EXPOSITION OF PSALM 34 (2)
Psalm 34:11-22

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Having expounded the first part of this psalm, verses 1-10, in which the psalmist David wrote a hymn of thanksgiving, we now move to the second:

II. A sermon of instruction (vv.11-22) – in two parts: description of fearing Jehovah (vv.11-14) and benefits of doing so (vv.15-22).

First: a description of fearing Jehovah (vv.11-14) – in which the psalmist describes the man who will fear Jehovah (vv.11f) and what that man will do in fearing Him (vv.13f).

34:11 "Come, you children, listen to me; ..." "Children" is a term of affection from one who has authority. David as a king may have used this term of his subjects, who would acknowledge themselves as his sons (as in 2 Kings 16:7). (How sweet would be the ruler-subject / father-son relationship!) An earthly parent may use this term of his/her descendants (as David to Solomon in Proverbs 4:3-9). A prophet may use this term of his disciples, the "sons of the prophets" (2 Kings 2:3, 5, 7, 16) who in turn acknowledge him as "my father" (v.12). A gospel preacher may use this term of his children in the faith (as in 1 Timothy 1:2; 3 John v.4). A Bible class teacher may use this term of his/her pupils. It may be used by anyone given authority by God to teach children of whatever sort, who would have them "come" to him in order to "listen" to him. David now will tell us what such a person should teach the children who have come to listen to him:

"... I will teach you the fear of the LORD." This "fear of Jehovah" is not the dread of Him that He sends upon His enemies (as in 2 Chronicles 14:14; cp. Revelation 6:15-17), for there is no need to "teach" that.

Rather, this "fear of Jehovah" that is sought and taught may mean at least three things. First, it is the reverential trust in Him that causes one to want to please and obey Him, as in obeying the command to "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all [or "the whole duty of man"] (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Second, this "fear of the LORD" is Jehovah Himself, "the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac" (Genesis 31:42, 53 [The Hebrew word here translated "fear" is a synonym of the Hebrew word so translated in our present text.]). "Fear" is here used metonymically of the object of fear and reverence. Accordingly, the "Fear of Jehovah" is Christ and the "knowledge of God" through Him (Proverbs 2:5; 9:10). Third, this "fear of the LORD" is the true religion, including the duty of man to God through Christ and the proper worship of Him in Christ. In this sense it is something to do (see vv.13f here). And this "fear of the LORD" is "His treasure" given to all who properly reverence Him (Isaiah 33:6).

Accordingly, to "teach you the fear of the LORD" is to declare Christ and to show the nature of His religion and the effects it produces. For example: "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:8). "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever" (Psalm 19:9). "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10) and "the beginning of knowledge" (Proverb 1:7) – the first thing He requires of His people. "In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence [through Christ], and His children will have a place of refuge [in Christ]" (Proverb 14:26). "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom" (Proverb 15:33) - and Christ is that Wisdom. He who is taught the Fear of Jehovah is taught Christ and all the blessings of salvation found in Him – including salvation, justification, sanctification, glorification, and taught also how he should live his life according to Christ his Fear.

34:12 "Who is the man who desires life, / And loves many days, that he may see good?" All men desire a long physical life that is good for them. But here the psalmist addresses those who desire spiritual life, and one that will never end, and one that will be full of goodness. Let such a man be taught that "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life [which is Christ], to turn one away from the snares of death" (Proverb 14:27). "The fear of the LORD leads to life [i.e., to Christ who is The Life], and he who has it will abide in satisfaction; he will not be visited with evil" (Proverb 19:23). "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life" (Proverb 22:4). "The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened" (Proverb 10:27). All who possess Christ as their eternal life are now exhorted how to live in it (next two verses):

34:13 "Keep your tongue from evil, / And your lips from speaking deceit." "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I [Jehovah] hate" (Proverb 8:13). All who reverence Jehovah will hate what He hates, and declare nothing that dishonors His Christ, such as the "evil" and "deceit" and "pride and arrogance" of the false doctrine of antichrist and of all false religion.

34:14 "Depart from evil and do good; ..." "And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil" (Proverb 16:6). By that same fear one will do good. "Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes. Thus you shall act in the fear of the LORD, faithfully and with a loyal heart" (2 Chronicles 19:7f). "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; for surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off" (Proverbs 23:17f). Let all God's children today be found, as were apostolic churches, "walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:30), who is "the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2).

"... Seek peace and pursue it." Christ is the "peace" of all who reverence Jehovah (Ephesians 2:14), for He is "The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) – and "this One shall be peace" (Micah 5:5). "The chastisement for our peace was upon Him" (Isaiah 53:5), and through Him "we have peace with God" (Romans 5:1). Pursue peace by pursuing Christ through faith in Him!

Second: benefits of fearing Jehovah (vv.15-22) – in which the psalmist declares that all who fear Jehovah are by Him cared for (vv.15f), saved (vv.17f), and preserved (vv.19-22) – and declared to be "righteous" (vv.15, 17, 19, 21).

34:15 "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, / And His ears are open to their cry." They will never be unwatched or unheard by their Lord. Those who refuse to fear Him are in sharp contrast (next verse):

34:16 "The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, / To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." He will shut His eyes and ears to them, set His face against them, and turn all their earthly honor into eternal shame. Christ the divine Wisdom says of them, "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke" (Proverbs 1:28-30).

34:17 "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, / And delivers them out of all their troubles." He who heard national Israel crying out from under all their troubles in Egypt and delivered them to their Promised Land (Exodus 3:7f) will do the same for His spiritual Israel.

34:18 "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, / And saves such as have a contrite spirit." Sin would drive us away from God, and Him from us. But when He sees the broken and contrite heart of a repentant, He in grace draws even nearer in order to heal and restore.

34:19 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, / But the LORD delivers him out of them all." This and the next verse apply first to Christ (note change of pronoun from "them" to "him"), and then to those identified with Him. He is "the righteous" par excellence (Isaiah 53:11), and suffered afflictions in the place of many (vv.4-6, 8b), and was at last delivered (vv.10-12) along with all who were in Him.

34:20 "He guards all his bones; / Not one of them is broken." This promise was fulfilled in the physical body of Christ (John 19:36). It will be fulfilled also in Christ's spiritual body, His church (Ephesians 1:22f). Not a single member of Christ's body will ever be broken or separated from Him (see Romans 8:35ff).

34:21 "Evil shall slay the wicked, / And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned." The wicked live in evil works and heresies, and in hatred of Christ the Righteous - the very same things that shall condemn and slay them!

34:22 "The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, / And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned." Jehovah the Son redeems all who fear Jehovah (1 Peter 1:18-21), and Jehovah the Father justifies them for all eternity (Romans 8:1).

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