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Commentary on Psalms 34 verses 1–10
The title of this psalm tells us both who penned it and upon what occasion it was penned. David, being forced to flee from his country, which was made too hot for him by the rage of Saul, sought shelter as near it as he could, in the land of the Philistines. There it was soon discovered who he was, and he was brought before the king, who, in the narrative, is called Achish (his proper name), here Abimelech (his title); and lest he should be treated as a spy, or one that came thither upon design, he feigned himself to be a madman (such there have been in every age, that even by idiots men might be taught to give God thanks for the use of their reason), that Achish might dismiss him as a contemptible man, rather than take cognizance of him as a dangerous man. And it had the effect he desired; by this stratagem he escaped the hand that otherwise would have handled him roughly. Now, 1. We cannot justify David in this dissimulation. It ill became an honest man to feign himself to be what he was not, and a man of honour to feign himself to be a fool and a mad-man. If, in sport, we mimic those who have not so good an understanding as we think we have, we forget that God might have made their case ours. 2. Yet we cannot but wonder at the composure of his spirit, and how far he was from any change of that, when he changed his behaviour. Even when he was in that fright, or rather in that danger only, his heart was so fixed, trusting in God, that even then he penned this excellent psalm, which has as much in it of the marks of a calm sedate spirit as any psalm in all the book; and there is something curious too in the composition, for it is what is called an alphabetical psalm, that is, a psalm in which every verse begins with each letter in its order as it stands in the Hebrew alphabet. Happy are those who can thus keep their temper, and keep their graces in exercise, even when they are tempted to change their behaviour. In this former part of the psalm,
I. David engages and excites himself to praise God. Though it was his fault that he changed his behaviour, yet it was God's mercy that he escaped, and the mercy was so much the greater in that God did not deal with him according to the desert of his dissimulation, and we must in every thing give thanks. He resolves, 1. That he will praise God constantly: I will bless the Lord at all times, upon all occasions. He resolves to keep up stated times for this duty, to lay hold of all opportunities for it, and to renew his praises upon every fresh occurrence that furnished him with matter. If we hope to spend our eternity in praising God, it is fit that we should spend as much as may be of our time in this work. 2. That he will praise him openly: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Thus he would show how forward he was to own his obligations to the mercy of God and how desirous to make others also sensible of theirs. 3. That he will praise him heartily: "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, in my relation to him, my interest in him, and expectations from him." It is not vainglory to glory in the Lord.
II. He calls upon others to join with him herein. He expects they will (Psa 34:2): "The humble shall hear thereof, both of my deliverance and of my thankfulness, and be glad that a good man has so much favour shown him and a good God so much honour done him." Those have most comfort in God's mercies, both to others and to themselves, that are humble, and have the least confidence in their own merit and sufficiency. It pleased David to think that God's favours to him would rejoice the heart of every Israelite. Three things he would have us all to concur with him in: -
1.In great and high thoughts of God, which we should express in magnifying him and exalting his name, Psa 34:3. We cannot make God greater or higher than he is; but if we adore him as infinitely great, and higher than the highest, he is pleased to reckon this magnifying and exalting him. This we must do together. God's praises sound best in concert, for so we praise him as the angels do in heaven. Those that share in God's favour, as all the saints do, should concur in his praises; and we should be as desirous of the assistance of our friends in returning thanks for mercies as in praying for them. We have reason to join in thanksgiving to God,
(1.)For his readiness to hear prayer, which all the saints have had the comfort of; for he never said to any of them, Seek you me in vain. [1.] David, for his part, will give it under his hand that he has found him a prayer-hearing God (Psa 34:4): "I sought the Lord, in my distress, entreated his favour, begged his help, and he heard me, answered my request immediately, and delivered me from all my fears, both from the death I feared and from the disquietude and disturbance produced by fear of it." The former he does by his providence working for us, the latter by his grace working in us, to silence our fears and still the tumult of the spirits; this latter is the greater mercy of the two, because the thing we fear is our trouble only, but our unbelieving distrustful fear of it is our sin; nay, it is often more our torment too than the thing itself would be, which perhaps would only touch the bone and the flesh, while the fear would prey upon the spirits and put us out of the possession of our own soul. David's prayers helped to silence his fears; having sought the Lord, and left his case with him, he could wait the event with great composure. "But David was a great and eminent man, we may not expect to be favoured as he was; have any others ever experienced the like benefit by prayer?" Yes, [2.] Many besides him have looked unto God by faith and prayer, and have been lightened by it, Psa 34:5. It has wonderfully revived and comforted them; witness Hannah, who, when she had prayed, went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. When we look to the world we are darkened, we are perplexed, and at a loss; but, when we look to God, from him we have the light both of direction and joy, and our way is made both plain and pleasant. These here spoken of, that looked unto God, had their expectations raised, and the event did not frustrate them: Their faces were not ashamed of their confidence. "But perhaps these also were persons of great eminence, like David himself, and upon that account were highly favoured, or their numbers made them considerable;" nay, [3.] This poor man cried, a single person, mean and inconsiderable, whom no man looked upon with any respect or looked after with any concern; yet he was as welcome to the throne of grace as David or any of his worthies: The Lord heard him, took cognizance of his case and of his prayers, and saved him out of all his troubles, Psa 34:6. God will regard the prayer of the destitute, Psa 102:17. See Isa 57:15.
