Psalm 34
The art of distraction is a powerful thing. I like the Ted Lasso scene where Jamie makes the huge deal about getting passed the ball so that they could sneak it by the defense another way. Disctraction is the art of having others focus on the surface, while something much deeper is going on below. In Psalm 34, David makes quite a lot of “noise”; joyful noise, and at a quick glance can come across like a warm and simple poem of joyfulness. But I encourage you not to get distracted by the simple beauty of this song, for there is much richness hidden deep below.
David was, most certainly, a noisemaker. 2 Samuel 6 tells the well-known story of David dancing unashamedly as the ark is brought into Jerusalem, but there is a lot more to this Psalm than you might think. David loved to sing and dance in praise to God. So, yes, he was without question a noisemaker. But the key is in the setting in which he is doing it. The beginning gives us a glimpse, and we are thankful that 1 Samuel 21 can fill in some details.
Joy is Not Dependent on Circumstance
Let’s take a brief look at the backstory to this Psalm. David, on the run from Saul’s crazy murderous rampage, flees to Gath, a Philistine city. The leader, Achish (also known as Abimelech) realized exactly who David was and the danger to his people. So, David improvised. He changed his behavior, choosing to act like a madman, complete with authentic drool to convince Achish that he was no threat. That part was true, David was not there to spy or run a sneak attack, David was simply there to exist safely. But in order to be given asylum, David had to look crazy and helpless. We don’t know exactly how long he was there, but we do know that forever how long he as there, he had to constantly be in character—kind of like method acting—and most certainly put himself into some seriously uncomfortable situations.
That’s where this Psalm came from. At some point in time, David crafted this Psalm during his time living as a wild man in Gath. That is what makes this Psalm so beautiful. At a point in time when everything is going wrong – remember that his friend the king was currently trying to kill him – David produces this song of joy and gladness going so far as proclaim an inability to keep quiet about God! Why, with his focus on literally on day-to-day survival, did David write this? The answer is in the Psalm itself.
Joy is Crucial to Survival
Psalm 34 is written as an acrostic poem. If you are unfamiliar with that term, let me give you an example.
L is for “laughter” we had along the way.
O is for “optimism” you gave me every day.
V is for “value” of being my best friend.
E is for “eternity,” a love that has no end.
Written by John Read, this poem is his definition of love given in four lines where the first letter of each line spells out the word LOVE. It’s a simple one, but it should give you the idea. We don’t read Hebrew as well as we read English these days, so we can’t directly catch David’s acrostic, but it is there. It is an alphabet acrostic, meaning that he walked through the Hebrew alphabet talking about the goodness of God.
David, in a land not his own, where his culture and his God were not tolerated, being forced to act in a way that is not himself, holds onto his sanity and survival by writing a poem that reminds him of his language, his culture, and the goodness of his God. David wrote this Psalm because he needed it to live! He was on the verge of losing who he was and holding onto what was most important is the way he made it through. Holding on to joy is the secret to survival. This is shown more so in the fact that Peter and John both referenced this Psalm in the NT when specifically referring to suffering and v20 directly references the (future) suffering of the Messiah! Consider the book of Philippians as well – the whole book is written to people to remind them to hold onto joy because of how rough their life was. Joy is your life jacket in the dark and scary sea of life.
Next Steps
David wasn’t being willy-nilly or playing around; David was fighting for survival. This Psalm is him grabbing onto that life jacket and clinging to it for life—which brings us to the clincher, v11, the half-way point of the Psalm. Joy is held onto not by keeping it in, but by sharing it with others. So, if you want to make it through, or be an overcomer, you must hold onto your joy in the Lord with all you have—by giving it out to others. SHARED Joy is your life jacket in the dark and scary sea of life. Try these to help:
- Know Scripture – the closer you keep it to your heart, the easier it will be to recall
- Invite God into a deeper relationship and allow Him to work in you
- Share God with others (service and then words)
According to Douglas Adams, if hitchhiking through space your towel is most important. No, in real life, SHARED Joy is your life jacket for survival. How are you sharing joy?
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