Psalm 34

February 22, 2016 Monday Message:

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” Psalm 34:8a

David had been through a lot, having to hide from all the people trying to kill him. But the LORD always protected him. David’s had tried living both with and without God, and things always went better when God was involved. So David advises others to do the same: “C’mon, give it a try! Taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Ironically, this solid advice came out of a challenging time for David. He was forced to act like a mad man, a crazy person, before the troublesome king Abimelech, who finally ordered David to get out of town. Turns out that was what David wanted all along, to get out from under that king.

Some people believe that “taste and see” is also a reference to the Eucharist or Holy Communion. We eat bread to remember Jesus’ broken body. We drink from the cup to remember his blood shed to redeem us.

Psalm 34:19 speaks about “the righteous,” which would seem to be all Christian believers, but some translate this as “the righteous ONE,” meaning Jesus, with verse 20 being a reference to the crucifixion. “He keeps all his bones. Not one of them is broken.”

So, like David, give God a try; see how well things work out. “Taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, Pastor Michael Pilla wraps up Romans Ch. 2.