(2.)For the ministration of the good angels about us (Psa 34:7): The angel of the Lord, a guard of angels (so some), but as unanimous in their service as if they were but one, or a guardian angel, encamps round about those that fear God, as the life-guard about the prince, and delivers them. God makes use of the attendance of the good spirits for the protection of his people from the malice and power of evil spirits; and the holy angels do us more good offices every day than we are aware of. Though in dignity and in capacity of nature they are very much superior to us, - though they retain their primitive rectitude, which we have lost; - though they have constant employment in the upper world, the employment of praising God, and are entitled to a constant rest and bliss there, - yet in obedience to their Maker, and in love to those that bear his image, they condescend to minister to the saints, and stand up for them against the powers of darkness; they not only visit them, but encamp round about them, acting for their good as really, though not as sensibly, as for Jacob's (Gen 32:1), and Elisha's, Kg2 6:17. All the glory be to the God of the angels.
2.He would have us to join with him in kind and good thoughts of God (Psa 34:8): O taste and see that the Lord is good! The goodness of God includes both the beauty and amiableness of his being and the bounty and beneficence of his providence and grace; and accordingly, (1.) We must taste that he is a bountiful benefactor, relish the goodness of God in all his gifts to us, and reckon that the savour and sweetness of them. Let God's goodness be rolled under the tongue as a sweet morsel. (2.) We must see that he is a beautiful being, and delight in the contemplation of his infinite perfections. By taste and sight we both make discoveries and take complacency. Taste and see God's goodness, that is, take notice of it and take the comfort of it, Pe1 2:3. he is good, for he makes all those that trust in him truly blessed; let us therefore be so convinced of his goodness as thereby to be encouraged in the worst of times to trust in him.
3.He would have us join with him in a resolution to seek God and serve him, and continue in his fear (Psa 34:9): O fear the Lord! you his saints. When we taste and see that he is good we must not forget that he is great and greatly to be feared; nay, even his goodness is the proper object of a filial reverence and awe. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness, Hos 3:5. Fear the Lord; that is, worship him, and make conscience of your duty to him in every thing, not fear him and shun him, but fear him and seek him (v. 10) as a people seek unto their God; address yourselves to him and portion yourselves in him. To encourage us to fear God and seek him, it is here promised that those that do so, even in this wanting world, shall want no good thing (Heb. They shall not want all good things); they shall so have all good things that they shall have no reason to complain of the want of any. As to the things of the other world, they shall have grace sufficient for the support of the spiritual life (Co2 12:9; Psa 84:11); and, as to this life, they shall have what is necessary to the support of it from the hand of God: as a Father, he will feed them with food convenient. What further comforts they desire they shall have, as far as Infinite Wisdom sees good, and what they want in one thing shall be made up in another. What God denies them he will give them grace to be content without and then they do not want it, Deu 3:26. Paul had all and abounded, because he was content, Phi 4:11, Phi 4:18. Those that live by faith in God's all-sufficiency want nothing; for in him they have enough. The young lions. often lack and suffer hunger - those that live upon common providence, as the lions do, shall want that satisfaction which those have that live by faith in the promise; those that trust to themselves, and think their own hands sufficient for them, shall want (for bread is not always to the wise) - but verily those shall be fed that trust in God and desire to be at his finding. Those that are ravenous, and prey upon all about them, shall want; but the meek shall inherit the earth. Those shall not want who with quietness work and mind their own business; plain-hearted Jacob has pottage enough, when Esau, the cunning hunter, is ready to perish for hunger.
