JESUS PROTECTS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM

JESUS WAS ENCAMLPED AROUND THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Psalm34:7 7The angel of the LORD encamps around
those who fear him, and he delivers them.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Life's Experiences Turned To Manifold Uses
Psalm34:1-22
C. Clemance
There is no sufficient reasonfor severing this psalm from the detail of history
to which its title refers;and it is much to be wished that its writer had
uniformly turned his own experience to a use as wise as that which he here
urges upon others. But David's pen might be golden, though sometimes his
spirit was leaden; and we may study with greatadvantage the ideal of life
which he sets before us, learning from his experience how we may realize that
ideal, even though, in such a dimly lighted and corrupt age as his, he fell
beneath it. We, who have far more than David's privileges, ought to rise to a
level far beyond that to which he attained. Let us first note the experience
here recorded, and then see how varied are the uses to be made thereof.
I. HERE IS A TOUCHING RECORD OF LIFE'S EXPERIENCE.In many
respects it is such a one as thousands on thousands of God's people may have
passedthrough, and may be passing through now. If we number the points of
experience one by one, the preachermay expand such as may be most
appropriate to any ease orcases withwhich he may be dealing. Here is:

1. A first line of experience - man wanting help from God.
(1) Trouble. (Ver. 6.) A generalterm, yet conveying often the idea of strait-
ness, narrowness, andperplexity. This may arise from bodily weakness,
domestic trouble, personalbereavement, or any other of those manifold
causes ofanxiety to which we are liable.
(2) Fear. (Ver. 4.) The dread of the future is often a heavier care than the
distress of the present. How often would it be a greatrelief if we could see the
forthcoming issue of things! But this cannotbe. Hence fears arise, and we are
tempted to say, "I shall one day perish."
(3) Looking up. (Ver. 5.) We may, we can, look up above our weaknessand
helplessnessto One who is a "Stronghold in the day of trouble" (Psalm 61:2;
Psalm121:1). Note:It is a part of the high and holy education of the saints
that trouble teaches themto look up; and thus their whole natures become
elevated, as they feel and know that they belong to a higher world than this.
(4) Crying. (Ver. 6; see Psalm18:6.)In our darkesthours we know to whom
we speak (Psalm62:1). Howeverdark the night and lonely the path, the child
cannot help crying, "Father!" even when he cannotsee him.
(5) Seeking. (Ver. 4.) This is a prolongationof the cry. It indicates the attitude
of the soul, continuously directed towards the greatFriend and Helper.
(6) All this is in common with others. (Ver. 5.) "Theylooked," etc. Notone
alone, but millions, are at eachmoment looking up trustingly and hopefully,

awayfrom life's cares and sorrows, to him who ruleth over all. Hence we need
not wonderat:
2. A secondline of experience - God granting the help that is implored. As
there are six stages along the first, so are there six features of the second.
(1) The prayer is heard. (Vers. 4, 6.)Here is a grand field for exploration - the
Divine answers to prayer. To enumerate these would require volumes. The
saint may well store them up in his memory for the encouragementof
troubled ones afterwards. If we did but "give others the sunshine," and "tell
Jesus the rest," how rich would be the tokens ofmercy with which we should
rise from our knees!
(2) Angelic ministry is granted. (Ver. 7.) The existence and ministry of angels
are clearlyrevealedin the Word of God. Abraham; Jacob;Elijah; Daniel
(Hebrews 1:14; Psalm68:17). The phrase, "delivereth them" is equivalent to
"sets them free."
(3) Supplies are sent. (Vers. 9, 10.)It is one of the testimonies most frequently
given to those who visit God's people in trouble, that supplies are sent to them
exactly as they require them (Psalm37:25).
(4) Deliverance is sentdown. (Vers. 4, 7.) God, in trouble, makes and shows "a
way of escape."The dart has been turned aside just as it has seemedto be on
the point of striking.
(5) The face has been brightened. (Ver. 5.) The anxious look departs when
help comes;a lightened heart makes a brightened face.

(6) Consequently, it is proved that those who waiton God will not be put to
shame. (Ver. 5, RevisedVersion.) No! it cannot be. The covenant of God's
promise is "orderedin all things, and sure." Not from one alone, but from a
greatmultitude which no man can number, will the testimony come. "Notone
thing hath failed of all that the Lord hath spoken." "Thus saiththe Lord,
They shall not be ashamedthat wait for me."
II. THESE VARIED EXPERIENCESOF LIFE ARE HERE TURNED TO
MANIFOLD USES.
1. Towards God. (Vers. 1, 2.) The psalmist vows that, having such manifold
proof of what Godis to him, and of his faithfulness to all his promises, his life
shall be a perpetual song of praise; that he will make his boast in God's
goodness andgrace, so that those who have, like him, been in the depths of
affliction, may also, like him, be brought forth into a wealthy place. Note:
Deliverances broughtabout in answer to prayer should be followed by long-
continued and grateful praise.
2. Towards the saints. The psalmist
(1) exhorts the saints to join him in thankful song (ver. 3).
(2) He bids them try for themselves how goodthe Lord is (ver. 8), and he
would have them know the blessedness ofthose who trust in him (ver. 8).
(3) He bids them loyally obey their God: this is what is meant by the word
"fear" in ver. 9: not a fear of dread or of servility, but of loyal and obedient

reverence. Note:However severe the pressure or greatthe trouble, we never
need depart from the strict line of obedience to God.
(4) He assures them that no loyal souls shall ever be deserted (vers. 9, 10). God
will see to it that his faithful ones have all needful supplies.
3. Towards allwho have life before them. (Vers. 11, 12.)
(1) He invites the young to come and listen to him, as out of the depths of his
own experience he would show them the value of a godly life.
(2) He propounds a question, which may well evoke a response in many a
young aspiring heart (ver. 12). See the use to which the Apostle Peterputs this
passage(1 Peter3:10-16).
(3) He gives a clearand definite answer, directing them how to governthe lips
and the feet. The lips are to shun guile, and to speak peace andtruth. The feet
are to avoid evil, and to press after righteousness.
(4) He lays down for them a number of axiomata, which may well be their
guide through life.
(a) That the Lord does hear and answerprayer (vers. 15,17-20). The
experience of the faithful gives an overwhelming amount of proof of this.

(b) That in pressing on in life, they will find God's judgments abroad in the
earth, making a distinction betweenthose who serve him and those who serve
him not; rewarding one and condemning the other (ver. 21, RevisedVersion).
(c) That Divine deliverances will compass the righteous around (ver. 22,
RevisedVersion). Loyal souls will ever be receiving new proofs of the
goodness ofthe Lord, and of the blessedness ofsuch as put their trust in him!
"The wickedflee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a
lion!" Note:
1. Amid all the changefulcurrents of human thought and sentiment, there are
ever, ever, in all ages, climes, andlands, these two greatlines of indisputable
fact (vers. 15, 16), to which we do well to take heed - that the Lord is on the
side of good, and that "the face of the Lord is againstthem that do evil." No
perplexity in the mazes of metaphysicalor theologicalcontroversyoughtever
to concealorobscure These plain facts from view.
2. It behoves the young to profit by the experience of the old; for, though no
two experiences are preciselythe same in all details, and though eachone
must bear his ownburden, yet the lives of our fathers, as rehearsedto us by
them, do set forth clearlyand distinctly certain greatprinciples according to
which God governed and guided them - principles which are the same in every
age, and which we cannot ignore, save at imminent peril both for the life that
now is, and for that which is to come.
3. It behoves us to treasure up the experiences of life, to recount and to record
them for the use and help of those who have yet to setout on life's journey.
We know not how our young ones may be exposedin life. Gladly would we
give them the constantscreenofhome. But that cannotbe. Out into the world
they must go. With God's Spirit in their hearts, they are safe anywhere.

Without God, they are safe nowhere. We need not talk at them nor try to
preach religion obnoxiously to them; but we may, we can, we must, tell them
of our God and Saviour, telling them how he has helped us, and will help all
who follow him; that they, too, may "taste and see how goodthe Lord is"! - C.
Biblical Illustrator
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him.
Psalm34:6, 7
Supernatural factorin prayer
A. T. Pierson, D. D.
The most dangerous doctrine concerning prayer is that current philosophy of
the matter which presents a half-truth only; allowing the subjective value, but
denying all objective efficacyto prayer — i.e. admitting a benefit, as attached
to a devout habit, but limiting the benefit to the working of natural results
entirely within the suppliant. The text affirms a positive advantage in prayer.
Jehovahis representedas hearing prayer and interposing to save the
suppliant. And the idea is further expanded by a reference to the deliverances
wrought by the "Lord's angel." To a Jew, the angelof the Lord was a historic
reality, working supernatural signs and wonders all through that wonderful
careerof the chosenpeople of God. When such events as these can be
explained by natural Causes,by self-scrutiny, self-conquestand self-culture,
then prayer may be brought down to the level of natural philosophy and
moral philosophy. But, until then, there must remain in this mystery a
supernatural factor. The Waldenses are the Israelof the Alps, who, in their
mountain fastnesses, forcenturies guarded the ark of primitive faith and
worship, while the terrors of the Vatican confronted them — that summit of
terror which was "anOlympus for its false gods, a Sinai for its thunders, and
a Calvary for its blood." Readthe story of the siege ofLa Balsille, their
mountain fortress. Hemmed in by the French and Sardinian army through

the summer, gaunt famine stared them in the face;the foe guarded every
outlet of the valley, and their ungathered crops lay in the fields. In midwinter,
driven by gnawings of hunger to visit the abandoned harvest fields, beneath
the deep snows they found God had kept the grain unhurt, and part of it was
gatheredin good condition, a year and a half after it was sown!In the
following spring a merciless cannonade broke down the breastworks behind
which they hid, and the helpless band cried to the Lord. At once He who holds
the winds in His fist, and rides in the clouds as a chariot, rolled over them a
cloak offog so dense that in the midst of their foes they escapedunseen!The
powerof prayer is the perpetual sign of the supernatural. Jonathan Edwards
may be taken as an example of thousands. From the age often years, his
prayers were astonishing both for the faith they exhibited and the results they
secured. With the intellect of a cherub and the heart of a seraph, we can
neither distrust his self-knowledgenor his absolute candour. His communion
with God was so rapturous, that the extraordinary view of the glory of the Son
of God, His pure, sweetlove and grace, wouldovercome him so that for an
hour he would be flooded with tears, weeping aloud. Prayerbrought him such
poweras Peterat Pentecostscarcelyillustrates more wonderfully. For
instance, his sermon at Enfield, on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,"
which, delivered without a gesture, nevertheless producedsuch effectthat the
audience leaped to their feet and claspedthe pillars of the meeting-house lest
they should slide into perdition. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Put Him
to the testof experimental prayer and you shall need no testimony from
another to establishyour faith in the supernatural answers to prayer. His
providence will guide your doubting steps like that glorious pillar of cloud and
fire, and in that last greatcrisis when heart and flesh fail, and the valley and
shadow of death is before you, the everlasting Arms shall be beneath you, and
your refuge the Eternal God!
(A. T. Pierson, D. D.)
The poor man's poverty, prayer, and preservation
J. S. Exell, M. A.

