Taste and See


A Scottish pastor once called on an aged saint. She handed the minister a Bible and asked him to read a portion to her. As the minister turned the pages he noticed that in the margins had been written the letters T and TP. He asked the old lady what these letters signified. She answered, “Observe that they are always placed opposite some promise of God. T. Means “tried,” and TP means “tried and proven.” She had learned to feed on God’s word. She had appropriated the promises to herself (Gleanings in Exodus by Arthur Pink).

Psalm 34 is a song of gratitude sang by David after God brought him out of a “close call” situation. The song is founded on his personal experience and it is a joyful address to his companions and to all who will read his words. David had found protection from God and he had evidence of his goodness. He is now recommending to others lessons derived from his own experience.

The entire Psalm repeats the theme, “I’ve received God’s blessings, you can too!” In verse 3 he says, “O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” In verses 4-10 the idea is, “God rescued me, he can rescue you too! Don’t just look on, wishing that my blessings were yours. Prove in your own experience that the Lord saves all that take refuge in Him”.

In verse 8 he urges others to taste the Lord like he did and he assures them they will like what they will discover. He does not want readers to merely take his word for it, that the Lord is good; he wants them to personally experience and know for themselves the fact that God is good.  He says “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8), taste God’s goodness and you will like it!”

The only way to know God’s goodness is to put the matter to test. This requires the actions of two senses- taste and sight. The word "taste" here means to eat a little so as to ascertain what it is. David invites you to read the Bible and to take God at his word. Practice what has been written, follow his instructions and be on the lookout for the results. You will experience Gods goodness firsthand and discover that his way is perfect.

There is no other way of really knowing how good God is. No matter how much and how deep we read about the sweetness of honey, we cannot fully appreciate it until we personally taste it. In the same way you can know the Bible much theoretically, but until you apply its teaching in your life and see the results you will have a problem believing it, especially the hard instructions.

For example in Romans 12:17-21 the Bible says “repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves…vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Does that work? Humanly thinking this cannot result in the abundant life that Jesus promised. This is being short-changed and it does not sound right! So we simply dismiss the command or ignore it. But the only way to know if this really works is to test and see. Obey Jesus command and see what it feels. Be on the look-out; see what happens both in the short-run and in the long-run. Then you will know whether Jesus lovingly commands this for your good, the good of others and his glory.

By both taste and sight we make discoveries.Everyone who seriously studies and applies God's Word, learns firsthand that the Lord is good. He discovers that the Lord is an available and reliable stronghold. He realizes that God loves him more than he can ever imagine. Tasting and seeing the goodness of the Lord produces trusts. The person who “tastes and sees” that the Lord is good finds genuine joy.

Believers often crave what the world offers. They admire the successful worldly men not realizing that on the outside, everything appears fine. But, a black, empty hole gapes deep in their souls. David has found out that “as for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him (Ps. 18:30). He desires others to experience what he has experienced, so that they too can know, the soul-sustaining goodness of the Lord.

Paul prayed for the Ephesians that “the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Eph. 1:17-19).

David knew that if he could but get men to try trusting his God, so as really to experience his goodness, they would love deeply and obey him fully. He was certain that if they do this they would renounce all else and put their trust alone in God.  Through personal experience they would know how blessed it’s to put hope in God.  They would desire to know him more.

 After tasting the honey he had confiscated from the enemies, Jonathan said, “See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?” (1 Sam. 14:29). Tasting Gods goodness will make you yearn to get even more.

Even though God is good, we live in a fallen world. We all endure trials which we never planned for. We face danger which seeks to hurt us physically and calamity which attempts to destroy us spiritually. Where do we run to for safety? Who will we trust to be our strong tower in times of great danger? We must be so convinced and persuaded of Gods goodness, to be encouraged in the worst of times, to trust in him and cast our care upon him.

 Psalm 34:8 reminds us that God is our shelter from the storms of life. David says “blessed is the one who takes refuge in him”. When we have the Lord as our refuge, it does not matter what life throws our way. He can protect us through the most destructive calamities and give us peace and calmness during the most frightening moments.

Great is our Lord and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Ps. 147:5). In Psalm 46:1-3 we read “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling”.

We all understand the need of running to a safe place when a storm approaches, but do we rest in the security of God’s provision when the clouds have rolled away and the sun is shining? In other words, is the protection of God something we seek only when times are tough, or do we rest in the shelter of His wings all the days of our lives? If we could simply step back and view our lives from God’s perspective, we’d see how foolish we are to assume we can live outside his protection.

Our primary problem is that we fail to equate physical needs with spiritual needs.  We compartmentalize the Bible as a survival accessory to our faith journey rather than the trail map itself.  For the experienced mountain climber, a trail map is crucial to survival because it protects him from potential dangers and guards him from committing costly errors which could prove life-threatening.

The same is true of us. We have the ultimate survival map available to illuminate our path and chart our course every day. Proverbs 3: 5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” David prayer was “See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:24).

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! You have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name” (Psalm 61:1–4).

David urges you to try for yourself and find out exactly how satisfyingly good God is. Taste and see that the Lord is good. The apostle Peter says, “You have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:3). Have you learned this lesson yet? God’s promises will be of no comfort or strength to you until you make them your own.David’s invitation is yours to receive, but it is also yours to extend. What opportunities has God given you to share this invitation with others?

 

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