By bro Alan Poon
Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
What a beautiful invitation David gave to us to come to know God.
We learnt that Psa 34 was written by David while he was in Gath, one of the five main cities of the Philistines. During this period of time, he feigned madness in front of the King of Gath, Abimelech. In Psa 56, we learnt about the reason why David went to Gath – to escape from King Saul. We saw the trust in God that David had.
Psa 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good” – This is how close David tells us to come close to God.
In Psa 34: 4-7, David describes God’s grace:
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
He sought God and God heard him and delivered him. David did not just record his own account. Psa 34:5 suggests that David was not alone when it comes to trusting God. Those with him who looked unto God were also happy and were not ashamed of having their trust in God. If we look unto God, we will find the evidence of God (Rom 1:20).
What is the taste of God? Psa 63:5 describes his soul as satisfied like with marrow and fatness. Fatness may equate to the best part of the meat. In the modern context, fatness may determine the quality of the poultry. Usually it covers the meat and is the first thing that brings savour in your month. In Psa 119:103, God’s word is sweeter than honey. Honey may be sweet, but isn’t it also the best food to represent God’s providence? The bees labor to gather the honey for our consumption. Numbers 14:8 further strengthens the point: God’s promised land for the Israelites was filled with milk and honey. Hence, Psa 119:103 can also be understood to say the satisfaction of God’s word is greater than satisfying our physical hunger.
In conclusion, to taste something, you need to come close to it. God is honourable and does not lose people who are close to Him. When we taste something, we acquire the knowledge of it. The knowledge is that God is righteous and is against them who do evil (Psa 34:15,16). Such knowledge is more satisfying than filling the stomach. Lastly, we also need to act upon this knowledge, by keeping our tongue away from evil, do good and seek peace (Psa 34:13-14). Will we continue to teach this to others (Psa 34:11)?
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