I. THE POOR MAN'S POVERTY. "This poor man."
1. It was not the poverty of socialdependence. David, the writer of this Psalm,
was a king; governeda greatnation; ruled a people of noble history; had vast
resources;had numerous friends — therefore the designationof the text
cannot refer to his temporal position. The fact is that our socialpositionis no
index to our real wealth or poverty. A man financially rich, may be morally
poor. A man morally rich, may be financially poor.
2. It was not the poverty of intellectual weakness. Davidwas not poor in mind.
Not merely was he a king in position, but also in the empire of thought. His
mind contained greatideas of God, of the soul, of life as a probation, of the
future as a destiny. The lack of mental thought and energy is no aid to prayer.
Converse with God requires greatideas. The language of want is simple; but
it is full of meaning. Hence David was not poor in this respect.
3. It was not the poverty of spiritual indolence. David was not a moral pauper.
He had not only a greatsoul, but it was well peopled with all that was noble
and true. Faith in God was the governing influence of his soul. He loved the
house of God. He delighted in the works ofGod. He was attachedto the people
of God. His religious experience was rich. His devotion was poetic. His soul
was ever occupiedwith eternalrealities. He was not poor in this respect.
4. It was the poverty of deep and true humility. He says, "My soul shall make
her boastin the Lord" (ver. 2). The humble soul is always poor in faith, in
spiritual aspiration, in moral service, in benevolentdispositions, in its own
estimation. Herein consists His benediction — "Blessedare the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the Kingdom of God." The poverty of humility is not assumed, it
is not canting, it is not self-depreciative;but it is silent, it is reverent.

II. THE POOR MAN'S PRAYER. "This poor man cried." Humiliation is a
goodpreparation for prayer. It most feels the need of devotion. It is the most
easilytaught the meaning of worship. It is the most persevering in its exercise.
1. The poor man's prayer was emphatic. It was a cry. David knew what he
wanted. He was decided and vigorous in the articulation of his soul-wants.
God allows in prayer the required emphasis of a needy but penitent spirit. It is
not presumption.
2. The poor man's prayer was earnest. It was a cry. Not a coldrequest. Not a
calm inquiry. The more a man feels his need, the more deeply does He express
it.
3. The poor man's prayer was continuous. It was the habit of his soul rather
than a transient act. Prayer should not be a momentary effort of the Christian
life, but the natural communion of the soul with God, as speechis the easyand
constantmedium of communication with men.
4. The poor man's prayer was thoughtful and reasonable. Itwas presented to
the rightful object of devotion, in a thoughtful spirit. David did not doubt the
fitness of prayer to save from trouble —
(1)Personal.
(2)Domestic.
(3)Commercial.

(4)National. Are the sceptics ofour day wiser, better, happier than he?
5. The poor man's prayer was successful.
III. THE POOR MAN'S PRESERVATION. "And the Lord heard him, and
savedhim out of all his trouble."
1. His preservation was associatedwith prayer. "And the Lord heard him."
2. His preservation was securedby Divine agency.
3. His preservation was comprehensive and effectual. "And savedhim out of
all his trouble."Learn:
1. Humility is the bestqualification for prayer, and the most likely guarantee
of favourable response.
2. That God is the helper of troubled souls.
3. That men in the highest stations of life need prayer.
(J. S. Exell, M. A.)

A poor man's cry, and what came of it
I. THE NATURE AND THE EXCELLENCE OF PRAYER.
1. It is a dealing with the Lord. The best prayer is that which comes to closest
grips with the God of mercy.
2. Prayertakes various shapes.
(1)Seeking is prayer (ver. 4).
(2)Looking unto God is prayer (ver. 5). If you cannotfind words, it is often a
very blessedthing to sit still, and look towards the hills whence cometh our
help.
(3)Tasting is a high kind of prayer (ver. 8), for it ventures to take what it asks
for.
(4)Frequently, according to our text, prayer is best describedas a cry.
3. Prayeris heard in heaven.
4. It wins answers from God. More than forty years I have tried my Master's
promise at the mercy-seat, and I have never yet met with a repulse from Him.
In the name of Jesus I have askedand received;save only when I have asked
amiss. It is true I have had to wait, because my time was ill-judged, and God's
time was far better; but delays are not denials. Neverhas the Lord said to me,
or to any of the seedof Jacob, "Seekye My face" in vain.

II. THE RICHNESS AND FREENESS OF DIVINE GRACE.
1. You will see the richness and the freeness ofgrace, whenyou considerthe
characterof the man who prayed: "this poor man cried." Who was he?(1)He
was a poor man; how terribly poor I cannottell you. There are plenty of poor
men about. If you advertisedfor a poor man in London, you might soonfind
more than you could count in twelve months: the supply is unlimited,
although the distinction is by no means highly coveted. No man chooses to be
poor.(2)He was also a troubled man, for the text speaks of"all his troubles"
— a great"all" I warrant you.(3) He was a mournful man; altogetherbroken
down.(4) He was a changedman.(5) He was a hopeful man. Despairis dumb;
where there is a cry of prayer, there is a crumb of comfort.
2. If you desire further to see the richness and freeness ofgrace, I beg you to
remember the characterof the God to whom this poor man cried. He who
prayed was poor, and his prayer was poor; but he did not pray to a poor God.
This poor man was powerless;but he did not cry to a feeble God. This poor
man was empty; but he went to God's fulness. He was unworthy; but he
appealedto God's mercy. Our God delighteth in mercy; He waiteth to be
gracious;He takes pleasure in blessing the wearysons of men.
3. While we are thinking of the freeness and richness of this grace in the text, I
would have you notice the characterof the blessing. "The Lord heard him,
and savedhim out of all his troubles." His sins were his greattroubles; the
Lord savedhim out of them all through the atoning sacrifice. The effects ofsin
were another setof grievous troubles to him; the Lord savedhim out of them
all by the renewalof the Holy Ghost. He had troubles without and within,
troubles in the family and in the world, and he felt ready to perish because of
them; but the Lord delivered him out of them all.

III. THE NEED AND THE USEFULNESS OF PERSONALTESTIMONY.
Testimony is a weighty thing for the persuasionand winning of men; but it
must be of the right kind. It should be personal, concerning things which you
yourself know:"This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Never mind
if you should be chargedwith being egotistical. Thatis a blessedegoismwhich
dares to stand out and bear bold witness for God in its own person. "This
poor man cried"; not somebody over the water — "and the Lord heard him,"
not a man down the next street. The more definite and specific your
testimony, the better and the more convincing. I do not say that we can all tell
the date of our conversion:many of us cannot. But if we canthrow in such
details, let us do so; for they help to make our testimony striking. Our witness
should be an assuredone. We must believe, and therefore speak. Do not say,
"I hope that I prayed; and I — I — trust that the Lord heard me." Say, "I
prayed, and the Lord heard me." Give your testimony cheerfully. "This poor
man cried, and the Lord heard him." Do not sayit as if it were a line from
"the agonycolumn"; but write it as a verse of a psalm. Your testimony must
have for its sole aim the glory of God. Do not wish to show yourself off as an
interesting person, a man of vast experience. We cannot allow the grace of
God to be buried in ungrateful silence. When He made the world the angels
sang for joy, and when He saves a soul we will not be indifferent.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
The language ofa cry
This poor man did not make a grand oration; he took to crying.
1. He was short: it was only a cry. In greatpain a man will cry out; he cannot
help it, even if he would. A cry is short, but it is not sweet. It is intense, and
painful, and it cannot be silenced. We cry because we must cry. This poor man
cried, "Godbe merciful to me a sinner." That is not a long collect, but it
collects a greatdeal of meaning into a few words. That was a short cry, "Lord

save, or I perish"; and that other, "Lord, help me." "Save, Lord," is a notable
cry, and so is "Lord, remember me." Many prevailing prayers are like cries
because they are brief, sharp, and uncontrollable.
2. A cry is not only brief, but bitter. A cry is a sorrowful thing; it is the
language ofpain. It would be hard for me to stand here and imitate a cry. No;
a cry is not artificial, but a natural production: it is not from the lips, but
from the soul, that a man cries. A cry, attended with a flood of tears, a bitter
wail, a deep-fetchedsigh — these are prayers that enter into the ears of the
MostHigh. O penitent, the more thou sorrowestin thy prayer, the more wings
thy prayer has towards God! A cry is a brief thing, and a bitter thing.
3. A cry has in it much meaning, and no music. You cannotset a cry to music.
The sound grates on the ear, it rasps the heart, it startles, and it grieves the
minds of those who hear it. Cries are not for musicians, but for mourners.
Can you expound a child's cry? It is pain felt, a desire for relief naturally
expressed, a longing forcing itself into sound; it is a plea, a prayer, a
complaint, a demand. It cannot wait, it brooks no delay, it never puts off its
request till to-morrow. A cry seems to say, "Help me now I I cannot bear it
any longer. Come, O come, to my relief!" When a man cries, he never thinks
of the pitch of his. voice; but he cries out as he can, out of the depths of his
soul. Oh, for more of such praying!
4. A cry is a simple thing. The first thing a new-born child does is to cry; and
he usually does plenty of it for years after. You do not need to teach children
to cry: it is the cry of Nature in distress. All children cancry; even those who
are without their reasoning faculties cancry. Yea, even the beastand the bird
can cry. If prayer be a cry, it is clear that it is one of the simplest acts of the
mind. God loves natural expressions whenwe come before Him. Notthat
.which is fine, but that which is on fire, He loves. Notthat Which is dressed
up, but that which leaps out of the souljust as it is born in the heart, He

delights to receive. This poor man did not do anything grand, but from his
soul he cried.
5. A cry is as sincere as it is simple. Prayer is not the mimicry of a cry, but the
real thing. You need not ask a man or woman, when crying, "Do you mean
it?" Could they cry else? A true cry is the product of a real pain, and the
expressionof a real want; and therefore it is a real thing.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
Testimony to the power of prayer
One personsays, "I cried to the Lord, and He heard me." "But," says an
objector, "that is a specialease."Up rises a secondwitness, and says, "This
poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." "Well, that is only two; and two
instances may not prove a rule." Then, up rises a third, a fourth, fifth, sixth,
seventh, and in eachease itis the same story — "This poor man cried, and the
Lord heard him." Surely he must be hardened in unbelief who refuses to
believe so many witnesses. Iremember the story of a lawyer, a sceptic, who
attended a class-meeting where the subjectwas similar to our theme of this
morning. He heard about a dozen tell what the Lord had done for them; and
he said, as he sat there, "If I had a case in court, I should like to have these
goodpeople for witnesses.I know them all, they are my neighbours, they are
simple-minded people, straightforwardand honest, and I know I could carry
any ease if I had them on my side." Then he very candidly argued that what
they all agreedupon was true. He believed them in other matters, and he
could not doubt them in this, which was to them the most important of all. He
tried religion for himself, and the Lord heard him; and very soonhe was at
the class-meeting, adding his witness to theirs.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)

