Magnify the Lord with Me: A Psalm 34 Meditation
I recently stumbled upon Psalm 34:1–10. I found myself reflecting on the first half of it, and here are some of my thoughts. Pardon any inconsistencies, I was thinking as I wrote. In the first part, David says, “I will bless the Lord at all times.” I have noticed that in the Bible, when God ‘blesses’ men, they are thereby helped, strengthened, and made better off than they were before. But when men ‘bless’ God, He is not helped, strengthened, or made better off. Rather, men blessing God is an “expression of praising thankfulness.” When Scripture speaks of blessing God, it does not “designate a process that aims at the increase of God’s strength.” It is an “exclamation of gratitude and admiration.” David blesses the Lord here for several reasons. When he sought Him, He answered him and delivered him from all his fears. When David, this poor man, cried, the Lord heard him. Because of his testimony, he could then confidently say that those who look to God are radiant and shall never b...
