Taste and see
David wrote this psalm after a narrow escape, when he had to pretend to be mad to survive among enemies. Looking back, he does not argue for God's goodness. He invites us to try it.
Some truths are learned only by tasting. You can read about bread all day, but you know it is good when you eat it. Take a few minutes today to notice one specific kindness of the Lord, and thank Him for it.
Lord, You are good, and I want to know it from my own experience, not only from what others say. Open my eyes to Your kindness today, and help me take refuge in You when the day gets hard. Amen.
טַעֲמוּ (ta'amu (tah-ah-MOO)). “Taste.” The verb is the one used for eating food. The psalm asks us to test God's goodness personally, the way we would sample a meal.
Psalm 34 is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It was written after David escaped from King Achish of Gath, the episode recorded in 1 Samuel 21.
Robert Morrison arrived in Canton (Guangzhou) as the first Protestant missionary to China. He spent years learning Chinese and translating the Bible.