By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
1 I will bless Yahweh at all times.
His praise will always be in my mouth.
2My soul shall boast in Yahweh.
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3Oh magnify Yahweh with me.
Let’s exalt his name together.
4I sought Yahweh, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
5They looked to him, and were radiant.
Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
6This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7Yahweh’s angel encamps around those who fear him,
and delivers them.
8Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints,
for there is no lack with those who fear him.
10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,
but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.
11Come, you children, listen to me.
I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
12Who is someone who desires life,
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking lies.
14Depart from evil, and do good.
Seek peace, and pursue it.
15Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous.
His ears listen to their cry.
16Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil,
to cut off their memory from the earth.
17The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart,
and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.
20He protects all of his bones.
Not one of them is broken.
21Evil shall kill the wicked.
Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
22Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants.
None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.
Taste and See That the Lord is Good
Finger Touching a DNA Strand
Don’t ever let anyone tell you with smug superiority that your faith is illogical. Don’t be intimidated. I have a friend who is an atheist who loves telling all around him that to believe in God is like believing in the Easter Bunny. When pressed with the question about how all of this around us came into being, they say, “It just happened. It always was.” Well, there is nothing that we can see, feel, or touch that always “just was”. From all empirical evidence, their viewpoint is totally illogical. Paul makes this argument in the opening chapter of Romans. He states, “because that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them." What he is saying is that you and I and anyone else who observes the world around us must conclude that a higher being is at work. The universe is a great masterpiece, and there must be a painter. The world involves a complicated structure; hence, there is a divine architect. This is not faith. This is logic.
When I was a little boy, my father, who was a brilliant medical doctor, would say, “Son, look all around you and you will see God. His fingerprint is in the double-helix DNA molecule. Just look at a leaf and observe photosynthesis. Plants convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into their own food and oxygen, which all animal life breathes to live. That is a miracle. That is God.” When the observant eye sees these things, Paul says, “they are without excuse”. He says that their hearts are dark and they are willfully blind to the obvious. In their heart of hearts, they know that God must exist, yet they never give thanks, and they BECAME VAIN IN THEIR REASONING. This means that they became self-focused in their reasoning.
What is strange about all of this is that those who do not believe consider themselves to be the intellectuals in the room. Yet, they hold fast to the illogical and unreasonable position. Why is this? It is because they are in rebellion against a God in whom they do not believe. They stand firm in denying that a God exists at all. For if He does exist, the question follows: “What are my duties and responsibilities to my Creator?” What a relief it is to realize you are not God and that He is God. There is a peace that comes with that realization. If you are a believer, you know exactly what I am talking about here. If you are not, choose today to follow the logic. It’s the only thing that makes sense out of all of this. This realization will lead to questions, which Paul’s letter to the Romans answers. Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalms 34:8)