THE TNT OF THE DELIVERED

I WILL BLESS THE LORD - David is resolved to do so regardless because the Lord has regarded him. Furthermore, David knows His deliverance comes from the LORD. David was not delivered because he was clever. He was delivered because the LORD keeps His covenant.

AT ALL TIMES - This covenant keeping God deserves a monopoly on our praise. Just as David was delivered by the Lord’s mercy not his manipulation we too have experienced likewise and therefore praise is never seasonable but continual.

HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH.

Praise is a mouth activity. Its verbal. It requires speech. There is a contrast in verse 1 and

Psalm 34:13 ESV

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

How do achieve such a monumental task? Continual praise keeps ones tongue from evil and lips from speaking deceit. A mouth full of continuous praise swallows up in joy the bitterness of life’s affliction.

BOAST

Psalm 34:2 ESV

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.

Scripture teaches us to abstain from boasting except when it is in the LORD. Here we are encouraged to indulge. This boasting is no mere tongue bragging. David said my soul makes its boast in the LORD.

A true testimony makes its boast in the LORD not sin or themselves. It should be noted that David uses the LORD’S name 16 times in 22 verses. It is clear who delivered David.

True boasting in the LORD makes others “the humble” glad.

BID

Exaltation calls others to exaltation. Blessing and boasting is never meant to remain private. Private praise provokes public praise. Praise is meant to be shared.

We magnify Him not as a microscope but a telescope. He is not small needing to be made larger but He is so great we need to bring Him into view.

The church is not in danger of exaggerating or embellishing His greatness. We are guilty of microscopic praise.

THE WORKS OF GOD

HE WORKS THROUGH PRAYER.

Psalm 34:4 ESV

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

David’s confession - I sought the Lord - and his actions - I acted like a lunatic - seem to contradict each other. How can his confession and conduct both be true when they appear to be a contradiction. Spurgeon in his commentary on Psalm 34 says “his poor limping prayer had an acceptance and brought him help: this knowledge gave him more reason for celebrating the abounding mercy of the Lord.”

HE WORKS THROUGH OUR POSTURE

David says

Psalm 34:5 ESV

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Our LORD works for - those who look to him.

Exodus 14:13 ESV

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.

Isaiah 45:22 NKJV

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Never has a trouble heart looked to the Great Physician in vain. Just as those who were bitten by fiery serpents lived because they looked upon their salvation. So to will those who look to the LORD be delivered without shame.

HE WORKS THROUGH OUR POVERTY

Psalm 34:6 ESV

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

David testifies that the Lord hears those who are in poverty of spirit (humility) not poverty of riches. Later in

Psalm 34:15 ESV

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

and

Psalm 34:17 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

He supplies the confidence and assurance for such belief. David does not want us to believe this is true because of his testimony. He is teaching us His testimony is true because it is supported by theology.

THE WORTHINESS OF GOD

TASTE THE LORD

Psalm 34:8 ESV

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

TRUST THE LORD

Psalm 34:9–10 ESV

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

fear the Lord - Live a life of childlike reverence and trust. He may not provide you with luxuries yet He will give you all that He has promised. He keeps His Word.

young lions suffer want and hunger - even the king of the jungle in all His craftiness and cunning ability fall into want and hunger. It is better a better policy for us to trust God than the craftiest policy of man.

those who seek the Lord lack no good thing - NO! good provision will be denied to those whose first and main end in life is to seek the Lord.

THE LORD DELIVERED DAVID FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS.

DELIVERANCE GIVES US A TEACHING.

TRUST THE LORD’S PATH.

Psalm 34:12–15 ESV

What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

TRUST THE LORD WITH YOUR FEELINGS.

Psalm 34:15 ESV

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

How much does the Lord care for you? Our text teaches us that he cannot take His eyes off or close his ears off to His own. His attention is so focused on His creatures it's as though they were earth's only inhabitant. He knows your condition and He draws near.

Psalm 34:18 ESV

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Broken hearts often believe that the Lord is far away. However, brokenness does not drive the Lord away but draws Him near.

Are you truly broken this morning then know the Lord is nigh. You say He is not nigh only because you failed to speak those words of the crushed in spirit - repentance. Our Lord reveals Himself to the repentant. He refreshes the repentant.

TRUST THE LORD WITH YOUR FRUSTRATIONS.

Psalm 34:17 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

“These inward trials I employ From self and pride to set thee free And break thy schemes of earthly joy That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

TRUST THE LORD WITH YOUR FUTURE.

Psalm 34:20 ESV

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

This verse is quoted in John 19:36 concerning Christ crucifixion.

It reminds us that when the devil was doing his worse he could only do what the Lord permitted and no more.

Jesus trusted His Father with His future and so can we.

TRUST THE LORD WITH YOUR FOES.

Psalm 34:21 ESV

Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The ungodly will eventually be undone.

TRUST THE LORD WITH YOUR FAILURES

David failed many times in His walk with the Lord. Several of those are recorded in Scripture as a testimony of how the Lord does not condemned His own.

David sinned against God when he decided to take a census, counting his people instead of counting on God. God disciplined him, and in David’s repentance, he built an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And it was on that very ground, the place of David’s failure and repentance, that the temple of the Lord was built.

God’s temple in Jerusalem, the holiest place where he would dwell on earth with man, was built on the ground of human failure.

Christ was crucified on the cross a symbol of human failure so that anyone who would take refuge in him will not be condemned.

If you are trusting in the Christ who died on the cross for you failures then you can trust Him with your failures.

Not only does the cross remind us that we can trust the Lord with our failures but that we can trust Him to help us in our moments of weakness not to fail. Jesus was victorious over sin and so can we. His death not only saves us from sins penalty but its power. The cross enables us to overcome sin and ensures us that when we sin we will not be overcome.

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