Read Psalm 34

This Psalm was composed by David after he escaped from King Abimelech.

Read the background in 1 Samuel 21:10-22:2

Reread Psalm 34:1-10

• What does David praise God for?

  • What does he mean by the phrase he uses a few times here, "fear the Lord"?

• Spend some time together considering what you can praise God for. How has God 'answered', 'delivered', 'heard' and 'saved' you?

• What is the effect here of speaking words of praise to God in the presence of His people?

Reread Psalm 34:11-22

• Why does David's song of praise change attitude here? How would you describe this second half of the Psalm?

• Do our words/prayers/songs of praise encourage us to take the same turn? Why/why not?

• How do the final verses of this Psalm point towards our rescue by Jesus?

• How might we as people of Christ's Kingdom reinterpret this Psalm in light of what Jesus has done? Reread the whole Psalm again and consider this question together. You might even like to rewrite the Psalm with these ideas integrated into David's original words. Spend some time listening to (or singing) songs of praise to God. You might like to listen to this song based closely on Psalm 34: