PSALM THIRTY FOUR

WHEN MADNESS 
BECOMES GLADNESS. 
 
   This psalm, like so many others, has its roots in a historical
occasion. The story behind it can be read in 1 Samuel 21.& 22. The name
of the king of Gath on that occasion was ACHISH, and in accordance with
normal custom, he carried the title Abimelech, which means - my father
the king. It was used as a title, just like Pharaoh or Caesar. The
psalm itself is alphabetically arranged, indicating that it was
intended to be committed to memory. David had no desire that any should
forget the lesson he had learned. He had had to feign madness to save
himself from the hands of Achish; but we are ALL in God's hands. 
   The psalm is a testimony to the goodness of the Lord. David had put
himself in a tight corner: would there be any way out? His joy is so
great that when he is released that he calls upon all to praise
Jehovah. The first people he had at the cave of Adullam were those of
his own family; then came others, "bitter of soul."  
   "Bless the Lord at all times!" sings David. In every situation, in
every condition, in prosperity or adversity - "Boast in the Lord!"
Normal boasting is but a bag of wind. Pump up the inner tube of a
bicycle wheel on its own, and it will soon blow up, rupturing itself.
Put it in its proper place, within the tyre, and all is well. Boasting
IN God is relying on a certainty. It keeps us in the right place and
encourages others. "Magnify the Lord!" sings David. You cannot make God
any bigger, but the closer you get to Him the bigger He is to you.
David's theme is, "I sought - He heard - He delivered."  
   David describes the way deliverance was wrought. "They looked - they
were cheered by the light, and they will never be ashamed." "This poor
man cried." It is so personal and particular. He is saved out of all
his troubles. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him." There are three opinions of the angel guardianship. 
   1. A heavenly messenger sent to protect the righteous. (We do have
guardian angels.) 
   2. The singular 'angel' represents a series. The angel is
representative of the Hosts of the Lord. 
   3. Christ himself is the captain of the Lord's Host. So it was, that
angels were inevitable at the first Christmas. He will also come again
with His angels. 
   In the rest of the psalm David sings of the proof of God's goodness.
"Taste and see!" the song goes. Edwards says, "O try to be sensible of
the goodness of Jehovah." How happy is the man who trusts Him. "The
Lord is nigh to them of a broken heart." Bruised, crushed, smitten,
humbled, contrite in spirit - he had no hope in himself. "Many are the
afflictions of the righteous," but the Lord's deliverance is always
effectual, in time, and well ordered. The greatest proof of God's love
to us is Calvary, and in verse 20 of this very psalm, we find Calvary.



Copyright (c) 1995, Hedley Palmer. All rights reserved.



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