The angelOf the Lord encampeth ... and delivereth.
Portrait of a goodMan
Homilist.
I. As Divinely AFFECTED."Theythat fear him." The goodman is one that
fears God.
II. As Divinely GUARDED.
1. Individually. God regards individuals, as well as nations, worlds, and
systems.
2. Completely Guards the whole man, body, soul, and spirit.
3. Eternally. Through time, in death, for ever, "He encampethround about
him."
III. As Divinely DELIVERED. "And delivereth them."
1. From physical evils. Infirmities, diseases, death.
2. From intellectual evils. Errors, prejudices, ignorance.
3. From socialevils. The bereavements ofdeath, the disappointments of hypo-
critic friendships.

4. From spiritual evils. Impurity of heart, remorse of conscience, conflictof
soul.
(Homilist.)
The encamping angel
A. Maclaren, D. D.
If we acceptthe statementin, the superscriptionof this psalm, it dates from
one of the darkesthours in David's life. His fortunes were never lowerthan
when he fled from Gath, the city of Goliath, to Adullam. He never appears in
a less noble light than when he feigned madness to avert the dangers which he
might well dread there. How unlike the terror and self-degradationofthe man
who "scrabbledon the doors," and let "the spittle run down his beard," is the
heroic and saintly constancyof this noble psalm! The "Angel of the Lord"
here is to be takencollectively, and the meaning is that "the bright harnessed
hosts" of these Divine messengers are, as anarmy of protectors, around them
that fear God. But Scripture speaks also ofOne, who is in an eminent sense
"the Angel of the Lord," in whom, as in none other, God sets His "Name." He
is the leaderof the heavenly hosts. He appeared when Abraham "took the
knife to slay his son," and restrained him. He speaks to JacobatBethel, and
says, "I am the God of Bethel";and many other instances there are. It is this
lofty and mysterious messengerthat David sees standing ready to help, as He
once stood, sword-bearing by the side of Joshua. To the warrior leader, to the
warrior psalmist, He appears, as their needs required, armoured and militant.
The vision of the Divine presence evertakes the form which our
circumstances mostrequire. David's then need was safetyand protection.
Therefore he saw the Encamping Angel; even as to Joshua the leaderHe
appearedas the Captain of the Lord's host; and as to Isaiah, in the year that
the throne of Judah was emptied by the death of the earthly king, was given
the vision of the Lord sitting on a throne, the King Eternal and Immortal. So
to us all His grace shapes its expressionaccording to our wants, and the same

gift is Proteanin its power of transformation; being to one man wisdom, to
another strength, to the solitary companionship, to the sorrowfulconsolation,
to the glad sobering, to the thinker truth, to the workerpracticalforce, — to
eachhis heart's desire. Learn, too, from this image, in which the psalmist
appropriates to himself the experience of a past generation, how we ought to
feed our confidence and enlarge our hopes by all God's past dealings with
men. David looks back to Jacob, and believes that the old fact is repeatedin
his ownday. So every old story is true for us; though outward form may alter,
inward substance remains the same. Mahanaimis still the name of every place
where a man who loves God pitches his tent. Our feeble encampment may lie
open to assault, and we be all unfit to guard it, but the other camp is there too,
and our enemies must force their waythrough it before they getat us. "The
Lord of Hosts is with us." Only, remember, that the eye of faith alone cansee
that guard, and that therefore we must labour to keepour consciousnessofits
reality fresh and vivid. Notice, too, that final word of deliverance. This psalm
is continually recurring to that idea. The word occurs four times in it, and the
thought still oftener. He is quite sure that such deliverance must follow if the
Angel presence be there. But he knows, too, that the encampment of the Angel
of the Lord will not keepawaysorrows, and trial, and sharp need. So his
highest hope is not of immunity from these, but of rescue out of them. And his
ground of hope is that his heavenly ally cannotlet him be overcome. ThatHe
will not let him be troubled and put in peril he has found; that He will not let
him be crushed he believes. Shaded and modesthopes are the brightest we can
venture to cherish. But it is the leastwe are entitled to expect. And so the
apostle, when within sight of the headsman's axe, broke into the rapture of his
last words, "The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will
preserve me to His everlasting kingdom."
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The ministry of angels
J. Slade, M. A.

Such ministry taught throughout the Bible. We know not the nature and
constitution of worlds and beings unseen. We are taught (Daniel 12:1) that
there are guardian angels, and that there are evil angels (Ephesians 11:2).
Their name derived from the circumstance of their being sent on various
errands. The Lord frequently appeared in the form of an angel. To-day the
angels take deepinterest in the welfare of God's people. Their form of
ministry is changed, but not its reality (Luke 15.;Matthew 18:10;Hebrews
1:14). And why should we not believe that God aids and defends us by means
of angels, as our text declares? Butit is only they who fear the Lord that enjoy
this guardianship. The holy angels canhave no fellowship with unholy minds.
Let us not question the truth of this ministry, but gratefully acceptit.
(J. Slade, M. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(7) The angelof the Lord is an expressionwhich has given rise to much
discussion. From comparisonwith other passagesit may be (1) any
commissionedagentof God, as a prophet (Haggai1:13). (2) One of the
celestialcourt(Genesis 22:11). (3) Any manifestationof the Divine presence,
as the flame in the bush (Exodus 3:2), the winds (Psalm 35:5-6; Psalm104:4).
(4) Jehovah Himself, as in the phrase “the angelof his presence”(Isaiah63:9).
It may very well be, therefore, that the psalmist uses it here in a generalsense
for the Divine manifestationof protection. We thus avoid the difficulty in the
image of one angelencamping round the sufferer, which other commentators
try to avoid by supposing angelto mean either a troop of angels, or captain or
chief of an angelic army. But for this difficulty, we should connectthe
psalmist's words immediately with the well-knownincident in Jacob's life at
Mahanaim, or with the story of Elisha and “the horses and chariots of fire”

round about him. We certainly must not let go the beautiful thought that
round God's elect—
“The spangledhosts keepwatchin squadrons bright.”
MacLaren's Expositions
Psalms
THE ENCAMPING ANGEL
Psalm34:7.
If we acceptthe statementin the superscription of this psalm, it dates from
one of the darkesthours in David’s life. His fortunes were never lowerthan
when he fled from Gath, the city of Goliath, to Adullam. He never appears in
a less noble light than when he feigned madness to avert the dangers which he
might well dread there. How unlike the terror and self-degradationofthe man
who ‘scrabbled on the doors,’and let ‘the spittle run down his beard,’ is the
heroic and saintly constancyof this noble psalm! And yet the contrastis not so
violent as to make the superscription improbable, and the tone of the whole
well corresponds to what we should expect from a man delivered from some
greatperil, but still surrounded with dangers. There, in the safetyof his
retreat among the rocks, with the bit of level ground where he had fought
Goliath just at his feet in the valley, and Gath, from which he had escaped,
awaydown at the mouth of the glen{if Conder’s identification of Adullam be
correct}, he sings his song of trust and praise;he hears the lions roaramong
the rocks where Samsonhad found them in his day; he teaches his ‘children,’
the band of broken men who there beganto gather around him, the fearof the
Lord; and calls upon them to help him in his praise. What a picture of the
outlaw and his wild followers tamed into something like order, and lifted into

something like worship, rises before us, if we follow the guidance of that old
commentary contained in the superscription!
The words of our text gain especialforce and vividness by thus localising the
psalm. Not only ‘the clefts of the rock’ but the presence ofGod’s Angel is his
defence;and round him is flung, not only the strength of the hills, but the
garrisonand guard of heaven.
It is generally supposedthat the ‘Angel of the Lord’ here is to be taken
collectively, and that the meaning is-the ‘bright-harnessed’ hosts of these
divine messengers are as an army of protectors round them who fear God.
But I see no reasonfor departing from the simpler and certainly grander
meaning which results from taking the word in its proper force of a singular.
True, Scripture does speak of the legions of ministering spirits, who in their
chariots of fire were once seenby suddenly opened eyes ‘round about’ a
prophet in peril, and are ever ministering to the heirs of salvation. But
Scripture also speaks ofOne, who is in an eminent sense ‘the Angel of the
Lord’; in whom, as in none other, God sets His ‘Name’; whose form, dimly
seen, towers above eventhe ranks of the angels that ‘excel in strength’; whose
offices and attributes blend in mysterious fashion with those of God Himself.
There may be some little incongruity in thinking of the single Personas
‘encamping round about’ us; but that does not seema sufficient reasonfor
obliterating the reference to that remarkable Old Testamentdoctrine, the
retention of which seems to me to add immensely to the powerof the words.
Remember some of the places in which the ‘Angel of the Lord’ appears, in
order to appreciate more fully the grandeur of this promised protection. At
that supreme moment when Abraham ‘took the knife to slay his son,’ the
voice that ‘called to him out of heaven’ was ‘the voice of the Angel of the
Lord.’ He assumes the power of reversing a divine command. He says, ‘Thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me,’ and then pronounces a

