Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Psalms 34
Metaphysically Interpreting Psalms 34:1-22
A Psalm of David; when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
34:1I will bless Jehovah at all times:
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
34:2My soul shall make her boast in Jehovah:
The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad.
34:3Oh magnify Jehovah with me,
And let us exalt his name together.34:4I sought Jehovah, and he answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
34:5They looked unto him, and were radiant;
And their faces shall never be confounded.
34:6This poor man cried, and Jehovah heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
34:7The angel of Jehovah encampeth round about them that fear him,
And delivereth them.
34:8Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good:
Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.
34:9Oh fear Jehovah, ye his saints;
For there is no want to them that fear him.
34:10The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger;
But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good thing.
34:11Come, ye children, hearken unto me:
I will teach you the fear of Jehovah.
34:12What man is he that desireth life,
And loveth many days, that he may see good?
34:13Keep thy tongue from evil,
And thy lips from speaking guile.
34:14Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.34:15The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous,
And his ears are open unto their cry.
34:16The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
34:17The righteous cried, and Jehovah heard,
And delivered them out of all their troubles.
34:18Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,
And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous;
But Jehovah delivereth him out of them all.
34:20He keepeth all his bones:
Not one of them is broken.
34:21Evil shall slay the wicked;
And they that hate the righteous shall be condemned.
34:22Jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants;
And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned.
July 31, 1949: Psalms 34:3-8
How do we “magnify Jehovah”? To magnify means to increase or enlarge. Since we cannot increase or enlarge the Infinite, we turn to our own mind or consciousness and increase or enlarge the conception of Jehovah there. We do this by keeping Jehovah in mind in prayer, meditation, song, praise, or abstract thought, as well as by taking thought for those whom our thought can help.
“I sought Jehovah, and he answered me.” Of what is this verse proof? Of the omnipresence of God. We need not go far to make contact with God; we may find immediately what we seek, since God is within us.
How are we delivered from all our fears? Faith in God gives us confidence in the good, and this delivers us from the negations that create fear. Trust dissipates fear.
Can we become radiant through the worship of God? Yes, by looking to God we become joyous and radiant in our thought. As we enter into spiritual consciousness, our faith in spiritual truth develops and expands. We then worship in spirit and in truth.
In what respect are people's “faces . . . confounded”? People are perplexed or dismayed by loss of faith or confidence, which leaves them bewildered or confused, with nowhere to turn for comfort and assurance. This cannot come to those who keep their thought fixed on God and their faith firm. Doubt and skepticism cannot overtake them.
What is the “angel of Jehovah,” and how does it deliver those who fear Him? The angel of Jehovah is the exalted thought of God, which forms a protection to the thinker, delivering him from the effects of negative thinking. Those who “fear” Him are not trembling in expectation of the dire consequences of His displeasure, but are confident because of their certainty that He is love. Because of their belief in the changeless and enduring nature of Truth, they keep God continually in mind.
What is it to “taste” Jehovah? It is to test God by prayer and by meditation on Truth. Not much is needed to prove that a daily habit of prayer and meditation is good, putting us in touch with spiritual substance and enabling us to nourish and sustain our soul, as we can do in no other way.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-04-2013
