My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
In our previous post, I supplied an introduction to this psalm that may be beneficial for review if you have not read it. Psalms for Psome – Ps 34 – A
Lets continue with Psalm 34
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!
David speaks here of a decision he has made, of faithfully blessing the Lord from this point forward.
To bless the Lord. To provide anything to the Lord is impossible, since He is the self sufficient One, the eternal Father, the Holy One of Israel. How could David expect to be able to increase the blessing of the One who is the source of all blessing?
But I am thinking wrong here!
He is the never changing God. So true, yet He is the living God, the One who experiences jealousy, anger and joy. David is speaking of blessing the Lord. To bless, in it’s root meaning is to kneel, to adore, to praise and to reflect the beauty of the One who is beautiful. To praise the One who alone is praiseworthy, who rescues, who provides, who protects and guides. He is the only One worthy of all blessing.
David’s soul boasts in the Lord. Let the humble hear and be glad. Boasting and humility in the same verse? Is there a clue here as to the correct position of humility in the saint?
To Boast in the Lord is to be humble. Pride in my own person can not (should not) exist when the Lord is the One who is elevated.
2 Corinthians 10:17-18 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
True humility is the replacement of my boasting of me, myself and I, with boasting on the Lord Jesus Christ and His loving Father.
Note that this is a reality that exists in the soul, in the heart of the believer who is seeking the Lord. This internal boasting, this self admiration is to be replaced with admiration, love and blessing to the Lord of heaven!
He is all, we are not!
As we understand and live in this truth, as we grow into this maturity of decreasing in our own estimation , the humble will hear and be glad! Those of like position before the Almighty, in a position of kneeling before the Mighty One, and boasting of His greatness, find gladness in others joining them.
Decrease in your own estimation, realize your smallness before the Living God, replace the smug boasting of your person, with the boasting of the One who is worthy.
He alone is praiseworthy.
Praise Him for all His mercies, for all His provisions, for all His guidance. Praise Him for His sacrifice for our lives, for His suffering and humiliation, for His redemption of His enemies, for His forgiveness, for His grace and overflowing kindness.
Praise Him, all ye saints! For He is God, and we are not!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion.
Considering the Bible 