blessing, in the utterance of which one cannot distinguish His voice from the
voice of Jehovah. In like manner it is the Angel of the Lord that speaks to
Jacob, and says, ‘I am the God of Bethel.’The dying patriarch invokes in the
same breath ‘the God which fed me all my life long,’ ‘the Angel which
redeemedme from all evil,’ to bless the boys that stand before him, with their
wondering eyes gazing in awe on his blind face. It was that Angel’s glory that
appearedto the outcast, flaming in the bush that burned unconsumed. It was
He who stood before the warrior leaderof Israel, sword in hand, and
proclaimed Himself to be the Captain of the Lord’s host, the Leaderof the
armies of heaven, and the true Leader of the armies of Israel;and His
commands to Joshua, His lieutenant, are the commands of ‘the Lord.’ And, to
pass over other instances, Isaiahcorrectlysums up the spirit of the whole
earlier history in words which go far to lift the conceptionof this Angel of the
Lord out of the regionof createdbeings-’In all their affliction He was
afflicted, and the Angel of His face savedthem,’ It is this lofty and mysterious
Messenger, andnot the hosts whom He commands, that our Psalmistsees
standing ready to help, as He once stood, sword-bearing by the side of Joshua.
To the warrior leader, to the warrior Psalmist, He appears, as their needs
required, armoured and militant. The lastof the prophets saw that dim,
mysterious Figure, and proclaimed, ‘The Lord whom ye seek shallsuddenly
come to His temple; even the Angel of the Covenant, whom ye delight in’; and
to his gaze it was wrapped in obscure majesty and terror of purifying flame.
But for us the true Messengerofthe Lord is His Son, whom He has sent, in
whom He has put His name; who is the Angel of His face, in that we behold
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; who is the Angel of the Covenant,
in that He has sealedthe new and everlasting covenantwith His blood; and
whose ownparting promise, ‘Lo! I am with you always,’is the highest
fulfilment to us Christians of that ancient confidence:‘The Angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fearHim.’
Whateverview we adopt of the significance ofthe first part of the text, the
force and beauty of the metaphor in the secondremain the same. If this psalm
were indeed the work of the fugitive in his rockyhold at Adullam, how
appropriate the thought becomes that his little encampment has such a guard.

It reminds one of the incident in Jacob’s life, when his timid and pacific
nature was trembling at the prospectof meeting Esau, and when, as he
travelled along, encumbered with his pastoralwealth, and scantily provided
with means of defence, ‘the angels of God met him, and he named the place
Mahanaim,’ that is, two camps-his own feeble company, mostly made up of
women and children, and that heavenly host that hovered above them.
David’s faith sees the same defence encircling his weakness, andthough sense
saw no protection for him and his men but their own strong arms and their
mountain fastness, his openedeyes beheld the mountain full of the chariots of
fire, and the flashing of armour and light in the darkness of his cave.
The vision of the divine presence evertakes the form which our circumstances
most require. David’s then need was safetyand protection. Therefore he saw
the Encamping Angel; even as to Joshua the leaderHe appearedas the
Captain of the Lord’s host; and as to Isaiah, in the year that the throne of
Judah was emptied by the death of the earthly king, was given the vision of
the Lord sitting on a throne, the King Eternal and Immortal. So to us all His
grace shapes its expressionaccording to our wants, and the same gift is
Proteanin its powerof transformation; being to one man wisdom, to another
strength, to the solitarycompanionship, to the sorrowfulconsolation, to the
glad sobering, to the thinker truth, to the workerpracticalforce-to eachhis
heart’s desire, if the heart’s delight be God. So manifold are the aspects of
God’s infinite sufficiency, that every soul, in every possible variety of
circumstance, will find there just what will suit it. That armour fits every man
who puts it on. That deep fountain is like some of those fabled springs which
give forth whatsoeverprecious draught any thirsty lip asked. He takes the
shape that our circumstances mostneed. Let us see that we, on our parts, use
our circumstances to help us in anticipating the shapes in which God will
draw near for our help.
Learn, too, from this image, in which the Psalmist appropriates to himself the
experience of a past generation, how we ought to feed our confidence and

enlarge our hopes by all God’s past dealings with men. David looks back to
Jacob, and believes that the old factis repeatedin his own day. So every old
story is true for us; though outward form may alter, inward substance
remains the same. Mahanaimis still the name of every place where a man who
loves God pitches his tent. We may be wandering, solitary, defenceless,but we
are not alone. Our feeble encampment may lie open to assault, and we be all
unfit to guard it, but the other camp is there too, and our enemies must force
their way through it before they get at us. We are in its centre-as they put the
cattle and the sick in the midst of the encampment on the prairies when they
fear an assaultfrom the Indians-because we are so weak. Jacob’s experience
may be ours: ‘The Lord of Hosts is with us: the God of Jacobis our refuge.’
Only remember that the eye of faith alone can see that guard, and that
therefore we must labour to keepour consciousness ofits reality fresh and
vivid. Many a man in David’s little band saw nothing but cold gray stone
where David saw the flashing armour of the heavenly Warrior. To the one all
the mountain blazed with fiery chariots, to the other it was a lone hillside,
with the wind moaning among the rocks. We shall lose the joy and the
strength of that divine protectionunless we honestly and constantly try to
keepour sense ofit bright. Eyes that have been gazing on earthly joys, or
perhaps gloating on evil sights, cannot see the Angel presence. A Christian
man, on a road which he cannottravel with a clearconscience,will see no
angel, not even the Angel with the drawn sword in His hand, that barred
Balaam’s path among the vineyards. A man coming out of some room blazing
with light cannot all at once see into the violet depths of the mighty heavens,
that lie above him with all their shimmering stars. So this truth of our text is a
truth of faith, and the believing eye alone beholds the Angel of the Lord.
Notice, too, that final word of deliverance. This psalm is continually recurring
to that idea. The word occurs four times in it, and the thought still oftener.
Whether the date is rightly given, as we have assumedit to be, or not, at all
events that harping upon this one phrase indicates that some seasonofgreat

trial was its birth-time, when all the writer’s thoughts were engrossedand his
prayers summed up in the one thing-deliverance. He is quite sure that such
deliverance must follow if the Angel presence be there. But he knows too that
the encampment of the Angel of the Lord will not keepaway sorrows,and
trial, and sharp need. So his highest hope is not of immunity from these, but of
rescue out of them. And his ground of hope is that his heavenly Ally cannot let
him be overcome. ThatHe will let him be troubled and put in peril he has
found; that He will not let him be crushed he believes. Shadowedand modest
hopes are the brightest we can venture to cherish. The protection which we
have is protection in, and not protection from, strife and danger. It is a filter
which lets the icy cold waterof sorrow drop numbing upon us, but keeps back
the poisonthat was in it. We have to fight, but He will fight with us; to sorrow,
but not alone nor without hope; to pass through many a peril, but we shall get
through them. Deliverance, whichimplies danger, need, and woe, is the best
we can hope for.
It is the leastwe are entitled to expectif we love Him. It is the certain issue of
His encamping round about us. Always with us, He will strike for us at the
best moment. The Lord God is in the midst of her always;‘the Lord will help
her, and that right early.’ So like the hunted fugitive in Adullam we may lift
up our confident voices even when the stress ofstrife and sorrow is upon us;
and though Gath be in sight and Saul just over the hills, and we have no better
refuge than a cave in a hillside; yet in prophecy built upon our consciousness
that the Angel of the Covenantis with us now, we may antedate the
deliverance that shall be, and think of it as even now accomplished. So the
Apostle, when within sight of the block and the headsman’s axe, broke into
the rapture of his last words: ‘The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work,
and will preserve me to His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.’ Was he wrong?
BensonCommentary
Psalm34:7. The angelof the Lord, &c. — This is another reasonwhy men
should praise and glorify God. The singular number is here put for the plural;

for the psalmist does not speak ofone single angel, but of a guard of angels, as
unanimous, however, in their service as if they were but one; Encampeth
round about them that fear him — As a lifeguard about a prince; and
delivereth them — Guardeth them from dangers on every side, or rescueth
them from them, and from trials and troubles when they are suffered to fall
into them: to which work they are appointed by God, Hebrews 1:14. God
makes use of the attendance of goodspirits, for the protection of his people
from the malice and powerof evil spirits, and more goodoffices the holy
angels do us daily than we are aware of. Though in dignity and endowments of
nature they are very superior to us; though they retain their primitive
rectitude, which we have lost; though they have constant employment in the
upper world to praise God, and are entitled to constant restand bliss there;
yet, in obedience to their Maker, and in love to those that bear his image, they
condescendto minister to the saints, and stand up for them againstthe powers
of darkness. Theynot only visit them, but encamp round about them, acting
for their goodas really, though not as sensibly, as for Jacob’s, Genesis 32:1,
and Elisha’s, 2 Kings 6:17. All the glory be to the God of the angels!
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
34:1-10 If we hope to spend eternity in praising God, it is fit that we should
spend much of our time here in this work. He never said to any one, Seek ye
me in vain. David's prayers helped to silence his fears;many besides him have
lookedunto the Lord by faith and prayer, and it has wonderfully revived and
comforted them. When we look to the world, we are perplexed, and at a loss.
But on looking to Christ depends our whole salvation, and all things needful
thereunto do so also. This poor man, whom no man lookedupon with any
respect, or lookedafterwith any concern, was yet welcome to the throne of
grace;the Lord heard him, and savedhim out of all his troubles. The holy
angels minister to the saints, and stand for them againstthe powers of
darkness. All the glory be to the Lord of the angels. By taste and sight we both
make discoveries, andhave enjoyment; Taste and see God's goodness;take
notice of it, and take the comfort of it. He makes all truly blessedthat trust in
him. As to the things of the other world, they shall have grace sufficient for
the support of spiritual life. And as to this life, they shall have what is
necessaryfrom the hand of God. Paul had all, and abounded, because he was

content, Php 4:11-18. Those who trust to themselves, and think their own
efforts sufficient for them, shall want; but they shall be fed who trust in the
Lord. Those shallnot want, who with quietness work, and mind their own
business.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The angelof the Lord - The angelwhom the Lord sends, or who comes, athis
command, for the purpose of protecting the people of God. This does not refer
to any particular angelas one who was specificallycalled"the angel of the
Lord," but it, may refer to any one of the angels whom the Lord may
commissionfor this purpose; and the phrase is equivalent to saying that
"angels" encompassand protectthe friends of God. The word "angel"
properly means a "messenger,"and then is applied to those holy beings
around the throne of God who are sentforth as his "messengers"to mankind;
who are appointed to communicate his will, to execute his commands; or to
protect his people. Compare Matthew 24:31, note; Job 4:18, note; Hebrews
1:6, note; John 5:4, note. Since the word has a generalsignification, and would
denote in itself merely a messenger, the qualification is added here that it is an
"angelof the Lord" that is referred to, and that becomes a protector of the
people of God.
Encampeth - literally, "pitches his tent." Genesis 26:17;Exodus 13:20;
Exodus 17:1. Then the word comes to mean "to defend;" to "protect:"
Zechariah 9:8. The idea here is, that the angelof the Lord protects the people
of God as an army defends a country, or as such an army would be a
protection. He "pitches his tent" near the people of God, and is there to guard
them from danger.
About them that fear him - His true friends, friendship for God being often
denoted by the word fear or reverence. See the notes at Job 1:1.
And delivereth them - Rescues them from danger. The psalmist evidently has
his owncase in view, and the generalremark here is founded on his own

