HE DELIVERED ME

King David was no stranger to trouble in his life. From almost the moment the Lord chose and anointed him to be king by Samuel, his life was filled with difficulties. At one of his lowest points, David tried to escape King Saul by going over to the Philistines. When he realized that they weren't too keen to help someone who had crushed them in battle over and over again, he only escaped by acting like a crazy person:

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. (1 Samuel 21:12-13)

What a humiliation! The man after God's own heart, the great general of the Jewish people, the future king of Israel, drooling, thrashing, and acting crazy to save his own life. From this experience, however, David grew deeper in trust in the Lord. From that growth, he wrote Psalm 34:

I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.. (Psalm 34:1-3)

David is ready to praise the Lord, but his heart in writing this psalm is also to encourage "the afflicted" among God's people. David had tried to save himself by his own cleverness in going to the Philistines, only to be in more danger than ever. But the Lord rescued him even from that and had great mercy and compassion on him.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them. (Psalm 34:4-7)

David had many fears, but his chief fear was that of the Lord. In this, he came to see that those who fear the Lord need not fear anything else because God is with those who fear Him. David's foes put him in many disgraceful situations, but when his eyes were on the Lord, that shame was washed away by the radiance of God's love. And when David sought not to rescue himself but instead called to the Lord, he was rescued "out of all his troubles."

Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:8-14)

In short, David is teaching us here to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness and to leave our troubles in God's hands. Oh, how difficult it is to leave our troubles in God's hands! The instinct to rescue ourselves is so great. But when we fear the Lord, we trust the Lord. And when we trust the Lord, we seek to please Him and leave our personal well-being in His loving hands.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth. (Psalm 34:15-16)

We all live before the eyes of the Lord, who sees all and knows all. But David teaches us that for the righteous and the evil-doer, the gaze of the Lord means two very different things. For the righteous, those who seek to keep the Lord's commands, God's attention means care and salvation. But for the wicked, the Lord's face is against them, looking on them to remove them from His beautiful creation.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:17-18)

What a spiritual disaster it is in our pain when we run from God to other things for comfort. When we are brokenhearted and crushed, our heavenly Father draws near to us in deeper, more life-giving ways. Not only that, but He comes forth to rescue and help us in our time of need. Never should we run from God in our pain, but rather to Him, and we will find Him nearer than we ever imagined.

The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken. (Psalm 34:19-20)

This passage isn't saying that if you are a real Christian, you'll never fall down and break a bone. It is a picture that, although we may receive many hurts in this life, we will ultimately not be harmed. A papercut may hurt, but it does not harm us in any real way. In Christ, our life is safely hidden in Him, and so we may go through many hurts in this life, but have no true or lasting damage.

Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:21-22)

The truth of the matter is that for anyone following the Lord, one of the greatest sources of pain will be those who oppose and persecute them. Here, David reminds us that we need not defend ourselves; it is the Lord who will rescue His servants and condemn their foes. We need not fight for ourselves if we make the Lord our refuge.

And that is the ultimate message of this psalm: When you are in trouble, flee to the Lord as your refuge. Don't turn to your own cleverness or ideas. Don't turn to sin or the world. Don't turn from the Lord, but to Him, and you will know His nearness, His kindness and His deliverance. Then you will join David in saying: