Thanks To God For My Redemption

A hymn writer from yesteryear wrote these words:

Thanks to God for my Redeemer, Thanks for all Thou dost provide! Thanks for times now but a mem’ry, Thanks for Jesus by my side! Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime, Thanks for dark and stormy fall! Thanks for tears by now forgotten, Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered, Thanks for what Thou dost deny! Thanks for storms that I have weathered, Thanks for all Thou dost supply! Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure, Thanks for comfort in despair! Thanks for grace that none can measure, Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,

Thanks for thorns their stems contain! Thanks for home and thanks for fireside, Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain! Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee! Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, Thanks through all eternity!

Thanks for thorns their stems contain! Thanks for home and thanks for fireside, Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain! Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow, Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee! Thanks for hope in the tomorrow, Thanks through all eternity!

Please turn with me to , as we continue on our Journey of Thankfulness. A couple of weeks ago we looked at which found its background information in , towards the end of David’s life and reign over the nation of Israel. Today’s Psalm finds its background in , before David was crowned king, and while he was fleeing from Saul, who was seeking to kill him, since he understood that David, and not his son Jonathon, would be the next king of Israel. In an effort to escape Saul, David went into enemy territory, to the city of Gath, which was part of the Philistine kingdom. He was presented before the king, whose name was Achish, seeking sanctuary from Saul. But the servants of Achish were leery of David since he had proven himself to be a mighty warrior, especially against the Philistines. After all, the gain, Goliath, was from Gath! We read in

Psalm 34 NKJV

A Psalm of David When He Pretended Madness 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. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Psalm 30 NKJV

A Psalm. A Song At the Dedication of the House of David. I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. I cried out to You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper!” You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

2 Samuel 24 NKJV

Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.” And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon; and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.” And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.” And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

1 Samuel 21 NKJV

Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.” And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul. And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

1 Samuel 21:13–15 NKJV

So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

Though our Psalm states that this is the background, it is difficult to see this background come through in this song.

As we look at this passage this morning, I believe that the last verse is the focal point of what David was writing:

Psalm 34:22 NKJV

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Thus, the title for our message — THANKS TO GOD FOR MY REDEMPTION. With all this in mind, let’s read our passage together.

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Look at verse 1.

Psalm 34:1 NKJV

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer

To redeem means to release, preserve, deliver by means of a ransom

David was delivered from his enemies, not by his own ingenuity but by faithless, steadfast love of God

Some believe that his feigning madness was directed by the Holy Spirit

Others believe that it was a sinful act, end yet God proved Himself faithful to His covenant despite the sin of David

Whatever the case may be, as a result of the LORD’s deliverance of David, he to bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth

Regardless of our circumstances we should continually praise God:

Regardless of:

our times of despair which may lodge for a very long night

our own health issues

our loved ones health issues

our job situation

our finances

our fear of the unknown

how well the Lions are playing

our Psalm does mention that they are roaring with hunger, after all! (vs. 10)

Regardless of any situation that we might think of or encounter, we should continually offer up the sacrifice of praise to our Redeemer!

Look at verse 2.

Psalm 34:2 NKJV

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Our boast is to be in the LORD and not in ourselves, since our salvation is completely the work of the LORD

Titus 3:5 CSB

he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Rather than being boastful about ourselves, we should be humble, and join with others who are humble as we celebrate our great redemption through Christ Jesus our Lord

Note next that

Since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer, and invite others to join with us in exalting His name

Look at verse 3.

Psalm 34:3 NKJV

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.

The others we invite, are probably the humble [who] shall hear of [our deliverance} and be glad from verse 2

We are to invite them to magnify the LORD with me, and … exalt His name together

When we magnify the LORD together, not only does it glorify our Lord, but it also bring much benefit to us as well:

Hebrews 10:19–25 NKJV

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Our ability to come together is because of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Because of our redemption we are able to approach the throne of grace with confidence

We are to draw near to God, not only individually, but in fellowship with other believers

We are to consider how to encourage one another to grow in love and good works

And we can’t do so if we forsake the assembling of ourselves together

Since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer, invite others to join with us in exalting His name, and in contemplating His deliverance of us

Look at verses 4.

Psalm 34:4 NKJV

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4–6 NKJV

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

When David said: I sought the LORD, he is referring to seeking Him in prayer

Notice what David was delivered from: all my fears

This is a bit of a tongue twister, but our personal fears are the primary source of our fears

There a song that I occasionally hear on the Christian radio station that states it so well: “Fear is a liar!”

Wasn’t it FDR who said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Think about what David had to fear:

He was anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel

He was chased out of Israel by the present king

He took refuge in enemy territory

The enemy didn’t trust him

He probably wondered if God’s promise to him would be fulfilled

Was Samuel mistaken?

God delivered David from all his fears

But can God deliver us from all of our fears?

David assures his readers that they too will find deliverance in God — note verse 5

Psalm 34:5 NKJV

They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.

