Taste And See

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 Taste And See

Psalm 34:8-14 (NIV)

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from telling lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

 

Devotion:

 

            The 34th psalm dispenses wisdom to those who will listen and obey its teaching. As Christians we can take the first lines as referring to the institution of the Lord’s supper. We come to the Lord’s banquet seeking communion with Jesus in a new way. Old Testament listeners would have heard these words in a completely different context. Still, they would come to God seeking the good things that God provides freely from his hands.

 

            Fearing the Lord is timeless wisdom. We look back over the history of Israel and the Christian church and we see that those who fear the Lord lack no good thing. Even when it seems that the chips are down, and no one will rescue them God always provides. They might lack some creature comfort but the needs of their body, soul, mind, and spirit will always be met by God’s provision. We, in fact, will see them well cared for despite the situation around them. They will have as the Jewish people call it “shalom.”

 

            We have all seen many pictures of Christians from around the world who are in desperate need of food. Indeed, even in nature the strongest and fiercest beasts of prey in the wild will go hungry. Yet the psalmist promises the believers that they will never lack. How can this be? In verse 11 the psalmist calls all the people to draw close to hear his teaching. The psalmist prepares to speak about the fear of the Lord in no uncertain terms.

 

            The psalmist exhorts his listeners to hear these words of wisdom and power straight from God’s heart to ours. The words are simple enough for a child to understand them yet difficult enough to challenge even the most seasoned saint to comply with them. The Lord states that those who would see good days and many happy days must watch their tongue under control, telling no lies, repeating no gossip. We must turn from doing evil things to one another and seek to do only those things that bring about good for our neighbors.

 

            Hear our prayer O Lord. Nothing in our hands we bring before you. We have all strayed from your ways. We come seeking you. Not food or drink, clothing, or shoes, we seek only you. We know that you will provide us with our daily bread and keep us clothed by your goodness and mercy. Help us to keep on seeking you for in you alone eternal life can be found, Amen. 

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