or animals, the particular care is still wonderfully displayed.

Notice his words.

15- “The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”

Like a parent with their child at a playground, always having her eyes on the child and listening for the child, our gracious God, the LORD, has His eyes which never sleep nor slumber on His people. His ears are always toward their cry, ever listening and never failing to hear the spoken and unspoken cries.

Our Heavenly Father is not an absentee Father, He is not distracted by the cares of others. He is God, infinite in His ability to care for all His children through all time all simultaneously as if you were His only child.

As many of you know, I have many children, and there are times, due to my finiteness, that I can only hear one of my kids although the rest of them are vying for attention. God does not have that same limitation.

God takes particular care of His people.

17- When the righteous cry, God hears and helps.

Now, we need to unpack that a bit, because David is not saying that everything we ask for we will receive.

What David is teaching us is that our God, in His infinite wisdom, not only hears our prayers, but answers our prayers in the best way possible. His answers always bring Him the most glory and us the most good.

Notice, Scripture does not say that His answers will be pleasurable, or painless. His answers, though, will always be for good.

In what sense then could it be said that God delivers us out of all our troubles? In the Revelation 21 and 22 sense, the eschatological sense, that is a nice way of saying in the final sense, the sense of being in glory, prepared and fitted for the beholding of His Triune beauty in the face of Jesus Christ, where God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, nor sin, for the former things have passed away.

We could turn to Romans 8:28–29 for this wonderful truth this morning as well, but let us press on remember God takes particular care of His people with the next verse.

18- “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

The LORD, the almighty God, infinite in holiness, is near, like the compassionate spouse holding her husband’s hand is near, our God is near.

Are you beginning to see, as we contemplate God’s particular care for His people, how David could begin this psalm blessing the LORD at all times?

Not only is the LORD near to the brokenhearted, He saves the crushed in spirit. That is, God does not allow us to be finally overwhelmed in this life.

Again, there is a now and not-yet feel to this verse. God did deliver David from both the Philistine kings and the hands of Saul. Yet David experienced pain and suffering again and again. So in one sense, God saved David who was crushed in spirit.

In another sense, though, God delivered David through salvation, and this will ultimately be fulfilled in that final, Rev. 21 and 22 sense.

God takes particular care of His people.

19- “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”

David is reminding us, and himself, that there will be more challenges. There will be more deaths, more pain, more aches of the body and of the heart. Rather than discourage us, this should encourage us, because every new affliction is an opportunity to experience the nearness of the LORD, pray and cry out to Him, and enjoy the deliverance again and again, knowing all the while that God delivers us from them all (again, keep Rev. 21–22 in mind).

Now, we could continue working our way through the remainder of the psalm unpacking further how God takes particular care of His people. But I want to switch gears a bit and consider secondly, God personally knows the pain of His people.

II. GOD PERSONALLY KNOWS THE PAIN OF HIS PEOPLE- 34:20–22

I asked at the beginning, how could David praise God in the midst of these trials and difficulties, and we noted briefly it was because of God’s grace. David was saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, even if David did not understand all the finer points of the gospel.

Verse 19 seems odd, although we could argue that David is perhaps discussing God’s marvelous protection of his own bone structure, we know from Christ’s words to the disciples in Luke 24:13–27 and46–47, that this refers to Jesus Christ.

In fact, John says this is a prophecy about Jesus Christ.

John 19:36 “36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.””

God knows all things completely, and this a truth that is quite beyond our comprehension. But, as a grace to us, and as a part of our salvation, Christ assumed human nature and experienced pains with us.

Jesus wept upon hearing the news of His friend Lazarus’s death, no doubt in addition to his tears for his friends Mary and Martha.

Jesus knew exactly how long the leper has been banned from society and how long he had not felt the touch of another human being and was moved with compassion, Mark 6:34.

Jesus experienced the pains of this life, though without sin, and knows personally the pain of His people. That is what fits Him to be such a great High Priest for us, after all (Heb. 4:14–16).

Social Media, Lamentations 3:22–23 “22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Jesus experienced the pains of the enemy, too. Our focus this morning deals primarily with the ill-affects of life in a fallen world, disease, decay, and death.

But there is more to add to the heartache of life on this side of glory, and that is twofold: sin and the enemy, the devil.

Notice verse 21, “Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.” There is a day of judgment, when sin and evil will be judged.

Not one enemy of righteousness will escape the exact judgment of God.

Contrasted with the end of the wicked is the beauties of the righteous.

22, “The LORD redeems the life of his servants’ none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the Servant King Jesus’s sacrificial death, the Lord redeems His people, or “those who take refuge in him.”

God takes particular care of His people, because God personally knows the pain of His people. How can we apply this?

Let me offer just a few ways that we can apply this to ourselves (numbers 1 and 2) and then in our church (numbers 3 and 4).

APPLICATION

In painful situations, always cry out to the Lord with honesty and faith.

In trials of the soul, always look to the Lord through His Word and by His Spirit.

Be present with those suffering through prayers, encouragement, silence, and support.

Point people to Jesus Christ who takes particular care of His people and personally knows their pain.