experience. He attributes his safetyfrom danger at the time to which he is
referring, not to his own art or skill; not to the valor of his own arm, or to the
prowess ofhis followers, but, to the goodnessofGod in sending an angel, or a
company of angels, to rescue him; and hence, he infers that what was true of
himself would be true of others, and that the generalstatementmight be made
which is presentedin this verse. The doctrine is one that is frequently
affirmed in the Scriptures. Nothing is more clearlyor constantly assertedthan
that the angels are employed in defending the people of God; in leading and
guiding them; in comforting them under trial, and sustaining them in death;
as it is also affirmed, on the other hand, that wickedangels are constantly
employed in leading men to ruin. Compare Daniel6:22, note; Hebrews 1:14,
note. See also Genesis32:1-2;2 Kings 6:17; Psalm 91:11;Luke 16:22; Luke
22:43;John 20:12. It may be added that no one can prove that what is here
statedby the psalmist may not be literally true at the present time; and to
believe that we are under the protection of angels may be as philosophical as it
is pious. The most lonely, the most humble, the most obscure, and the poorest
child of God, may have near him and around him a retinue and a defense
which kings never have when their armies pitch their tents around their
palaces, andwhen a thousand swords would at once be drawn to defend them.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
7. angel—ofthe covenant(Isa 63:9), of whom as a leader of God's host (Jos
5:14; 1Ki 22:19), the phrase—
encampeth, &c.—is appropriate; or, "angel" usedcollectivelyfor angels (Heb
1:14).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
The angel, i.e. the angels;the singular number being put for the plural, as it is
Psalm78:45 105:33,40;for it is both improper and unusual to ascribe

encamping, and that round about all goodmen, to one createdangel. And we
find many angels employed in this work, Genesis 32:1,2 2 Kings 6:17.
Encampeth round about them; guardeth them from dangers on every side; to
which work they are appointed by God, Hebrews 1:14.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
The angelof the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,.... By
whom may be meant, either the uncreatedAngel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Angel of God's presence, and of the covenant, the Captain of salvation, the
Leader and Commander of the people;and whose salvationis as walls and
bulwarks about them; or as an army surrounding them: or a createdangel
may be intended, even a single one, which is sufficient to guard a multitude of
saints, since one could destroy at once such a vast number of enemies, as in 2
Kings 19:35; or one may be put for more, since they are an innumerable
company that are on the side of the Lord's people, and to whom they are
joined; and these may be said to encamp about them, because they are an host
or army; see Genesis32:1;and are the guardians of the saints, that stand up
for them and protect them, as well as minister to them;
and delivereth them; out of the hands of all their enemies. David had a guard,
an army of these about him, in the court of Achish, who preserved him from
being seized, and receiving any harm there; and who brought him from
thence in safety:there is no doubt but he here speaks his own experience.
Geneva Study Bible
The {e} angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fearhim, and
delivereth them.
(e) Though God's poweris sufficient to govern us, yet for man's infirmity he
appoints his angels to watch over us.

EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
7. The angel of the Lord] That mysterious Being who appears as Jehovah’s
representative in His intercourse with man, calledalso the angelof His
presence (Isaiah63:9). See especiallyExodus 23:20 ff. Only here and in Psalm
35:5-6 is he mentioned in the Psalter. He protects those who fear Jehovahlike
an army encamping round a city to defend it (Zechariah9:8); or perhaps,
since he is ‘the captain of Jehovah’s host’ (Joshua 5:14), he is to be thought of
as surrounding them with the angelic legions at his command. See for
illustration Genesis 32:2 (God’s camp); 2 Kings 6:16 f. For an examination of
the doctrine of the angel of the Lord see Oehler’s O.T. Theology, §§ 59, 60.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 7. - The angelof the Lord eneampeth round about them that fear him,
and delivereth them. According to some commentators (Rosenmuller, 'Four
Friends,' and others), the expression, "angelof the Lord," is here used as a
collective, and means the angels generally. With this certainly agrees the
statementthat the angel "encampethround about them that fear him;" and
the illustration from 2 Kings 6:14-18 is thus exactlyapposite. But others deny
that "the angelof the Lord" has ever a collective sense,and think a single
personality must necessarily* be intended, which they regardas identical with
"the captain of the Lord's host," who appearedto Joshua (Joshua 5:14, 15),
and "the angelof the Lord's presence" spokenof by Isaiah (Isaiah63:9); so
Kay, Hengstenberg, BishopHorsley, ProfessorAlexander, and the 'Speaker's
Commentary.' When pressedto sayhow this one angelcan "encampround" a
number of persons, they reply that, of course, he has his subordinates with
him - a "spangledhost," that "keepwatchin squadrons bright;" and that he
is said to do what they do, which is no doubt quite in accordance with
ordinary modes of speech. Thus, however, the two expositions become nearly
identical, since, according to both, it is the angelic hostwhich "encamps
around" the faithful.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 34:2-4) The poet begins with the praise of Jahve, and calls upon all the
pious to unite with him in praising Him. The substantival clause Psalm34:2, is
intended to have just as much the force of a cohortative as the verbal clause
Psalm34:2. ‫,הכרבא‬ like ‫,והׁשרגאו‬ is to be written with Chateph-Pathachin the
middle syllable. In distinction from ‫,םיּיהע‬ afflicti, ‫עהוים‬ signifies submissi, those
who have learnt endurance or patience in the schoolof affliction. The praise
of the psalmist will greatlyhelp to strengthen and encourage such;for it
applies to the Delivererof the oppressed. But in order that this praise may
sound forth with strength and fulness of tone, he courts the assistanceof
companions in Psalm 34:4. To acknowledge the divine greatness with the
utterance of praise is expressedby ‫לּדּג‬ with an accusative in Psalm69:31;in
this instance with ‫:ּג‬ to offer ‫לּלדא‬ unto Him, cf. Psalm 29:2. Even ‫עמור‬ has this
subjective meaning: with the heart and in word and deed, to place the exalted
Name of Godas high as it really is in itself. In accordancewith the rule, that
when in any word two of the same letters follow one anotherand the first has
a Sheb, this Sheb must be an audible one, and in factChateph Pathach
precededby Gaja (Metheg), we must write ‫.הירוממא‬
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
ALBERT BARNES
Verse 7
The angelof the Lord - The angelwhom the Lord sends, or who comes, athis
command, for the purpose of protecting the people of God. This does not refer
to any particular angelas one who was specificallycalled“the angel of the
Lord,” but it, may refer to any one of the angels whom the Lord may
commissionfor this purpose; and the phrase is equivalent to saying that
“angels”encompassand protectthe friends of God. The word “angel”

properly means a “messenger,”andthen is applied to those holy beings
around the throne of God who are sentforth as his “messengers”to mankind;
who are appointed to communicate his will, to execute his commands; or to
protect his people. Compare Matthew 24:31, note; Job 4:18, note; Hebrews
1:6, note; John 5:4, note. Since the word has a generalsignification, and would
denote in itself merely a messenger, the qualification is added here that it is an
“angelof the Lord” that is referred to, and that becomes a protector of the
people of God.
Encampeth - literally, “pitches his tent.” Genesis 26:17;Exodus 13:20;Exodus
17:1. Then the word comes to mean “to defend;” to “protect:” Zechariah 9:8.
The idea here is, that the angelof the Lord protects the people of God as an
army defends a country, or as such an army would be a protection. He
“pitches his tent” near the people of God, and is there to guard them from
danger.
About them that fear him - His true friends, friendship for God being often
denoted by the word fear or reverence. See the notes at Job 1:1.
And delivereth them - Rescues them from danger. The psalmist evidently has
his owncase in view, and the generalremark here is founded on his own
experience. He attributes his safety from danger at the time to which he is
referring, not to his own art or skill; not to the valor of his own arm, or to the
prowess ofhis followers, but, to the goodnessofGod in sending an angel, or a
company of angels, to rescue him; and hence, he infers that what was true of
himself would be true of others, and that the generalstatementmight be made
which is presentedin this verse. The doctrine is one that is frequently
affirmed in the Scriptures. Nothing is more clearlyor constantly assertedthan
that the angels are employed in defending the people of God; in leading and
guiding them; in comforting them under trial, and sustaining them in death;
as it is also affirmed, on the other hand, that wickedangels are constantly

employed in leading men to ruin. Compare Daniel6:22, note; Hebrews 1:14,
note. See also Genesis32:1-2;2 Kings 6:17; Psalm 91:11;Luke 16:22; Luke
22:43;John 20:12. It may be added that no one can prove that what is here
statedby the psalmist may not be literally true at the present time; and to
believe that we are under the protection of angels may be as philosophical as it
is pious. The most lonely, the most humble, the most obscure, and the poorest
child of God, may have near him and around him a retinue and a defense
which kings never have when their armies pitch their tents around their
palaces, andwhen a thousand swords would at once be drawn to defend them.
An Angel Encampment by Spurgeon
"The angelof the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and
delivereth them" (Psalm 34:7).
We cannotsee the angels, but it is enough that they can see us. There is one
greatAngel of the Covenant, whom not having seenwe love, and His eye is
always upon us both day and night. He has a host of holy ones under Him, and
He causes these to be watchers overHis saints and to guard them from all ill.
If devils do us mischief, shining ones do us service.Notethat the LORD of
angels does not come and go and pay us transient visits, but He and His
armies encamp around us. The headquarters of the army of salvationis where
those live whose trust is in the living God. This camp surrounds the faithful so
that they cannotbe attackedfrom any quarter unless the adversarycan break
through the entrenchments of the LORD of angels. We have a fixed
protection, a permanent watch. Sentineled by the messengers ofGod, we shall
not be surprised by sudden assaults norswallowedup by overwhelming
forces. Deliveranceis promised in this verse -- deliverance by the great

