Psalm 34 Turn away from evil and do good

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Reflection

David, the author of the psalm, in the first ten verses expresses his praise to God, and because he knew experientially the truth of these verses he knew the importance of teaching children (possibly the young men he was with) the “fear of the Lord.” It is interesting that although David had many titles and abilities: shepherd, soldier, king and statesman he thought it more important to teach children “the fear of the Lord” than any of the skills he had developed. He knew that the fear of the Lord is something that does not come naturally, and as such, he knew it is best to be instilled at a young age.

Psalm 34 explores the purpose of why this is important. In verses 11-22 David shows us the general principle that the righteous will find favour from God, while the evil person will be condemned.  In essence, to quote the Roman philosopher & statesman, Seneca “The benefit of life is not in the length, but in the use of it. He sometimes lives the least, who lives the longest.”

It is a fact the righteous will be blessed, but evil only brings wretchedness to the soul.  And thus David teaches the children in verse 13-14; to “keep your tongue from evil” and to “depart from evil”. Evil is all around and we are to shun it and instead “do good, seek peace and pursue it.”  On the other hand to do evil is to suffer evil - all sin is suicide because “the wages of sin is death.”

As a parent who watches with care over his child and bends his ear towards the child's cry so we see God doing the same for the righteous. He cares for them and will deliver them out of all their troubles. However the opposite is true for the unbeliever, in that “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

Of importance, this Psalm sets out the principle that keeping from evil, and living in the fear of the Lord does not ensure earthly prosperity, but rather our prosperity is in the loving kindness of God (v 17, 18 & 22), whatever the circumstances one finds oneself in. Indeed the psalmist anticipates a troubled life, but knows that God will hear his cry for help (v 17), and will deliver him out of all his troubles. He knows what it is to be broken-hearted and crushed in spirit, and he knows what it is to have God save.

The righteous and evil ones are contrasted in verses 19 and 21; many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of all of them. On the other hand affliction will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. God will judge - redemption of the soul is the antithesis of what the wicked will experience.

Finally in verse 22 we see that it is the Lord who redeems the life of his servants; it is His unrivalled glory in the work of grace, and it is only by faith that those who take refuge in him will not be condemned. Paul wrote while he was in jail the following words which perhaps best summarises what David was saying in this psalm;

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 4-7

Questions for reflection

1. As parents do you value teaching your children “the fear of the Lord”? How do you instil this into your children, and how do you demonstrate this in your life?
2. Do you think that believers today, who have the Holy Spirit living in them, find it easier to live a life pleasing to? Why or why not?

Reference

Seneca (Stoic philosopher), On the Shortness of Life