A Poor Man’s Song

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Psalm 34

There are 14 Psalms whose introduction links them to events in the life of king David.  This is one of them.  This refers to the incident in I Samuel 21:10-15.  

One of the key verses in Psalm 34 is the 6^th: “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

This highlights one of the secrets to this incredible man’s incredible life; Poverty of Spirit.  The Lord Jesus spoke of this inner heart condition when he gave the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”—Matthew 5:3

This 34^th Psalm is for poor people, poor men and poor women.  If you have ever felt destitute and spiritually bankrupt with nowhere to turn but to God Himself then this Psalm is for you! 

Psalm 34 shows us some of the blessings associated with poverty of spirit!  

1. A Poor Man’s Praise—Notice this phrase “my soul makes its boast in the Lord” in verse 3.  What does this mean? 
   1. What “boasting in the Lord” is not.  
   2. What “boasting in the Lord” is.  To boast in the Lord means: “to acknowledge triumphing with God’s help and to attribute victory to God.
   3. Do we boast in the Lord?  
   4. The Anatomy of a Personal God.  Notice in verses 1, 5, 8, 10, 13 David mentions the physical body parts of a human being.  But, then in verses 15, 16, 17 David speaks of God’s body parts.  David thanks God that God is as real as his unfortunate circumstances!  There is a 2-fold meaning here:   
      1. When we are suffering the most in our physical world, God is ever-present and suffers with us.
      2. As embodied creatures, we are what we do.  
2. A Poor Man’s Food—Notice the phrase, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”-Verse 8
   1. An Invitation—David experienced God’s delivering power directly and personally.  So, he invites others to “taste and see the Lord is good”.  
   2. Communion—This passage reminds one of the Lord’s Supper.  
3. A Poor Man’s Fear…of the Lord—Verses 7, 9 and 11 speak of fearing the Lord. What does it mean to fear the Lord?
   1. The Promise of Prayer
   2. Deliverance from or in our troubles. 
   3. Obedience to the Lord.  See Psalm 34:12-16.  To fear the Lord is to obey the Lord.
   4. The Foundation of Life.

Do we really view ourselves as poor people?  Because poor people are the only ones who can claim the exceeding precious realities of the 34^th Psalm!