Captain of our salvation, and that deliverance we shall obtain again and again
until our warfare is accomplishedand we exchange the field of conflictfor the
home of rest.
SPURGEON
EXPOSITION
Ver. 7. The angelof the Lord. The covenant angel, the Lord Jesus, atthe head
of all the bands of heaven, surrounds with his army the dwellings of the saints.
Like hosts entrenched so are the ministering spirits encampedaround the
Lord's chosen, to serve and succour, to defend and console them. Encampeth
round about them that fear him. On every side the watch is kept by warriors
of sleepless eyes,and the Captain of the host is one whose prowessnone can
resist. And delivereth them. We little know how many providential
deliverances we owe to those unseen hands which are chargedto bear us up
lest we dash our foot againsta stone.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 7. The angelof the Lord encampeth round about them that fearhim, and
delivereth them. I will not rub the questions, whether these angels can
contractthemselves, and whether they can subsist in a point, and so stand
togetherthe better in so great a number, neither will I trouble myself to
examine whether they are in such and such a place in their substance, oronly
in their virtue and operation. But this the godly man may assure himself of,
that whensoeverhe shall want their help, in spite of doors, and locks, and
bars, he may have it in a moment's warning. For there is no impediment,

either for want of power because theyare spirits, or from want of goodwill,
both because it is their duty, and because theybear an affectionto him; not
only rejoicing at his first conversionLu 15:10, but, I dare confidently affirm,
always disposedwith abundance of cheerfulness to do anything for him. I
cannot let pass some words I remember of Origen's to this purpose, as I have
them from his interpreter. He brings in the angels speaking afterthis manner:
--"If he (meaning the Son of God) went down, and went down into a body, and
was clothed with flesh, and endured its infirmities and died for men, what do
we stand still for? Come, let's all down from heaven together." Zachary
Bogan.
Ver. 7. The angelof the Lord encampeth round about them that fearhim.
This is the first time that, in the psalter, we readof the ministrations of angels.
But many fathers rather take this passageofthe "Angel of the GreatCounsel,
"and gloriously to him it applies. J. M. Neale.
Ver. 7. The angelof the Lord encampeth round about them that fearhim, etc.
By whom may be meant, either the uncreated Angel, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Angel of God's presence, andof the covenant, the Captain of salvation, the
bulwarks about them, or as an army surrounding them; or a createdangel
or army (see Genesis 32:1-2 Lu 2:13); and are the guardians of the saints, that
stand up for them and protect them, as well as minister to them. John Gill.
Ver. 7. The angelof the Lord is representedin his twofold characterin this
pair of Psalms, as an angelof mercy, and also as an angelof judgment, Psalms

35:6. This pair of Psalms (the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth), may in this
respectbe compared with the twelfth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles,
where the angelof the Lord is displayed as encamping about St. Peter, and
delivering him, and also as smiting the persecutor, Herod Agrippa.
Christopher Wordsworth, D.D.
Ver. 7. Round about. In illustration of this it may be observed, that according
to D'Arvieux, it is the practice of the Arabs to pitch their tents in a circular
form; the prince being in the middle, and the Arabs about him, but so as to
leave a respectful distance betweenthem. And Thevenot, describing a Turkish
encampment near Cairo, having particularly; noticed the spaciousness,
decorations, andconveniences ofthe Bashaw'stent, or pavilion, adds, "Round
the pale of his tent, within a pistol shot, were above two hundred tents, pitched
in such a manner that the doors of them all lookedtowards the Bashaw'stent;
and it ever is so, that they may have their eye always upon their master's
lodging, and be in readiness to assisthim if he be attacked." RichardMant.
PULPIT COMMENTARY
Psalms 34:7
The angelof the Lord eneampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them. According to some commentators (Rosenmuller, 'Four
Friends,' and others), the expression, "angelof the Lord," is here used as a
collective, and means the angels generally. With this certainly agrees the
statementthat the angel"encampethround about them that fear him;" and
the illustration from 2 Kings 6:14-18 is thus exactlyapposite. But others deny
that "the angelof the Lord" has ever a collective sense,and think a single
personality must necessarilybe intended, which they regard as identical with

"the captain of the Lord's host," who appearedto Joshua (Joshua 5:14,
Joshua 5:15), and "the angelof the Lord's presence" spokenofby Isaiah
(Isaiah 63:9); so Kay, Hengstenberg, BishopHorsley, ProfessorAlexander,
and the 'Speaker's Commentary.'When pressedto sayhow this one angelcan
"encampround" a number of persons, they reply that, of course, he has his
subordinates with him—a "spangledhost," that "keepwatchin squadrons
bright;" and that he is said to do what they do, which is no doubt quite in
accordancewith ordinary modes of speech. Thus, however, the two
expositions become nearly identical, since, according to both, it is the angelic
host which "encamps around" the faithful.
LANGE
Psalm34:7. The angelof Jehovah.—Itis questionable whether this expression
is to be takenas collective, and referred to the host of angels, whichsurrounds
the pious, protecting them, Psalm91:11; 2 Kings 6:17 (Calv, Hupf, Camph.),
or whether we are to think of the “angelofthe presence,”Isaiah63:9, the
especialmediatorof the revelation of Jehovah(most interpreters in all times).
In favor of the former view is the predicate “encampedabout,” which
demands plurality (Aben Ezra), in favor of the latter, the factthat Maleach
Jehovahhas gainedthe meaning of a term. techn, and is stamped with a
meaning in the Pentateuchitself, which is so often Revelation -echoedin the
Psalm. Hence it Isaiah, that apparently there is a reference in ‫איח‬ to
Mahanaim, the double camp of the angels, whichJacobbeheld with the eye of
faith as a fortress of chariots protecting his camp ( Genesis 32:2 sq.), and at
the head of it we have to think of the angelof Jehovah, according to Genesis
28:13;Genesis 32:25 sq, the prince of the host of Jehovah( Joshua 5:14;
comp. 1 Kings 22:19). Since now ‫איח‬ is not only used of hosts, but likewise of
captains, 2 Samuel 12:28 (Hengst.), so the captain might be mentioned here
likewise, the host being supplied in thought. We may likewise suppose that
this angel, so significant with reference to the history of redemption, is named,
in so far as he canafford a protectionon all sides, as a spiritual being above

the limits of space. In favor of this is particularly Zechariah 9:8.—The
Vulgate has not takenthe παρεμβαλε͂ι of the Sept. as intransitive, but has
translated it by immittet. Since this was obscure, the variation arose which
was already rejectedby Augustine: immittit anqelum (angelos)dominus.
JOHN GILL
Verse 7
The angelof the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him,.... By
whom may be meant, either the uncreatedAngel, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Angel of God's presence, and of the covenant, the Captain of salvation, the
bulwarks about them; or as an army surrounding them: or a createdangel
or army; see Genesis32:1;and are the guardians of the saints, that stand up
for them and protect them, as well as minister to them;
and delivereth them; out of the hands of all their enemies. David had a guard,
an army of these about him, in the court of Achish, who preserved him from
being seized, and receiving any harm there; and who brought him from
thence in safety:there is no doubt but he here speaks his own experience.

CHUCK SMITH
They lookedunto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his
troubles. The angelof the LORD encampeth round about them that reverence
him, and delivers them ( Psalm 34:5-7 ).
Now the Bible says that, "He shall give His angels charge overthee to keep
thee in all thy ways, to bear thee up lest at any time you should dash your foot
againsta stone" ( Psalm 91:11-12 ). In the New Testamentin the book of
Hebrews we are told concerning angels that they are ministering spirits who
have been sent forth to minister to those who are heirs of salvation. So you
hear of your guardian angel. "Forthe angelof the Lord, encamps round
about them that reverence Him, and He delivers them." So there is the
opinion that we, eachof us, have sort of a guardian angel that sort of watches
over us. They are ministering spirits who have been sent forth to minister to
us, who are the heirs of salvation.
Now I plan to have a few words with my angelwhen I get to heaven. I want to
know where he was on a few occasions.And on the other hand, I want to
thank him, for I will tell you, so many times I have been delivered, I know,
only by divine providence. God"s divine hand upon my life is the only... I
don"t know how I got out of it. To this day I don"t know how, and yet God"s
glorious hand, the angel of the Lord. I had a very interesting experience with
my angelmany years ago while in high school, and I know that the angelof
the Lord was with me, and protected me, and kept me, and it was a very
unique and fascinating experience. I look back upon it with greatgratitude,
for God"s protecting hand.
William L. Pettingill

7 that "the angel of the Lord encampethround about them that fear him,
and delivereth them." This is always true, for although He does not always
deliver in the same
way, yet He always delivers.
He delivered Peterfrom prison, but He delivered John the Baptist by means
of the swordof
Herod. John the Baptist was beheadedfor his faithful testimony, and when he
was put to death,
no doubt Herodias thought she had triumphed over her enemy, but as a
matter of fact he was the
victorious one, for while she was left here to face the consequencesofher
awful sin, he was
delivered instantly into the presence ofhis LORD. In Philippians it is written
that, "it is given
unto us in behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his
sake"
(Philippians 1:29). And, howevergreatthe sufferings may be, we may depend
upon it that they
are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed(Romans
8:18), and that
GOD is always faithful to His promise to deliver His people.
Rev. David Holwick A Dealing With Your DeepestNeeds

First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 2, 2011
Psalm34:6-8,17-19
HEALING YOUR INNER HURTS
I. Your hurt list.
A. Who has the best wounds?
1) How many of you have been stabbed?
2) Shot?

3) Had open heart surgery?
4) Had laparoscopicsurgery? You don't rate.
B. A classic scene from the movie "Jaws."
Captain Quint, Officer Brody and ResearcherHooperare passing
time on their boat while they hunt the GreatWhite Shark.
After too many beers, Quint and Hooper begin comparing wounds.
One was bit by a shark, anotherwas stabbed by a manta ray.
Finally Hooper opens his shirt and points to his heart.
"You see that? That there. MaryEllen Moffat.
She broke my heart."

1) The worstwounds are usually invisible to others.
2) Where hidden wounds come from.
a) Memories ofridicule or severe criticism.
b) Being the objectof hatred and prejudices.
c) Being bullied or abused, especiallyin your family.
d) Even churches can wound you.
II. Hurts need to be healed.
A. Untreated wounds only get worse.
1) They festerand spread poisonto the rest of our body.

