Taste and See | Psalm 34

Psalm 34 begins with a man who has been through a storm and has come out saying, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” David is not writing from a clean, easy place. The superscription sets the scene in First Samuel 21, where David is running from Saul, hiding in Gath, recognized by his enemies, afraid for his life, and reduced to pretending to be insane just to get out alive. That context matters because context is king, and Psalm 34 is birthed out of deliverance.

David calls the people of God to praise, not because life is always easy, but because God is always good. The words “at all times” press hard against the normal instinct to bless the Lord only when the wind is at the back, the money is in the bank, the body is rested, and relationships feel easy. Psalm 34 pushes praise into the demotion, the waiting, the weakness, the financial strain, and the season where God’s work is not yet clear. David’s invitation is not to pull back from God in the storm, but to lean in.

David also shows that worship takes humility. Proud people struggle to worship because proud people position themselves to be worshipped. Psalm 34 refuses “main character vibes” and puts God back at the center of the story. The call to magnify the Lord is not a call to make a small God look big, but to look through the telescope until the greatness of God becomes clear.

David then gives his testimony. He sought the Lord, and the Lord answered. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him. David’s poverty is not fake humility, but the honest posture of a person who knows that apart from God he is desperate, needy, and not in control. The greatest deliverance is not only rescue from enemies or danger, but the mercy of God that makes dead sinners alive in Christ.

Psalm 34 then says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” David does not want the goodness of God to remain secondhand information. The goodness of God is tasted as God’s people fear him, listen to his word, turn from evil, speak truth, pursue peace, and take refuge in him. The goal is not to drive through the storm, but to find refuge in the midst of the storm.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Praise belongs in every season [38:19] David does not leave praise for the easy days only. Psalm 34 puts worship in the mouth of a man who had been afraid, hunted, and cornered. Praise becomes most honest when it refuses to wait until life feels safe. [38:19]
• 2. God is the main character [42:04] David’s boasting is not self-congratulation, but surrender. Pride quietly rewrites the story so that human wisdom, effort, or strength gets the credit. Worship tells the truth again: God is the author, rescuer, and center. [42:04]
• 3. Spiritual poverty is not weakness [52:21] David can call himself “this poor man” because neediness before God is not embarrassing. The Christian life begins where self-sufficiency ends. The poor in spirit are not pretending to be small, they are finally seeing reality clearly. [52:21]
• 4. God’s goodness must be tasted [01:01:17] David does not settle for describing the goodness of God from a distance. Secondhand stories can encourage, but they cannot finally satisfy the soul. God’s goodness is known personally as trust becomes obedience and refuge becomes real. [61:17]
• 5. Refuge is found inside the storm [01:05:14] Psalm 34 does not pretend that the righteous have no afflictions. The promise is better than denial: the Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. The storm may remain fierce, but God gives himself as refuge.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [26:16] - Opening Prayer
• [26:55] - A Storm on the Road
• [30:41] - Responding to Life’s Storms
• [31:35] - Context Is King
• [33:03] - David Runs to Gath
• [36:11] - Delivered Into Praise
• [39:31] - Worship Requires Humility
• [42:04] - No Main Character Vibes
• [43:00] - Magnifying the Lord
• [45:37] - David’s Testimony of Deliverance
• [49:19] - The Greater Spiritual Rescue
• [51:20] - This Poor Man Cried
• [56:01] - Taste and See
• [62:32] - Tasting Goodness Through Obedience
• [63:37] - Promises for the Brokenhearted
• [65:14] - Refuge in the Storm

Bible Reading

Psalm 34 [31:35]
“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 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 brokenhearted 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.”

Observation questions

1. In the opening verses of Psalm 34, what words and actions are repeated in David’s call to worship, and what do those repeated words show about where his attention is fixed? [36:23]
2. According to Psalm 34, what does David say happened when he sought the Lord, cried out to him, and looked to him? What specific results are named in the passage?
3. In verses 8–14, what practical actions are connected to fearing the Lord and tasting his goodness? [01:02:32]
4. What does Psalm 34 say about the condition of the righteous? Which promises are given to people who are brokenhearted, crushed in spirit, or crying out for help? [01:03:37]

Interpretation questions

1. David says, “I will bless the LORD at all times.” What does that phrase seem to mean in a life that still includes fear, trouble, and affliction? [38:19]
2. David says, “This poor man cried.” Why might spiritual poverty be an honest and healthy way for a believer to see himself before God, rather than a sign of failure? [51:20]
3. The call to “magnify the LORD” is not about making a small God look bigger. How does that shape the way a person thinks about worship, success, and personal importance? [43:16]
4. “Taste and see that the LORD is good” goes beyond hearing about God from a distance. What does Psalm 34 suggest about how God’s goodness is personally experienced? [01:01:17]

Application questions

1. It is natural to bless the Lord when life feels steady and easy. In what kind of season is praise hardest right now: waiting, weakness, financial strain, relational pressure, disappointment, or something else? What would it look like to bless the Lord there instead of pulling back from him? [38:19]
2. God is the main character, not us. Where is the pull toward “main character” living strongest right now? Is it in work, family life, ministry, reputation, suffering, or the need to be noticed? [42:04]
3. “This poor man cried” is the language of someone who knows he needs God. What is one area of life where self-sufficiency has been quietly taking over? What would it look like to cry out to God there with honesty instead of trying to manage everything alone? [52:21]
4. God’s goodness is meant to be tasted, not just talked about. Which part of Psalm 34:11–14 feels most concrete and needed right now: listening to God’s word, guarding the tongue, turning from evil, doing good, or pursuing peace? Why that one? [01:03:01]
5. Refuge is found in the middle of the storm, not always by getting out of it quickly. What does it usually look like to try to outrun a storm spiritually? What would taking refuge in God look like in a practical way this week? [01:05:14]
6. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Where is there discouragement, grief, exhaustion, or hidden pain right now that needs to be brought honestly before the Lord? [01:03:53]
7. Every Christian has a story of deliverance, even when the details do not feel dramatic. How has God rescued and made life new in Christ, and how might remembering that deeper rescue change the way present troubles are faced? [49:19]