Psalm 34
A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before A-bim’-e-lech; who drove him away,
and he departed.
Pt. 3

David ended the Psalm with a wonderful summation of the superiority of being a child of God and he did it with a running comparison of “the righteous” and “them that do evil.” This, by the way, is the division of the human race perpetually.

15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Were he to say nothing else, this is sufficient reason to seek God and seek to walk with Him, obey Him, believe in Him. His eyes are for sure upon everyone but He watches over His people in a special way, to keep them from both physical and spiritual danger. And, He listens for them to call upon Him, hearing them with favor, frequently answering their prayers, that is when they have enough wisdom to ask Him rightly and for things which are actually good for them.

Taking a distant and more objective look, isn’t it really incredible that the Eternal and Invisible God takes such care of a small subset of His Creation, gives them Repentance and Faith and superintends their lives with minute and unimaginable care? Amazing that one so cared for should ever develop a “lukewarm” attitude toward Him.

16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

The “other group” has just the opposite kind of supervision. He watches them with the same intensity as the “righteous” but with a totally different disposition toward them. He is “against them.” If ever there was a reason to “flee from iniquity” this would be it. To live with God as one’s enemy, now there is a life doomed from the start. No matter how high one might soar in this world (remember Nebuchadnezzar?) there is the Infinity Deity standing with sword drawn ready to cut one off, even to cut off his “rememberance” from the earth. So many have come and gone from the pages of history, some very mighty and great in their time that now are only known by those scholars that search among the relics of the story of man. They are like the grass that grew under their feet, long dead and
forgotten, blown away as the dust and the only remembrance of them is that which shall face them at the Great Judgment, the “books” of God.

17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

David could never really get over the reality that God heard his prayers, and he always remembered the folly of pride and arrogance. That which he saw in Saul and Goliath had a lasting impact on him. He was called “a man after God’s own heart” for this very reason, he never strayed far from his
understanding of himself as a sinner. If the scholars are correct, this was written long before the encounter with Bathsheba and demonstrates to us how deep his sin really was. He was so well informed concerning how things work, spiritually, in the world that there could have been no workable excuse for him. But it also stands as a warning to all, even the man who deeply and profoundly knows the Lord can stray from Him and do incredible damage to himself and to others.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Lest anyone misunderstand him and think he was preaching perpetual prosperity to the saints, he inserted this little caveat which history proves universally true, “many are the afflictions of the righteous.”


But, he has just also affirmed that the Lord watches over them with love through every one of those difficulties. He uses them to make them better servants and more godly people. Banish the thought that Faith will keep anyone from trouble…. but it will help guide him/her through them.

20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

It was John to whom the Holy Spirit revealed that this was a prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus.

John 19:36
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.

This writer still stands amazed at the little jewels such as this one contained in the literature of the Jews concerning the One Who Should Come. These little tidbits are precious and yet they are scattered everywhere if one will but search the scriptures with a heart toward God and a willingness to be guided by His Spirit.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

In a sense a summation of the whole of the Bible, the entirety of the Revelation of God, a book in and of itself to guide the heart and mind of any man who has even the slightest interest in Eternity and what is ultimately to come of him.

It is also the sum of the hope of all believers, “none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.”

— May 27, 2020