For years, David fled from King Saul. Saul was jealous of him and desired to kill David. David fled from one hiding place in the mountains to another, in constant danger as people reported his presence to the king.

On one occasion, David made an unwise decision to flee to Achish, the king of the Philistines, to seek refuge (1Sam 21:10-15). Upon arriving in Gath, the king recalled the songs sung about David slaying ten thousands of Philistines. When David heard this, he quickly began acting like an insane man. He scribbled on the walls and let spit drool down his beard.

By that quick thinking, the Philistines sent him on his way. Evidently, David wrote this Psalm of praise to thank God for that deliverance. Read Psalm 34:1-10.

Transition

I want us to focus our attention this morning on Psalm 34:8. As we do, we will answer three questions that I trust will confirm in your heart that the LORD is good!

What does the phrase, “The LORD is good” mean?

  1. Let me explain the words.
    1. You will note that the word LORD is in caps. That is a translation clue that it refers to Jehovah God.
    2. Now let’s take a look at the word “good”. One dictionary points out that to be “good” is to be functional or to function properly. AHBL. Another dictionary says it is that which is good, well-pleasing, fruitful, morally correct, or proper. CWSD.
  2. Now, let me expand on these definitions.
    1. The LORD is eternally good in essence: Jesus said, “there is none good but God” (Mr 10:18). God has been good eternally. He is good! In our relativistic world, God is the standard of good, not your opinion or mine.
    2. The LORD is practically good in quality: He is excellent and the opposite of bad. False gods are often demonic, harsh, cruel, fearful, and must be appeased. Our God is good.
    3. The LORD is innately good in character: In His very being He is pleasant, agreeable, kind, merciful.
    4. The LORD is morally good in purity: God is sinless, clean, pure, and always right. He is not tempted by evil, for He sees it for what it is. (James 1:13) “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:“
    5. The LORD is perfectly good in judgment: He always judges rightly. His decisions are never wrong.
      1. (Psalm 19:9) “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.“
      2. (Psalm 119:160) “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.“
      3. God often gets blamed for bad things that happen in our world, but all bad is the result of sin.
    6. The LORD is good!

With what is the LORD’s goodness linked in Scripture?

  1. Frequently, God’s goodness is linked with mercy.
    1. (Psalm 136:1) “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” The general content of this verse is repeated numerously in the Bible.
    2. The Hebrew word translated “mercy” speaks of God’s kindness, lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, or love. CWSD.
    3. With mercy as its partner, God’s goodness is linked with His kind, faithful love. His mercy is one of the qualities that make Him good.
  2. God’s goodness is also linked with other things.
    1. Forgiveness: (Psalm 86:5) “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Being good, God is ready to forgive our sins. That is such a blessing! What if God was harsh and unforgiving? We would be in big trouble.
    2. Waiting on God: (Lamentations 3:25) “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” The Lord has special goodness reserved for those who wait for him and seek him. Of the word “wait”, one dictionary states, “The root meaning is that of twisting or winding a strand of cord or rope.” CWSD. When we wait for the Lord, we wind ourselves around Him, and this gives us hope.
    3. God’s stronghold: (Nahum 1:7) “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” A stronghold is a refuge or fortress. Thus, as our good God, He is our refuge or fortress during times of trouble.
    4. Because God is good, He does good. Speaking to his brothers who had sent Joseph into slavery he said, (Genesis 50:20) “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Yes, God can even use trials that seem so bad to fulfil a good purpose in our lives and in the lives of others. In that same vein, the Apostle Paul wrote, (Romans 8:28) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.“
    5. Truly, the LORD is good!

How can we know that the LORD is good today?

Is this fig in my hand good to eat? The only way you can know is to taste it and to see the inside. The Psalmist gives us two challenges.

  1. He first challenges us to taste God’s goodness.
    1. In a literal sense, the word “taste” means “to try, or to evaluate, with the tongue, normally with a view to consumption if the flavor is suitable.” TWOT.
    2. God is not suggesting that we actually try to eat a bit of His goodness, but that we check it out personally. This is actually a command.
      1. When you confess a sin and God forgives and gives you peace, you have tasted his goodness.
      2. When you wait on the Lord by casting your burden on Him, and He strengthens you emotionally, you have tasted of His goodness.
      3. Tasting God’s goodness is savouring the goodness of God by meditating on the good character of God. Often, we do not take the time to taste the goodness of God, or we brush it off as fate.
  2. His second challenge is to see God’s goodness.
    1. This is using our eyes to observe good things that God does. It is seeing to learn something. This too is a command.
    2. If you will daily study the Bible, you will see many examples of God’s goodness in the lives of others. For example, in Genesis 1, during Creation Week, God saw the things He created and declared them to be good.
    3. However, in our text, God commands that you see God’s goodness in your own experiences.
      1. This past week, Mel and I needed to order some supplements and the company we order from just happened to have a 20% off sale. In that we saw the goodness of God.
      2. When God allows you to see the good that results from a trial you experienced, you are seeing the goodness of God.
    4. As with tasting God’s goodness, we often do not see God’s goodness because we do not look for it.

Conclusion

David concluded the verse by saying, “blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Tasting and seeing that the LORD is good ought to lead you to trust Him and to receive His blessing.

Truly, the LORD is good! Have you tasted His goodness this week? Have you seen His goodness in your life? If not, there is something between you and the Saviour, or you have not taken time to count your blessings. Begin tasting and seeing that God is good! What changes do you need to implement to make this a reality? Is there a sin you need to confess? Do you need to begin looking for God’s goodness?

David faced serious trouble from the king of Gath. When God delivered him, he knew that he had tasted and seen that the LORD is good. You and I need to do the same.

Song: Count your Blessings, 370 #2, 4
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The LORD is Good
4 February 2024 AM – Text: Psalm 34:8 – Topic: God is