2) Writers in the Bible realized how inner turmoil led to
physical turmoil:
Psalm31:10 - "My life is consumed by anguish and my
years by groaning; my strength fails because ofmy
affliction, and my bones grow weak."
Psalm39:2-3 - "When I was silent and still, not even
saying anything good, my anguish increased. Myheart
grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire
burned...."

3) Don't be hurt twice.
a) If you keeprehearsing a past wound, you allow someone
to hurt you over and over again.
b) There's a word for rehearsing a hurt over and overagain
in your mind -- resentment.
1> That literally means, "to cut again."
2> Every time you nurse an old wound, you're cutting
yourself again.
#35981
B. Our God is a healing God.

1) One of his names in the Old Testamentis Jehovah Rapha.
a) "The Lord who heals you." Exodus 15:26
b) He cares whenour hearts are broken. Psalm 34:18
1> This is why David knows he can calls to him.
2> He knows God cando something positive about it.
2) God often uses a process to heal, a series of steps.
a) PastorBill Robeyhas identified five of them. [1]
III. The steps God uses to heal.
A. Healing begins when we open up about our hurt.
1) Ignoring it or being stoicaldoesn'tresolve it.
2) We need to become honestabout our situation.

a) Be honest with ourselves.
1> We need to face our hurt feelings.
2> Address the pain, fear, anger, resentment and
bitterness you are holding inside.
b) Be honest with God.
1> Just like the writers of the Psalms, you can tell
God what you are upset about.
2> Sometimes the emotions in the Psalms canget pretty
raw, such as cries for vengeance.
A> It is acceptable to vent everything to God, as
long as you are putting it in his hands.

c) Be honest with one person you cantrust.
1> It can be helpful to share your hurts with another
human being.
2> To be honest, sometimes when you talk with God,
you feelyou are really just talking to yourself.
3> Someone who is flesh-and-blood, who canrespond to
your situation, can make a difference.
B. We must releasethose who have hurt us.
1) We must give up the fantasies of vengeance.
a) That is something you have to leave to God - which
is what the Psalm writers were doing.

b) You can't getwell if you are focusedon getting even.
2) Forgivenessis the keyto healing.
a) Severalyears ago Time magazine ran an article entitled,
"Should all be forgiven?"
The article headline stated:"Giving up that grudge can
be goodfor your health.
Researchers are pioneering a new science ofredemption
based on the old form of grace."
Scientists are finally proving what Jesus taught over

2,000 years ago.
You can't hold on to a hidden hurt and enjoy life.
You've got to let it go.
The Apostle Paul also recognizedthis truth.
In Romans 12:17,19 he wrote:
"Neverrepay anyone evil for evil. ...
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for
God's wrath.
For it is written: 'It is mine to avenge;I will
repay,' says the Lord."

In other words, trust God to balance the books.
God knows what has happened in your life.
God knows your hurt.
You either canspend the rest of your life hurting inside
while you try to even the score, oryou can trust God
to take care of the score and let go of the hurt!
b) Jesus is the bestexample.
1> He was betrayed and abandoned by his friends.
2> He facedthe epitome of injustice.

3> Yet he did not retaliate, but left his fate in
his Father's hands.
3) You must break the chain of bitterness.
a) Hidden hurts canget passeddown generationto
generation.
b) Bitter parents will pass down that attitude and poison
their kids.
c) You must be the one who stops the pain before it gets
inherited.
1> Forgive the one who hurt you.
C. Replace hurtful memories with God's truths.

1) Hurts from childhood can staywith us a long time.
a) Names we were called.
b) Criticisms that adults made about us.
c) All the garbage from our past can form a script that
we follow for years and years.
2) Replace oldscripts with God's new truth about who you are.
a) Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind."
b) Christians should think about themselves in a new way.
1> You are not what the world says you are.

2> You are what your loving God says you are.
3) Thorns are as important as roses.
A few years ago Roxanne Ippolito sentme an email.
It was about a woman named Sandra.
Sandra had had an easylife, until a minor car accident
causedher to miscarry the child she had carried for
four months.
She grieved over the loss of her child, who would have
been a son.
A Christian friend had infuriated her by suggesting her

grief was a God-given path to maturity.
It would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.
Sandra rejectedthat idea.
A visit to a florist shop for a Thanksgiving arrangement
gave her a new perspective.
The clerk askedher if she wanted something beautiful but
ordinary, or what the clerk calledher "Thanksgiving
Special."
Just then anothercustomer walkedin for her order, and

the clerk handed her an arrangement of long-stemmed
thorny roses.
Exceptthe ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped -
- there were no flowers.
Sandra thought it must be a cruel joke.
The clerk explained it to her.
"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much
like you feel today.
She thought she had very little to be thankful for.
She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was
failing, her sonwas into drugs, and she was facing

major surgery."
The clerk continued.
"Thatsame year I had lost my husband and for the first
time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone.
I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too
much a debt to allow any travel.
I learnedto be thankful for thorns.
"I've always thanked Godfor goodthings in life and never
to ask Him why those goodthings happened to me.

But when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask!
It took time for me to learn that dark times are important.
"I have always enjoyed the 'flowers'of life, but it took
thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort.
You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're
afflicted, and from His consolationwe learnto comfort
others."
Sandra suckedin her breath as she thought about the very
thing her friend had tried to tell her.
"I guess the truth is I don't want comfort.

I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
The clerk replied carefully.
"My experience has shown me that thorns make roses more
precious.
We treasure God's providential care more during trouble
than at any other time.
"Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we
might know His love.
Don't resentthe thorns."

Tears rolleddown Sandra's cheeks.
Forthe first time since the accident, she loosenedher
grip on resentment.
"I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please,"
she managed to choke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently.
"I'll have them ready in a minute."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow Godto heal

your heart." #16699
D. Refocus from the past to the future.
1) Paul's advice in Philippians 3:13-14 --
Forgetwhatis behind, strain toward what is ahead.
Press ontoward the heavenly goal.
2) Hurts can control you only if you let them.
a) Choose to re-aim your focus.
E. Reachout to help others.
1) You canonly be effective for this step when your hurts

are starting to heal.
2) As you recover, you will be better equipped to help others
in a similar situation.
3) Paul says in 2 Cor 1:4 - "God comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have receivedfrom God."
IV. You are not alone.
A. One of the great purposes of the church is to support people.
1) You will find others who have been where you are now.
2) You will find someone who can help you.
3) You will find someone you can help.

B. Everyone has wounds of one kind or another.
1) And everyone can have those wounds healed.
2) Here is a poem that sums up God's offer to you:
It doesn't matter who you are.
It doesn't matter where you've been.
It doesn't matter what the scar.
It doesn't matter what the sin.
It doesn't matter how you fell.

It doesn't matter what's your hell.
It only matters - hearGod say -
"There's healing for your life...today." [2]
==========================================================
===============
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Rev. Bill Robey, “How God Heals Your Hidden Wounds,” Sumner First
Christian Church of Sumner, Washington, Kerux Sermon#62972. I

suspectthere is an original sermon by Rick Warren somewhere -
various pastors have sermons that follow the same rough outline and
it certainly echoes Warren’s style.
[2] Poem is quoted from Kerux Sermon #62970, “How GodHeals Your
Hidden
Wounds,” by an unknown pastor at RisenChrist Lutheran Church of
Stillwater, Minnesota.
#16699 “The Thanksgiving BouquetSpecial - the Value of Thorns,” email
submitted by Roxanne Ippolito, March 23, 2003.

#35981 “Don'tGetCut Again,” by Rick Warren (from his Ministry Toolbox
newsletter), Preaching Now, www.preaching.com, August 18, 2009.
These and 35,000others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutelyfree, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
==========================================================
===============
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
Psalm34: The Fearof the Lord
Introduction
Were it not for the superscription to this psalm, Psalm34 could be read as a
beautiful response of praise and instruction basedupon some unknown
incident in which David was delivered from danger. Our difficulty in
understanding the psalm arises from its historicalsetting:104 “A Psalm of
David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him awayand
he departed.”105 I am immediately troubled by these words. Should David

have been in Gath? Is his feigned insanity consistentwith the dignity of the
office of a king? Should God be praised because Davidpretended to be insane
and thus escapeddanger? Shouldothers be taught (cf. vv. 11-22)on the basis
of this kind of behavior? How cana psalm which condemns deceit(v. 13) be
basedupon the actions of a deceiver?
One might reasonthat these questions surface because ofan inaccurate
perception of the incident referred to in the superscription.106Actually the
opposite is true. The more one studies 1 Samuel 21:10-15 in context, the more
distressing becomes David’s conduct when he was pursued by Saul. While I
had previously viewed this time in David’s life as one of spiritual vitality and
personalpiety, a more careful study reveals that he was a man with feetof
clay. Since the superscription is intended to turn our attention to the historical
setting of the psalm, let us begin by considering David’s conduct as he fled
from Saul. We will approachthis broadly at first, looking at the contextin
which 1 Samuel 21:10-15 is found, and then considerthe incident in Gath
specifically.
The death of Goliath and the rout of the Philistines (1 Sam. 17)quickly swept
David from obscurity to renown as a military hero. The womenof Israelsang,
“Saulhas slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7).
The popularity of David surpassedSaul, making the king extremely jealous
(18:8-9). Saul beganto look upon David as his rival, and eventually he was
marked out for death (cf. 18:10-11, 20-29).
Just as Saul sinfully responded to David’s popularity, David also reacted
wrongly to the danger occasionedby Saul’s murderous intentions. Deception
became David’s way of dealing with danger. The events leading up to Psalm
34 begin in 1 Samuel 19 when David escapedSaul’s assassinationplot (19:10).
He fled Saul’s spear, being loweredfrom a window by Michal, his wife. She
then (at David’s instruction?) deceivedher father. To allow time for David to

escape, Michalplaceda dummy made from a householdidol in his bed (19:11-
17). Sometime later David was expectedto sit at Saul’s table to celebrate the
feastof the new moon. Fearing for his life he askedJonathanto lie about his
absence from the festivities. Jonathanfalselyexplained to his father that
David had gone to offer a sacrifice for his family at Bethlehem (20:6).
Later David fled to Nob. There Ahimelech the priest questioned David as to
why he appeared alone. David fallaciouslyreplied to the priest that Saul had
commissionedhim to carry out an urgent task and that he was to rendezvous
with his men at an appointed place (21:1-2). David requestedprovisions and a
weaponfrom Ahimelech. He was given some of the consecratedbread107and
the swordhe had takenfrom Goliath.
David’s flight to Nob was costly. Along with eighty-four other priests,
Ahimelech was executedat Saul’s command. Saul’s paranoid purge included
the slaughterof the men, women, children and cattle of Nob (22:6-19).108
David acknowledgedto Abiathar, the only son of Ahimelech to survive the
massacre atNob, that he was morally responsible for the slaughter(v. 22).
How was it possible for David, in the words of Psalm34, to “seekand pursue
peace” (v. 14) with a sword? When David went out to do battle with Goliath
he said that he did not require a sword for the Lord was on his side:
“This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you
down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the
army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of
the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that
all this assemblymay know that the Lord does not deliver by swordor by
spear;for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands” (1
Sam. 17:46-47).

