“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (v4,6,7,9-14,17,18)
Offers some very good encouragement and guidance in this Psalm. One side of the Psalm talks about how God shows His loves for us – delivering us from fears, saving us from troubles, makes us radiant, protects us, provides for us, comforts us, and rescues us.
The other side of the Psalm talks about how we can show our love for God – extol/praise/glorify/worship/exalt God, tell others about Him, seek Him, call upon Him, take refuge in Him, cry out to Him, and have a healthy “fear of the Lord”.
What is a “fear of the Lord” you may ask? Well, David actually explains what he means with three examples: “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies”, “turn from evil and do good”, and “seek peace and pursue it”. David’s examples are ahead of their time as these are really New Covenant ideas, and are not common ideas in the OT. 1 Peter 3:10-12 quotes this passage when speaking about how Christians should conduct themselves in the church. Many other NT books contain these concepts in detail. Examples include: Jas 1:19-26, Rom 12:9-21, 1 Ths 5:12-24, Eph 4:2-6,29, 2 Cor 13:11, Heb 12:14-17, Mat 15:11, Tts 3:1-2.
We exalt and praise You Father, for You are worth of praise and glory. Father please teach us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Please rid us of all moral filth and evil that is prevalent in today’s culture, for we humbly accept the words and wisdom You share with us through Your servants. Please help us to keep a tight rein on our tongues and not repay evil for evil. Please help us to live in peace and harmony with everyone whenever possible, being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. May we learn to have a fear of You Lord, that is, honor and reverence in the form of obedience to Your leading. (Jas 1:19-26, Rom 12:9-21 par)
P.S. – kudos if you can find the Esau reference hidden in this study. 😉
~ Conqueror in Training