Psalm 34:1-8 - My Paraphrase
1 I will bless the Eternal at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will glory in the Eternal; the humble will hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Eternal with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Eternal, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look unto him and be radiant; and your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor one cried, and the Eternal heard and saved him from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Eternal pitches his tent around those who fear him and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Eternal is good: blessed are those who seek refuge in him.
My Reflection
To praise God at all times and to trust that God will deliver. It sounds really good, but I find it incredibly hard to practice in my own life. First of all, I hardly do enough praising, especially in my more contentious and complaining moods (which are all too frequent, I’m afraid). Second, I prefer to save myself, or to at least have a healthy amount of the responsibility for the saving. I’d rather not have to count on God alone to save or deliver me. It’s not that God has proven unreliable, rather it is that proof of his being behind any saving or delivering is rather elusive. How can you fully trust a God who prefers to work behind the scenes and in ways where anyone with half a brain could point out were the result of anything but a deus ex machina.
The Psalm does, however, have one of my favorite verses in it: “Taste and see that the Lord (or the Eternal) is good.” I often say this when distributing the elements for communion, and when someone complains that the hunks of bread that I give out are too big, I tell them what my old professor of United Methodist History used to tell us at Drew. Ken Rowe would look at us and ask, “How can you taste and see if the Lord is good by eating a crumb of bread or drinking a thimble full of grape juice.” So I say, “Eat up!”
One final note: Psalm 34 is an acrostic Psalm. In Hebrew, the first verse begins with a word starting with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph), the second verse begins with the second letter (beth), and so forth through the alphabet (though there are no verses for waw and two verses for pe).
The Thoughts of Others
“If half the breath thus vainly spent” in finding fault with our fellow-Christians were spent in prayer and praise, how much happier, how much richer, we should be spiritually! “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” - C. H. Spurgeon
Exegesis of Psalm 34 by Mary W. Williams:
Psalm 34 is an acrostic, teaching psalm; its mixture of praise and wisdom instruction told the children of the Exiles that Godde is a Godde who releases, who rescues, who hears prayers, who smiles on the righteous, who protects from all danger, and who ransoms those in bondage. Its message is a message of hope that speaks to the alienated and the lonely in all times: Godde loves us down to our very bone marrow, no matter what. Who could not love a Godde so good?
While alienation is no longer the buzzword du jour, millions do still feel alienated, out of place - millions know firsthand what it is to be oppressed, marginalized, powerless, miles from all they hold dear; millions long unavailingly for home. Psalm 34 invites us to connect with Godde as a center of vitality and meaning. Its wisdom is a message of optimism. The ancient message is there for people today, although Bible Interpretation is probably right in its pessimistic view that the psalter tends to get short shrift from most if not all of our churches (Bible Interpretation, 165). Hope in the midst of alienation is news that more of us need to hear.
For what it is worth, here my “smooth version” of my translation of Psalm 34 from the Septuagint. I have used “Our Godde” for “YHWH” because, as Priests for Equality say, the capitalization of the “Our” conveys some slight hint of the covenant relationship (Inclusive, xvii).
This is the wisdom that will set you free to go home:
Always I will bless Our Godde;
no matter what comes, her praise is on my lips.
Blessing Our Godde, my soul will be applauded;
the compassionate will hear and be delighted.
Come, glorify Our Godde with me,
and let us blazon his name across Mount Everest.
Dislocated, I sought out Our Godde, and she smiled on my prayer;
from all the lonely places in my life, she released me.
Everyone who approaches him becomes radiant,
and their faces will never fall in shame.
For the beggar who wrote this cried out, and Our Godde heard his prayers,
and from all his dire straits she saved him.
God’s Holy Spirit will cradle those who adore Godde in his arms,
protecting them from all danger.
Having tasted, now behold, for Our Godde is kind and gracious;
blessed is the one who reposes confidence in her.
Using the Tongue Well - a sermon by Dr. Marshall C. St. John at Wayside Presbyterian Church, Signal Mountain, Tennessee.
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