Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me:
let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. (NIV)
Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
The background of this acrostic psalm is related (in 1 Samuel 21:10-22:1). Explanation has been given that two oddities link it with Psalm 25
*Both psalms lack a w verse *Both end with additional p verse.
There has been some query about being connected to 1 Samuel, and attempts to understand the Philistine’s king’s name as Abimelech and not Achish. Thoughts are that a scribe or teacher may have taken it for the basis of his teaching.
The psalm has a clear structure.
V 1-3 call to praise, V 4-10 psalmist thanksgiving, V 11-21 instruction to wisdom
David is a man of God, who tells of God’s faithfulness. He feels that he owes it to God and fellow readers to tell of God’s faithfulness. The psalmist feels that those who honour God will find life, his tragedies may be many, but no matter what you go through, God will bring you through.
We all go through tragedies in our live, and sometimes appears that other people have more than others. Whatever this world thrown at us, we have Jesus and the Father to hold onto when things get rough. Twice I have had a doctor come to me while in hospital and said there is nothing more we can do for me, you are going to die; but each time a doctor has come along with the answer to my problems. Put your trust in God and He will see you through.
his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me:
let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the broken-hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken. 21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. (NIV)