Just as Moses’ face radiated from being in the presence of the LORD, so all those who look to Him will be radiant

This doesn’t mean that our faces will shine like Moses’ did, but they may very well present a picture of peace and confidence in our God

Note verse 6

Psalm 34:6 NKJV

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

If this poor man, that is David, himself, can cry out to God in his time of need, so can all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1–2 NKJV

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Just as David contemplated God’s deliverance of Him from his various enemies, so we too should contemplate Christ deliverance of us from our greatest enemy — sin!

Since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer, invite others to join with us in exalting His name and in contemplating His deliverance of us, and considering the personhood of our Redeemer

Notice verse 7.

Psalm 34:7 NKJV

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

Psalm 34:7 NKJV

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

We begin to consider the personhood of our Redeemer by focusing on what we have learned about Him

Who is the angel of the LORD?

The Pre-incarnate Jesus Christ

He redeems us by His work alone, and not our works

He guards and protects His own

As the Good Shepherd He lays down His life for His sheep

Just as the glory of the LORD stood between the children of Israel and the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, so the LORD encamps around those who fear Him

This is a different word for fear than used in verse 4

Though we are not to let our personal fears conquer us, we are to fear the LORD

THE FEAR OF THE LORD is the focus of verses 11-22

As we consider the person hood of our Redeemer, we not only reflect on what we know about Him from our study of His person, but also from what have experienced of His goodness

Look at verse 8.

Psalm 34:8 NKJV

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Though many have thought this to be an invitation to unbelievers to give God a try, I believe that this is written to believers

We have trusted Him in his provision for our redemption

We should also trust Him in His provision for our daily living

The more we experience His faithfulness to us, the more our faith increases in Him

Since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer, invite others to join with us in exalting His name, contemplating His deliverance of us, considering the personhood of our Redeemer, and meditating on His provision for His own

Look at verse 9-10.

Psalm 34:9–10 NKJV

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Those who fear God will not lack anything that is necessary

What do the lions represent?

Definitely not Detroit!

They could represent literal lions

This is the most likely representation — it is in keeping with Jesus’ referencing bird of the air in contrast with believers ()

Matthew 6:26 NKJV

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

They could represent the proud, since there is a strong contrast between the humble and the proud in this psalm

They could represent evil doers

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All of this brings us to the second part of this psalm. While the first ten verses clearly fall within the genre of a thanksgiving psalm, the last twelve verses fall within the genre of a wisdom psalm. When you read them, they almost sound like the first nine chapters of Proverbs. The wisdom portion of this psalm is really an unpacking of the exhortation to fear the LORD in verse 9.

Because of our experience of being redeemed we should recognize the product of the Fear of the LORD

Look at verses 11.

Psalm 34:11 NKJV

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

Though Matthew Henry seemed to believe that David was addressing actual children, I see this as a typical Hebrew teacher addressing a student of any age

You and I are to be students of the Word, and so this instruction is for us!

Previously David had exhorted them to fear the LORD, now he going to teach them how

He begins by sharing three fruits of the fear of the LORD

Look at verses 11-12.

Psalm 34:12 NKJV

Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?

Psalm 34:11–12 NKJV

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good?

The Fear of the LORD Brings Abundant Life

This is life in its richest and fullest sense

John 10:10 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The Fear of the LORD Brings Long Life

All of mankind values a long life — with the exception of country music in which only the good die young...

The Fear of the LORD Brings a Good Life

A good life is synonymous with a blessed life, or blessings in general.

Because of our experience of being redeemed we should recognize the product of the Fear of the LORD, and cultivate it in our our lives

Look at verse 13-14.

Psalm 34:13–14 NKJV

Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

David provided three typical ways in which one can cultivate the fear of the LORD

Watch Your Speech

If only people could truly learn this lesson in our present society

James 3:5–6 NKJV

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Do What is Right

James 4:17 NKJV

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Doing good begins within the family of God

Galatians 6:10 NKJV

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Seek to be at Peace With Your Fellow Man

Matthew 5:9 NKJV

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Galatians 6:10 NKJV

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We need to understand that cultivating the fear of the LORD will often lead to the believer encountering various forms of trouble or persecution

Matthew 5:10 NKJV

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Because of our experience of being redeemed we should recognize the product of the Fear of the LORD, cultivate it in our our lives, and bask in His favor toward us

Let’s look very briefly at how God shows favor to His own, but does not do so to those who are evil.

Psalm 34:15–16 NKJV

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

David unpacks God’s favor over the next several verses. Just to list a few things:

The LORD hears the prayer of the righteous

The LORD comes along side of those with a broken heart

The LORD delivers the righteous from affliction

The LORD protects His people

The LORD redeems His people who trust in Him

This morning, we have really just looked at two elongated statements:

First, since we have been redeemed we should continually bless our Redeemer, invite others to join with us in:

exalting His name

contemplating His deliverance of us,

considering the personhood of our Redeemer,

and meditating on His provision for His own.

Second, because of our experience of being redeemed we should:

recognize the product of the Fear of the LORD,

cultivate it in our our lives,

and bask in His favor toward us.

May these things be true in our lives as well as in the life of David.

If you have never come to the place in your life where you have truly experience God, then I invite you, today, to

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Let’s pray.

Closing Song: #308

There is a Redeemer