Psalm 34- O Magnify the Lord with Me
Psalm 34 picks up on the same theme from Psalm 33:
“ I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the Lord;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.”
These verses have inspired a number of songs. See the link at the bottom for a simple and elegant acoustic guitar version of verse 3, Let us Exalt His Name Together. You might also remember other versions of, “O Magnify the Lord with Me”, including a popular one by Sandy Patti. Whichever version you sing, and in whichever language, the message is the same, let us bless and magnify the Lord and exalt his name together!
I think back to ancient days, to what it might have sounded like in the tabernacle of David, with stringed instruments and cymbals, and the voices of the people of Israel lifted in praise. And then I think to the future, to the throne in heaven described in Revelation 5, where all the elder bow down and all the myriad of angels surround the throne and sing “worthy is the lamb…” O what a glorious day! Past, present, future: it’s really all the same; the eternal tapestry of worship woven by the voices of the people of God from creation to eternity.
Back to our Psalm in verse 8, “taste and see”. We only have the present, so let us just take a sample, a taste if you will, of that eternal worship, and exalt the Lord in our time. Let us lift up the eternal God in the time that He has given us and exalt His name to the nations and people who are living now. That can be our contribution to the eternal symphony of worship, as we add our voices to that never ending song.
What more important thing can we teach our children (verse 11), than to teach them to worship, to fear and reverence the Lord, that they may see length of days and no lack of good things.
We must not leave the Psalm without noting the presence of Jesus here in verse 20.
“He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.”
Some question the value of studying the Old Testament in the age of the New Covenant, but the wise will see Jesus through the Old as well as the New. This little snippet is a prophetic revelation of the Lord’s manner of death on the cross, but revealing that not one bone would be broken in the process, contrary no normal practice in crucifixion. The Word is indeed marvelous and able to instruct in all of its parts.
Well, we’ve gone on a bit, but us kick back a bit now and enjoy this simple acoustic guitar rendition of Let us Exalt His Name Together:
(Psalm 34) Let Us Exalt His Name Together Forever
Psalm 34
1 I will praise a the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him.
2 I will boast a in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice!
3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Letʼs praise a his name together!
4 I sought the Lord ʼs help and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed.
6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him a from all his troubles.
7 The Lord ʼs angel camps around
the Lord ʼs loyal followers and delivers them.
8 Taste a and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him!
9 Remain loyal to a the Lord, you chosen people of his,
for his loyal followers lack nothing!
10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.
12 Do you want to really live?
Would you love to live a long, happy life?
13 Then make sure you donʼt speak evil words
or use deceptive speech!
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right!
Strive for peace and promote it!
15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.
16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.
17 The godly a cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers a those who are discouraged.
19 The godly a face many dangers,
but the Lord saves them from each one of them.
20 He protects a all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Evil people self- destruct;
those who hate the godly are punished.
22 The Lord rescues his servants;
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.
The NET Bible
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