As the Prophet testifies, "The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him" [Psalm 34:6]. He teaches you how you may be heard. Therefore are you not heard, because you are rich. Lest haply thou say, you cried and wast not heard, hear wherefore; "The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." As poor cry thou, and the Lord hears. And how shall I cry as poor? By not, if you have anything, presuming therefrom upon your own strength: by understanding that you are needy; by understanding that so long are you poor, as you have not Him who makes you rich. But how did the Lord hear him? "And saved him out of all his troubles." And how saves He men out of all their troubles? "The Angel of the Lord shall send round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them" [Psalm 34:7]. So it is written, brethren, not as some bad copies have it, "The Lord shall send His Angel round about them that fear Him, and He shall deliver them:" but thus, "The Angel of the Lord shall send round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them." Whom called He here the Angel of the Lord, who shall send round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them? Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is called in Prophecy, the Angel of the great Counsel, the Messenger of the great Counsel; so the Prophets called Him. Even He then, the Angel of the great Counsel, that is, the Messenger, shall send unto them that fear the Lord, and shall deliver them. Fear not then lest you be hid: wheresoever you have feared the Lord, there does that Angel know you, who shall send to succour you, and shall deliver you.
Christ is more capable of protecting his servants than the devil is capable of stirring up our enemies. For although the same devil gathers for himself hoards and arms them with cruel rage, they are still easily destroyed, because the Savior surrounds his people with his auxiliaries, for the prophet says: “The Angel of the Lord places himself in the midst of those who fear him, and he will rescue them.” If the Angel of the Lord rescues those who fear him from dangers, one who fears the Savior is not able to fear the barbarian, nor is someone who has kept the commandments of Christ able to fear the attack of an enemy. The commandments of Christ are the armor of the Christian, and the fear of God drives the fear of the enemy from us. These are our weapons, with which the Savior has equipped us: prayer, mercy and fasting. For fasting guards us more effectively than a wall, mercy liberates us more easily than pillaging, and prayer can wound from a greater distance than an arrow. For an arrow hits the enemy only when he is close at hand, but prayer wounds the enemy even when he is positioned far away.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 34:7 offers a profound declaration of divine protection and active intervention for those who hold God in reverent awe. It vividly portrays the "angel of the LORD" establishing a comprehensive, defensive perimeter around the faithful, assuring them of God's unwavering commitment to guard and rescue them from peril. This verse provides deep spiritual comfort, highlighting God's personal, powerful, and tangible involvement in the lives of His devoted followers, promising not just His presence but also His efficacious deliverance.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 34:7 is rich in Imagery, primarily employing the vivid military image of an encampment. This metaphor conveys a powerful sense of strong, organized, and comprehensive protection, much like a fortified camp surrounding its inhabitants. The "angel of the LORD" can be seen as an instance of Personification, as this divine agent is depicted performing an active, protective role. There is also a clear implicit Cause and Effect relationship: the "fear of the LORD" (the cause) leads to the divine "encampment" and subsequent "deliverance" (the effect). The verse also utilizes Synecdoche where "angel of the LORD" represents the larger protective power and presence of God Himself. The concise nature of the verse, coupled with its powerful imagery, makes it a memorable and comforting declaration of God's faithfulness.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully articulates God's active, personal, and immanent involvement in the lives of His faithful. It underscores the theological truth that God is not a distant deity but an ever-present Protector who deploys His resources, including unseen spiritual forces, to safeguard those who honor Him. The "angel of the LORD" often serves as a manifestation of God's own presence, reinforcing the idea of divine omnipresence and omnipotence in guarding His people. The condition "them that fear him" highlights the reciprocal nature of the covenant relationship: God's promises of protection are activated by a heart of reverence and obedience, demonstrating that a right relationship with the Creator is foundational to experiencing His full care. This protection extends beyond mere physical safety to spiritual deliverance from the snares of the enemy and the trials of life, ensuring ultimate salvation and well-being for those who trust in Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 34:7 offers profound encouragement and a call to deeper trust for believers navigating a world filled with uncertainty, opposition, and peril. In moments of fear, anxiety, or direct threat, this verse serves as a powerful reminder that we are never truly alone. God, through His powerful agents, actively "encampeth round about" us, establishing a divine perimeter of protection that transcends human understanding. This promise does not guarantee an absence of trials, suffering, or even physical harm, but it assures us of God's sovereign presence and ultimate deliverance through them. Our vital role is to cultivate a genuine "fear of the LORD"—not a cowering dread, but a humble reverence that acknowledges His majesty, trusts His wisdom, and seeks to obey His will in all circumstances. When we live in this posture of awe, submission, and trust, we position ourselves to experience His tangible care, intervention, and ultimate salvation. This verse invites us to rest in the peace that comes from knowing unseen spiritual forces are at work on our behalf, orchestrated by a loving and omnipotent God who is deeply committed to our well-being and eternal destiny. It challenges us to examine our hearts: do we truly fear the Lord, and does that fear translate into a life of unwavering trust and obedient devotion?
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who is "the angel of the LORD" mentioned in this verse?
Answer: "The angel of the LORD" (Hebrew: malakh Yahweh) is a unique and significant figure in the Old Testament. While sometimes referring to a powerful angelic being, in many instances, biblical scholars interpret this figure as a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ (a Christophany) or a direct manifestation of God Himself. This figure often speaks with divine authority, accepts worship, and performs actions only God can do (e.g., in Genesis 16:7-13, the Angel of the LORD speaks as God, and in Exodus 3:2-6, identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). In Psalm 34:7, it signifies a powerful, personal, and active divine presence ensuring protection and deliverance.
What does it mean to "fear him" in the context of this psalm?
Answer: To "fear him" (Hebrew: yare') in this biblical context does not mean to be terrified of God, but rather to hold Him in profound reverence, awe, and respectful submission. It encompasses recognizing His absolute sovereignty, holiness, and power, which naturally leads to a desire to obey His commands, trust His wisdom, and worship Him wholeheartedly. This "fear" is consistently presented as the foundation of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) and a prerequisite for experiencing God's blessings and protection. It's a humble acknowledgment of who God is and our rightful place before Him, fostering a relationship of trust and obedience.
Is the protection promised in this verse guaranteed for every believer in all circumstances?
Answer: The promise of protection and deliverance in Psalm 34:7 is profound and true for those who fear the Lord, but it must be understood within the broader biblical narrative and God's sovereign purposes. While God's protective presence is constant for His people, "deliverance" does not always mean exemption from suffering, trials, or even physical death. Rather, it signifies God's ultimate faithfulness to bring His people through difficulties, often providing spiritual strength, inner peace, and eventual salvation. For instance, martyrs were not delivered from physical death, yet they experienced ultimate spiritual deliverance and triumph in Christ. God's protection is always according to His perfect will and for our ultimate good, which may sometimes involve passing through the fire, knowing He is intimately with us (Isaiah 43:2). The ultimate deliverance is always spiritual and eternal, securing our souls for eternity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 34:7 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The "Angel of the LORD," often understood as a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ Himself, foreshadows His definitive role as the divine Protector and Deliverer. In His earthly ministry, Jesus demonstrated this protective power, calming raging storms (Mark 4:39), healing the sick, and casting out demons, literally "delivering" people from various forms of bondage and affliction. More significantly, Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection represent the ultimate deliverance from the power of sin, death, and the grave itself (Hebrews 2:14-15). For those who "fear Him" – which in the New Covenant means to believe in, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior – the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Christ, now "encampeth round about" them, dwelling within them as a constant presence, seal, and guarantee of God's protection and eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). Thus, the promise of divine presence and deliverance is not merely an external angelic guard but an internal, indwelling reality through Christ, who is our ultimate refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, ensuring their ultimate safety and eternal well-being (John 10:11).