Psalm 34: A Song of Praise and Promise

Welcome to Proverbs3Three.com’s first guest blogger! Katherine Wisniewski writes at https://katherinewisniewski.com/. She is a wife, mom, grandma, teacher, and writer. Her passion is sharing encouragement to replace hardship and heartbreak with the peace of knowing Jesus. Be sure to check her out on Facebook and Instagram.

Have you ever messed up and felt unforgivable? Sadly, I have. When my daughter was twelve, I walked into the house with my arms full of groceries and tripped over her backpack, nearly falling. Rather than simply asking her to put it away, I lost my temper and barked at her about being more respectful. As the words flew from my mouth, I noticed the new friend she’d invited over and the look of horror on her face, and I was reminded of David when he wrote Psalm 34.  

Whenever I’ve made mistakes, I’ve felt unworthy of God’s love and wanted to run from Him due to my shame. But when I read Psalm 34, I find genuine encouragement because it demonstrates God’s grace. It shows God is with us, helping, healing, and delivering us, even when we are at our worst. All that is needed is a humble, repentant heart seeking God.   

Understanding the Biblical Context of Psalm 34

David wrote Psalm 34 after defeating Goliath. People hailed him a hero, and God anointed him as the future king of Israel. This angered King Saul, so he attempted to murder David. Thus, David fled to Gath. But the people of Gath remembered David’s heroism and sang songs about him. This made David fear Achish, (Abimelech) king of Gath, so he pretended to be insane to escape (1 Sam. 21:10-15). 

This was not an honorable time for David, as he used deceit to escape. He was alone, afraid, and wallowing in weaknesses. Despite this, he wrote Psalm 34 full of gratitude and praise toward God. David reminds us:

David’s example inspires us not to allow our mistakes to keep us from sharing about God.

Psalm 34 is an alphabetic acrostic in which each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This structure made memorization easier for oral recitations. This psalm has two sections: (1) praise and instructions about who God is and (2) how we should respond. 

Verses 1-8 make up a song in which David praises God and encourages others to worship with him. David worships God for saving him mentally and physically. David thanks God for delivering him from fear and shame (verses 4-5) and proclaims:

In verse 8,  David shifts toward instruction about God when he invites us:

The Hebrew word for taste is “ṭāʽam” which means to discover by experience, much as one would taste a new food. 

In verses 9-22, David teaches others to fear God and avoid his mistakes. He advises us to tell the truth, keep from evil, do good, and seek peace (verses 13-14). David states that God keeps watch over His people and delivers them, body and soul.

Learning Who God Is

In Psalm 34, David shows God is merciful because, despite his sin, the Lord saved him. David also gives us a mental picture of God’s love when he states, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him” (verse 8). The phrase translated here as “take refuge” means “to hide oneself,” much as a small child is wrapped up and protected in her parents’ loving arms. 

David illustrates that God is worthy of our worship because he hears our pleas and saves us. God is our rescue and refuge. He is good and a God of justice. He is against those who do evil but for those who seek and fear Him. God also gives us hope because He promises to save us from evil. 

Applying Psalm 34

We can follow David’s example. We can make a habit of praying. When we make mistakes, as I did with my daughter, we can run toward God instead of away. God honors and forgives a humble and repentant heart.

Like David, we can reflect on God’s goodness and past provisions. Reflection and praise increases our gratitude toward God in all circumstances, great and grave.  We can also follow David’s example by sharing our testimony and teaching others about God’s goodness and promises. Finally, we can seek to experience a close relationship with God and express His love toward others.  

Psalm 34 is a powerful illustration of God’s goodness, love, and mercy. As believers in Jesus, we, too, have God’s grace, mercy, and protection. But unlike David, we have been set free from the law.

All we must do to receive this freedom and forgiveness is obey Romans 10:9.

And that is truly a reason to praise God!

If you were encouraged by today’s blog post, be sure to check Katherine out on Facebook and Instagram.

If you need more encouragement in understanding who God says you are, be sure to check out my book, which can be found on Amazon.