God was not only able to deliver David from Goliath without a sword, but He
could also protect David from the treacheryof Saul without David resorting
to the use of Goliath’s sword. In 1 Samuel 19 we are told that David fled to
Samuel at Ramah, after which the two of them went to stay in Naioth (v. 18).
Saul heard that David was at Naiothand dispatched forces to arrest him. On
three occasions Saul’s arresting forces were confrontedby Samuel and a
company of prophets; they were overcome by the Spirit of God so that they
prophesied. Those men who were under the controlof the Holy Spirit could
not lay a hand on God’s anointed. Finally, Saul personally led his forces, only
to prophesy himself (vv. 23-24). Without a swordor a spear, Godwas able to
spare David’s life. Why, then, did David feelit urgent that he arm himself
with a weapon?
In 1 Samuel 25 we find David and his men living in the wilderness of Paran (v.
1). There David gave Nabal’s shepherds protection without requiring
payment. He therefore requestedfrom Nabal a tokenof his appreciation(vv.
5-8). Nabal foolishly denied this request, refusing to acknowledge thatDavid
was the coming king of Israel, as his wife Abigail testified (v. 30). David
impetuously set out to attack Nabal, intending to kill him and every male heir.
Only by the wise and godly intervention of Abigail was David turned from his
act of vengeance (vv. 9-35).109 SurelyDavid was not “seeking peace” in the
way he instructed others to do in Psalm 34.
One final incident must be mentioned before we turn to David’s first flight to
Gath in 1 Samuel 21. David made a secondflight to Achish in Gath in 1
Samuel 27. In this instance it is very clearthat David fled to this Philistine city
out of fear and unbelief:
Then David saidto himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul.
There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines.

Saul then will despairof searching for me any more in all the territory of
Israel, and I will escape from his hand” (1 Sam. 27:1).
In contemporary terms, David must have thought, “BetterRed than dead.”
David fled to the Philistines because he didn’t believe God could spare his life
any other way.
David’s actions were basedupon pragmatism rather than on principle. He
was willing to make an alliance with Israel’s enemies in order to feelsafe and
secure. The Philistines who once fled from David, the warrior of Israel(1
Sam. 17:50-52), were now David’s allies to whom he lookedfor protection
from Saul. In order to win Achish’s favor, David convincedhim that he was
conducting raids upon Israelite towns, while actually he was attacking the
Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites (27:8-12). David even told Achish
that he would fight with him againstthe Israelites (28:1-2)which it appeared
he was willing to do until a protest was raisedby the Philistine commanders
(29:1-5).
These events provide a backdropfor David’s predicament in 1 Samuel 21. In
all previous incidents, violence and deception seemto have been more the rule
than the exception. In continued flight from Saul David left Judah for Gath,
the home town of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4,23)and one of the five principle cities
of the Philistines (cf. Josh. 13:3;1 Sam. 6:17; 17:52). David apparently wished
to remain anonymous, but such hopes were futile. He was soonrecognizedas
the rightful king of Israeland a greatmilitary hero about whom songs were
sung by the Israelite women (1 Sam. 21:11). These things were all reported to
Achish, king of Gath.
The superscription to Psalm56 suggeststhat David was placedunder house
arrest. David probably wonderedif he was doomedto spend his life as the

prisoner of Achish. After all, Israeland the Philistines were enemies and at
war as nations. David was the enemy’s king (v. 11), or at leastwas going to be.
And David was the one who had put their home-town hero Goliathto death.
Things did not look goodfor David. It is not without reasonthat we are told,
“David took these words to heart, and greatly fearedAchish king of Gath” (v.
12).
An ingenious plan then came to David’s mind. Concealing his sanity, David
beganto manifest the symptoms of a lunatic. He scribbled on the walls and
drooled down his beard (v. 13). How could such a maniac possibly pose a
threat to Achish? In his present state of mind David would not be an assetto
Achish in any armed conflict with Israel(cf. v. 15; 29:1ff.). The result was that
David departed, not voluntarily as 22:1 might allow, but by force. The
superscription to Psalm34 indicates that this Philistine king “drove him
away.”
I do not find it possible to praise David for the deceptionwhich characterized
his actions while fleeing from Saul (cf. also 1 Sam. 27:8-12). Neithercan I
excuse David’s fraudulence in these events on the grounds of situational
ethics, reasoning that in this “time of war” deceitwas allowable.110While
Kidner attempts to minimize the wrong done here by referring to David’s
deceptionas “abjectclowning,”111I find this an inadequate explanation. Let
us be honest;this is not the same kind of “deception” we practice when we
leave a light on in the house at night, allowing the burglar to conclude that we
are home. This was deliberate lying. David’s actions, or at leastsome of them,
were wrong. Not only are we hard-pressedto praise David for his cunning, we
are causedto wonder how it is possible to praise God for David’s deliverance
as Psalm 34 urges us to do. How can we possibly take seriouslythe instruction
which David gives in the psalm? How are we to harmonize the situation of 1
Samuel 21:10-15 with the words of Psalm 34?

The solution to our problem is not to be found in the Book of 1 Samuel. It is
not even to be found in Psalm34. The key to our dilemma is containedin
Psalm56, which begins with these words: “Forthe choir director; according
to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seizedhim
in Gath.”
A look at Psalm 56, apparently basedon the same event in David’s life, will
help us to see the folly of David’s fears from which God delivered him: “When
I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee. In God, whose word I praise, in God I
have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” (Ps.
56:3-4, cf. also vv. 10-11).
In 1 Samuel 21:12 we read: “And David took these words to heart, and greatly
fearedAchish king of Gath.” It was David’s fear of Saul that prompted him to
flee to Gath to seek the protectionof the Philistines (cf. 1 Sam. 27:1). It was
David’s dread of man which causedhim to deceive others with his lips (e.g. 1
Sam. 20:5-6;21:1-2, etc.). It was David’s panic that led him to the conclusion
that he must feign madness before Abimelech if he were to survive. Psalm56
focuses onDavid’s fears, which prompted him to flee from Judah and to seek
to preserve his life by deception. In Psalm 56 I believe David came to see his
problem as that of fearing man rather than God. With a renewedtrust in God
(a fear of God), David now realizes that “mere man” (vv. 4, 11)can do nothing
againsthim while God is his defense (vv. 3-4, 9-11).
It is my opinion that the sequence of events recordedin 1 Samuel21 and
Psalms 34 and 56 was something like this: Out of fear of Saul, David fled to
Gath. He attempted to live in that city without revealing his identify, but was
soondiscovered(cf. 1 Sam. 21:11). When Achish learnedof David’s identity
and reputation as a soldier, he seized him (superscription, Psalm 56). Under
house arrest, David beganto ponder his situation and realized he was in grave
danger (cf. 1 Sam. 21:12). David acted as though he was insane and was

expelled from Gath. The king lookedback upon these events at a point in time
and came to understand that he had actedout of the fear of man and not out
of the fear of God (cf. Psalm56:3-4, 10-11). He was humbled before God and
wrote Psalm 56 as his confessionand vow of trust. Finally, Psalm 34 was
penned to praise God for His deliverance (in spite of his deceptionand sin)
and to teachthe principles pertaining to the “fearof the Lord” which David
had learned through this painful experience.
Psalm34 must therefore be interpreted in light of the additional revelation of
Psalm56. We need not attempt to excuse David’s sin, because he confessedit
and expressedhis renewedtrust in God. When we read Psalm34 we
understand that it was written by the same man who has already
acknowledgedhis sin and is forgiven. The trust of which David speaks in
Psalm34 is that which he reaffirmed in Psalm 56. The keyto our
understanding of the relationship of Psalm34 to 1 Samuel 21 is that David
was forgiven and renewedas a result of his experience describedin Psalm 56.
It should be noted that Psalm 34 is an acrostic,oralphabetical psalm, with the
first word of eachverse (including the superscription) beginning with a
successive letterof the Hebrew alphabet. Other psalms, such as 25, 119 and
145, are also acrostics. This form servedas a poetic device, which among other
things, may have aided in the memorization of the psalm. Since much of the
psalm takes the form of wisdom literature, it is not unusual that this form
would be employed considering the subject matter of the psalm.
A Promise of Praise
(34:1-3)
Psalm34:1-3 1 A Psalmof David when he feignedmadness before Abimelech,
who drove him awayand he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His
praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boastin the

LORD; The humble shall hear it and rejoice. 3 O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together. (NASB)
David begins this psalm with a vow, or a promise: “I will bless the Lord at all
times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (v. 1). Here David
promises to persistently praise His God. His praise, while basedupon a
specific event in his life, is ongoing. It should be understood that David is not
promising a marathon praise session, but rather is committing himself to the
praise of God at every opportunity and in the midst of various states of mind,
spirit, and body. Just as we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17)—to
pray consistentlyand in all circumstances—Davidpromises to praise without
ceasing.
While verse one stressesthe frequency of David’s praise, the secondverse
reveals the focus of that praise. His soul will “make its boastin the Lord” (v.
2a). David does not dwell on his experience, nor even on his deliverance, but
on his Deliverer. The Lord is both the subjectand the objectof David’s praise.
Verses 2b and 3 remind us of the fellowshipof praise. Praise canbe private,
but that is not the kind of praise which the psalms practice and promote.
When David publicly praised God at worship, he did so purposing to promote
worship on the part of the entire congregation.112Those who loved God, as
David did, could rejoice with him. Paul’s teaching in Romans chapter 12
indicates that New Testamentworship should be a sharing in the joys of
fellow-Christians:“Rejoicewith those who rejoice, and weepwith those who
weep” (Rom. 12:15).
David therefore urges his fellow-worshippers to join with him in magnifying
the Lord so that His name will be corporatelyexalted(v. 3).

JESUS PROTECTS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM

JESUS PROTECTS THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM

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